Governor vetoes 'Survivors Act' for domestic violence victims

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Governor Kevin Stitt has vetoed a bill known as the Oklahoma Survivors' Act.

Senate Bill 1470 passed by wide margins in both the House and the Senate this legislative session.

The Oklahoma Survivors' Act would allow for more lenient sentencing for domestic violence victims, convicted of crimes against their perpetrators.

According to the author, the law allows domestic violence victims, found guilty of a crime, to enter evidence of abuse at sentencing to get a shorter sentence.

The law would be retroactive, and available for domestic abuse survivors who are already serving a prison sentence.

Tuesday, the Governor vetoed eleven bills, including SB1470.

In the veto the Governor calls the Oklahoma Survivors' Act "bad policy." The Oklahoma District Attorneys' Council supports the veto, arguing the bill is too broad.

"When public safety is at issue, it is our responsibility to raise concerns when legislation would have unintended consequences," said DA Council President, Chris Boring.

Advocates for the measure believe it is critical to address systemic failures in criminal justic for women in Oklahoma.

"Women, especially in Oklahoma, are over punished," said Amanda Ross, whose aunt is serving a life sentence for killing her abusive ex-boyfriend. "This bill could help mediate some of that."

Ross' aunt, April Wilkens, received a life sentence in 1998. She was found guilty of the first-degree murder of her ex-fiancé.

"She still had to take matters into her own hands, and she was penalized for that.," Ross said.

On the night of the murder, Wilkens told the jury she was raped, handcuffed and held against her will by an abusive former lover who would have killed her if she hadn't defended herself.

Her attorneys claimed self-defense and battered women's syndrome at trial.

Wilkens was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, which is the minimum punishment for the crime under current Oklahoma law.