Alabama lawmakers are planning to reintroduce legislation that would impose the death penalty on people convicted of rape or sodomy of a child.

The proposal comes in the wake of seven people being arrested in Bibb County for alleged involvement in a child sex trafficking ring that revealed horrific incidences of rape, sodomy, bestiality and sexual torture. At least 10 victims have been identified as being kept in an underground bunker where it is alleged men could pay $200 to sexually abuse them. The children are as old as 15 and as young as 3.

In a press conference held Thursday, July 31, state Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne), along with other lawmakers and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, advocated for legislation that would extend the death penalty to those convicted of sexual assault on children.

State Sen. April Weaver (R-Alabaster), who plans to introduce the bill in the 2026 legislative session, said the sentence is intended as a deterrent.

"If passing this bill keeps one innocent child from suffering, it will have done its job, and if it sends even one child predator to an early grave, well, that works, too," Weaver said during the press conference.

Simpson and Marshall said the legislation is partly a direct challenge to the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana, which declared the death penalty a violation of the cruel and unusual punishment clause in the Eighth Amendment in cases where a crime does not result in a victim's death. Both said they think the legal landscape has changed enough to where support among the courts would be more widespread. Simpson also cited other states such as Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Idaho that have passed similar legislation.

"The rationale in Kennedy was that not enough states were doing this, so it became cruel and unusual punishment. However, there is a push now to change that, that narrative. There are states that are trying to do it. So, it's not going to be unusual because others are trying to do it," Simpson said.

Marshall said he and his office are prepared to defend the law if passed, along with supporting other states with similar laws.

"We prepared to do it the moment we have that opportunity," Marshall said.

A previous attempt was made to pass similar legislation during the 2024 session. HB 29, sponsored by Simpson, would have given adults convicted of rape or sodomy against a child under the age of 6 the death penalty or life in prison without parole, while those under 18 would receive a life sentence. The bill was amended in a House committee to extend the punishment to those who commit such crimes against children under 12, which passed the House by a vote of 86-5.

However, the bill did not make it to the Senate floor for a vote, with Weaver blaming it on lengthy filibusters stalling several bills. Weaver and Simpson said they've been in contact with House and Senate leadership and believe the measure will be fast-tracked next year.

According to records from the Alabama Department of Corrections, 25 people have been executed for rape charges in the state, with the last rape-related execution having taken place in 1959. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, no one in the United States has been executed for a crime besides murder since 1964.