Pam Lychner - History

History

Lychner, a former flight attendant for Trans World Airlines (TWA), bought a vacant house to sell in 1990. When she and her husband, Joseph "Joe" Lychner, visited it to meet who they believed was a prospective buyer, a workman from a cleaning company named William David Kelley appeared and told them that he forgot to clean under the sink. Later Kelley tried to tear Pam's clothes off her body; Joe held him as Pam called for help. Kelley, a convicted rapist and child molester, carried a knife and duct tape on his person and a blanket in his pickup truck. He plea bargained and received a sentence of 20 years for "aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sex assault."

After the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sent a letter to the Lychner residence, notifying the household that the state nominated Kelley as a candidate for early release, Lychner decided to become a "victim's rights" advocate, founding the group "Justice For All." She, as president of the group, lobbied for repealing mandatory release laws, registration of sex offenders, and the construction of more prisons. Lisa Gray of the Houston Press said that Lychner was "articulate, emotional and sure of herself, she was the blond embodiment of suburban fear of crime."

Lychner promoted and, according to U.S. Senators Phil Gramm and Joe Biden, crafted the language of a bill, later called the "Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996," that established a federal database for United States sex offenders. In addition the bill required sex offenders who move to new locations are required to contact authorities; if they fail to do so they face fines and prison time.

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