Survivor Fights to Keep Sex Abuser in Prison with Mary Bella’s Law

By holding a rally in front of state leaders, a lady from California is continuing her campaign to ensure that her uncle, who was responsible for violence and sexual assault against her and several other women, remains incarcerated.

Mary stated, “By now you’ve heard my story,” while she was delivering a speech in front of the California Senate the previous week. “My uncle raped four other women before raping and committing heinous acts on me as a foster child for nearly a year.”

Mary says that she is sharing her tale once more in order to assist politicians in their efforts to close a loophole in a state legislation that permits violent sexual offenders to be released from prison based on their age and the length of time they have spent. Her compelling testimony causes her to experience re-traumatization each time she is required to retell the torture she has endured.

It was determined that Cody Woodsen Klemp, who is now 70 years old, was responsible for the savage rape of the victim in Moreno Valley while she was a teenager, along with four other women. He was given a sentence of 170 years in jail; but, in 2024, the Board of Parole consented to release him under the Elderly Parole Program. This program permits parole eligibility for serious sex offenders provided they have completed at least 20 years of their sentence and are over the age of 50.

And for this reason, Mary and a number of other women are banding together in support of Senate Bill 286, also referred to as Mary Bella’s Law, which seeks to permanently close that loophole.

Mary remarked, “It’s quite strange.” This world is completely upside down. In this world, everything is turned upside down.

The previous year, Governor Newsom did not grant Klemp parole, which means that he will remain incarcerated for at least one year. According to Mary, he will be able to request another parole hearing in the near future.

Mary responded, “It’s a joke,” to the question.

A portion of Mary Bella’s Law is named after both Mary and another individual who also goes by the name Bella. Charles William Mix, the convicted abuser and kidnapper of the victim, was given a sentence of 350 years in prison, although he became eligible for release in the year that he turned 20 years after his sentence was handed down.

She stated, “I think collectively as a community, we have to come together and say we’ve had enough,” which is what Bella’s sister Clara said. She is currently employed by a charitable group known as Fight For Victims, where she collaborates with Mary and her friend Maggie.

In order to bring about a change for the better in the world, their objective is to bring to light injustice, advocate for victims, and bring about solutions.

Despite the fact that they were successful in getting Mary Bella’s Law approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee with a unanimous vote last week, they are of the opinion that the battle is not yet done.