By Marla Jones, Managing Editor • marla@southerntorch.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — On Monday, a bill was signed into law that would stop convicted criminals from profiting off of the crimes they have committed through books, film or other forms of entertainment. 

The bill, called “Lisa’s Law”, is named after Lisa Ann Millican, the 13-year-old girl who was tortured and killed by Judith Ann Neeley and her husband Alvin in 1982. Millican’s body was recovered at Little River Canyon in Fort Payne. 

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Proncey Robertson (R-Moulton) stated that the Millican family had been attempting to get a bill of this nature passed for some time. Robertson also said that the bill’s goal is to stop criminals from making a profit off of their own crimes. 

“If the convicted [person] is going to profit off it, the family should be compensated in some way or at least have an opportunity to explain to the judge why they should,” said Robertson. The bill would also require that the creators of any book, television show or documentary about a certain crime notify the Attorney General of Alabama about any profits from the work that total more than $5,000. The family of the victim would then have five years to file a civil case to cover damages from the convicted individual.

The new law exclusively applies to “crimes of moral turpitude,” which is defined in the Alabama Constitution.

“Lisa is [now] a voice for thousands of others. She gets to live on through this,” said Cassie Millican, sister to the late Lisa Ann Millican.