Domestic violence survivor calls on IL Gov to sign new bill into law after son was murdered

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Bill named after mother's murdered son aims to fill gaps in cash bail system

Domestic violence survivor Cassandra Tanner Miller joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to discuss ending cash bail laws after her estranged husband murdered her 18-month-old son.

An Illinois mother and domestic violence survivor is urging Governor J. B. Pritzker, D., to take action against ending cash bail after her estranged husband returned home from jail and murdered her 18-month-old son, Colton. 

Cassandra Tanner Miller originally shared her tragic story to Fox News co-host, Dana Perino, on "America’s Newsroom" back in February and mentioned she'd met with Pritzker then. Tanner Miller expressed to the Illinois governor that in order to prevent situations like hers from ever occurring again, the state requires "stronger" bond conditions, and needs to elevate the voices of domestic violence survivors.

Since then, Colton’s Law, a bill named after Tanner Miller’s son that aims to fill gaps in the cash bail system, has been passed unanimously through the House and Senate. Tanner Miller claimed the bill has now been sitting on Gov. Pritzker’s desk for nearly 3 weeks. The mother joined ‘America’s Newsroom' Thursday to provide an update.

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"It's been currently sitting at [sic] the governor's desk waiting for a response for it to be signed," Tanner Miller told Perino Thursday. "Hopefully a follow through on his promise, the same promise that he made that he would welcome me back down, and I'd be able to create another memory for my son."

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Tanner Miller maintained that Colton’s Law will make a drastic change in the cash bail system, and will keep families safe moving forward. The bill will be the first "victim-driven" law and will look at "every part" of domestic violence in the state, she asserted.

"Unfortunately, my family has suffered the biggest consequences to the breakdown of how our state has never came [sic] to figure out why this is happening, why there's no accountability, and what can we do to make a difference," she remarked. "We're going to be that difference with Colton’s domestic violence task force."

The Illinois mother emotionally said she regrets that she will never be able to see her son grow up, but is truly proud she created a legacy for Colton.

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"Every single family that has been affected, or is being affected currently, or has lost their lives at the hands of their abuser, my son is now part of the reason that we are going to be living, they’re going to be surviving," Tanner Miller concluded. "We just want to make sure that our children have an importance in life and a goal to life — Colton’s legacy created that." 

Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.