Advocates push for Alina's Law for additional protections in domestic abuse

A pair of Allegheny County lawmakers joined domestic violence prevention advocates and the parents of a murdered Pitt student Tuesday in Harrisburg in a renewed push for the passage of Alina’s Law.

The measure was named for Alina Sheykhet, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who was bludgeoned and stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend days after she obtained a protection from abuse order against him.

The bill, pending in the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee, would give judges discretion to order defendants in PFA cases to wear electronic ankle bracelets if there is evidence they pose a threat of violence.

Civil liberties advocates have opposed such measures, saying they are equivalent to a house arrest sentence for people who have not been convicted of a crime. A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said the group continues to oppose such legislation.

But domestic violence prevention groups say such measures could save lives. Sheykhet’s family and former classmates have rallied to keep her memory alive and change the law. Her mother said it could have saved her daughter, who took advantage of existing laws to seek protection from Matthew Darby.

“If we had the stricter law pertaining to PFA orders, I believe Alina would be alive today. The PFA is just a piece of paper. It doesn’t give the protection promised,” Alina’s mother, Elly Sheykhet, told lawmakers and advocates at Tuesday’s rally.

Darby, 23, of Hempfield, broke into Sheykhet’s Oakland apartment in the predawn hours of Oct. 8, 2017, and killed the coed.

Darby was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder to avoid a death penalty trial.

State Rep. Anita Astorina Kulik, D-Kennedy, who sponsored Alina’s Law, was a co-host with state Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Upper St. Clair, of the rally highlighting Domestic Violence Prevention Month.

“The commonwealth lost more than 100 people to domestic violence in 2018. This is in no way, shape or form an issue that should be taken lightly,” Kulik said. “People are losing their lives at the hands of their partners. Today, we stand together to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ ”

State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, previously sponsored a similar measure that passed the Senate but failed to reach a vote in the House. He said he is optimistic this bill will become law.

“It’s a very important piece of legislation that goes to significant lengths to end situations where people can fall through the cracks,” Costa said.

Ann Emmerling, director of the Blackburn Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Greensburg, said there are definitely abuse cases that could benefit from Alina’s Law.

“There are so many things we need to be paying attention to for the protection of women, men and children who have abusive partners focused on tracking them down,” Emmerling said. “I think it is important for the whole community to recognize the seriousness of domestic violence and consider a number of strategies for the protection of victims.”