Where To Find Us
ADVERTISE
YOUR
BUSINESS
HERE
Page 3
Email publisher@ messengerpapers.com
Thursday, February 5, 2026 ~ Volume 71 ~ Issue Number 16 ~ $1.00
Crime Victim’s Family Rallies to Pass ‘Sarah’s Law’ By Matt Meduri Crime victims and Senate and Assembly Republicans are rallying to pass “Sarah’s Law” this session of the State Legislature. The bill, named for Sarah Goode, would close a loophole that expunges the criminal records of defendants who die while their conviction is on appeal. That loophole is called abatement ab initio. Goode, of Medford, was raped and murdered by Dante Taylor, of Mastic, when she was just 21 years old. She vanished after a party at which the two had met in June 2014. She was stabbed forty-two times by Taylor, who had dumped her body in the woods. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. While appealing his case, he committed suicide. Abatement ab initio, under New York State Law, required the dismissal of his conviction, leaving no defendant legally convicted of Goode’s horrific assault and murder. Continued on page 4
Sarah Goode’s family rallies in Hauppauge to close a criminal justice loophole (Credit - Matt Meduri)
Piccirillo Lays Out Priorities for First Year as Presiding Officer
Story on page 12
FULL STORIES ON:
Romaine Signs Bill to Combat Human Trafficking Page 5
Carpenter’s Corner Page 10
State Funds Flow Through Islip Page 15