Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and sexual abuse.
Bradyn Bohn, a 15-year-old from Kronenwetter, Wisconsin, died by suicide on March 5 after falling victim to sextortion.
Sextortion is a crime where scammers coerce their victims, usually teen boys, gaining their trust, convincing them to send compromising pictures and then blackmailing them for money.
Brittany Bird, Bohn's mother, found a note from her son saying “make sure he gets caught,” with a further explanation of the situation. Although Bird said her son sent money, the scammers were relentless and didn’t stop.
It was only two hours after the messages started that Bohn took his life.
This week, a handful of northern Wisconsin legislators introduced “Bradyn’s Law” for co-sponsorship, in honor of Bohn. The bill, which has support from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, would make sextortion a standalone crime in Wisconsin.
“Losing a young life because of the evil acts of these perpetrators and bad people that wanted to prey on our kids is absolutely devastating,” Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, told The Daily Cardinal. “We need to keep taking a stand and when we can hold these people accountable, we charge them accordingly, and we hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The key provision in the bill states that if the “sextortion” leads the victim to death by suicide, the perpetrator could be charged with felony murder, which could add up to 15 years plus the underlying sentence, Rep. Brent Jacobson, R-Mosinee, told the Cardinal.
This gives law enforcement a statute on the books, leaving it up to the prosecutor to assess if the evidence links causation between what occurred and the individual taking their life. Additionally, Jacobson also said that if the prosecutor believes the level of intent does not connect between felony murder and suicide, he thinks the prosecutor would have “flexibility” and could make the charge a lower level offense like manslaughter.
“We’re a small, tight-knit community in central Wisconsin, and this really got me emotional,” Jacobson told the Cardinal. “I can’t imagine feeling the loss of a child.”
The base offense for sextortion would be a Class I felony punishable by up to 3.5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. However, if the victim engages in sexual conduct, suffers great bodily harm or gives money or valuables, it becomes a Class H felony, carrying a sentence of up to 6 years in prison.
If the victim is under 18 and the defendant is more than four years older, the perpetrator has a prior conviction of a sexually violent offense or the crime occurred during child abduction, it becomes a Class G felony carrying up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, Jocobson told the Cardinal.
“Hopefully, this legislation and the sacrifice and tragedy that happened to Bradyn will be able to enlighten others of this nature and maybe prevent something from happening in the future,” Rep. Patrick Snyder, R-Weston, told the Cardinal. “Maybe other teens facing this right now, hopefully, this will give them the courage to come to their parents and come to authorities because the message is no matter how you might think it’s embarrassing, you don’t think you could handle it, we will get through it.”
Not only has Kaul worked on this bill alongside Republican lawmakers, Snyder told the Cardinal the bill already has Democratic cosponsors. He also mentioned that a colleague is working on a separate bill that would help educate middle and high school kids about how to not fall victim to crimes like sextortion.
Bird and John DeMay, who also lost his son to suicide because of sextortion, are holding a free community event to spread the word about the dangers of sextortion on April 30 at The Grand Theatre in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Clara Strecker is a copy chief for The Daily Cardinal. She also covers state news.
