Family urges lawmakers to advance “Julia’s Law” as law enforcement, prosecutors offer support

At a press conference in Goldsboro, Whitney Brown Toone said her daughter’s name is now attached to a House bill she called “Julia’s Law,” and urged lawmakers to hear and move the measure so other families would not suffer the same loss. "This bill has officially been filed in the North Carolina house and for my family, that means Lily life is being remembered in a way that can't be help that can help protect other children," Toone said.

Toone and other family members described their grief and asked legislators to act. "She should still be laughing, going to school, growing up, living life," Toone said of her daughter, whom she identified in remarks as Julia Lily Toone. Michael Johnson, who identified himself as the girl’s father, thanked the public for support and said the family hopes the bill will pass so "our sacrifice won't be for nothing." Shalonda Toole, identified as the victim’s aunt, also urged passage.

Lawmakers and law-enforcement officials at the event described the bill’s principal changes. An unnamed presenter walked through the measure and said it would create two statewide resource prosecutors and one criminal investigator to prioritize gang- and multi-jurisdiction prosecutions; revise the state gang statute’s definitions to make elements more practical to prove; expand venue options to allow cases to be brought in any county where gang activity occurred; clarify what witnesses and evidence courts may consider in gang cases; and increase penalties tied to recruitment of juveniles and use of firearms in furtherance of gang crimes.

"These positions will directly prosecute cases, particularly those involved in gang activity, drug trafficking, fentanyl distribution, organized crime activity, and multi-jurisdiction crime enterprises," the presenter said while outlining the bill’s sections.

Representative Sarah Stevens, identified in the transcript as a co-sponsor and a judiciary chair, said the measure will appear before the House Judiciary Committee at an upcoming hearing. "It is coming before our Judiciary Committee for its uh hearing and passage uh out of the committee on Tuesday. It'll be Tuesday at 2:30 and our meetings are always um televised on YouTube," Stevens said, adding the committee’s work will refine the bill’s language.

Deputy Director Ernest Derrick of the State Bureau of Investigation told the crowd the SBI supports changes intended to aid prosecution and deterrence. "Gang violence is more than a crime stat or something you see on the news. It's not something that just happens in Goldsboro, North Carolina. It happens all across our nation," Derrick said, and said the SBI stands ready to partner with chiefs and sheriffs.

Chuck Spayhaus, speaking for the state’s elected district attorneys, said the DAs back tweaks to the gang statute to give prosecutors stronger tools. "From this loss, hopefully some good can come and some badly needed tweaks to existing law and some enhancements in the existing law can put some real teeth in North Carolina's gang suppression statute," he said.

The transcript contains an inconsistency in the bill number: speakers referred to the measure both as "House Bill 1173" and later as "House Bill 1137." That discrepancy was not resolved during the event and should be verified with legislative filings. The presenters also cited the North Carolina Gang Suppression Act (originally passed in 2008) as the statutory framework the bill seeks to clarify and amend.

No formal vote or final legislative action occurred at the press conference. Representatives at the event said the bill was filed and scheduled for committee consideration; the Judiciary Committee hearing time given in the transcript was Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.