Mary Lyons, an assistant principal in Edenton who began the push to upgrade the penalty for second-degree murder, has been added to the board of the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network.

Lyons' son was murdered in Winston-Salem three years ago, and her concerns regarding the sentencing of her son's killer caused state Sen. Ed Jones, a Halifax County Democrat, to sponsor legislation this session that would boost sentences for second-degree murder to as much as life without parole, Dan Kane reports. The bill has not passed the legislature.

The network is a 23-year-old nonprofit organization that helps crime victims and their families deal with the justice system and advocates for laws and services that assist crime victims. The network's board has 18 seats. Board president William Hart said Lyons' efforts regarding the second-degree murder penalty issue brought her to the attention of the board.

State Sen. Ed Jones has filed a bill that would bump up the penalty for second-degree murder.

The legislation was filed Thursday, a day after a Winston-Salem murder that became the impetus for the bill reached an apparent resolution in state court, Dan Kane reports.

According to the Winston-Salem Journal, Aaron Jarrett Jr., 40, was sentenced to a minimum of 31 years in prison for killing Philnando O'Neal.

Jarrett pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed robbery. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder, which could have resulted in life behind bars or a death sentence.

O'Neal's mother, Mary Lyons of Elizabeth City, had protested the plea deal after learning that a second-degree murder conviction could bring as little as just under eight years in prison. She spoke to Jones, a Halifax County Democrat, who agreed to boost the penalty for a conviction to a minimum of 12 years.

The N.C. Conference of District Attorneys supports the legislation, which representatives say could lead to fewer first-degree murder cases. A recent state Office of Indigent Defense Services report found that the cost of providing legal help to poor defendants has risen steeply in the last several years because prosecutors are leaving many murder cases open to the death penalty, despite the fact that few result in a death sentence.

A few more interesting Senate bills:

S.B. 64: Motorcycle Learner's Permit, Sen. Harry Brown

S.B. 65: Amend Computer Solicitation of Child, Sen. Jerry Tillman

S.B. 66: Require Arts Educ. Credit for Graduation, Sen. Katie Dorsett

S.B. 68: No ABC Establishments W/I 1,000 Ft. of Sch., Sen. Dorsett

S.B. 74: Increase Penalty/2nd Degree Murder, Sen. Ed Jones