In 2021 Peggy Beasley Rayburn filed for divorce from her husband, Marshall Rayburn, as well as that she contacted the police to file a report of the 15 years of an abusive relationship. Marshall Rayburn was arrested but later released on bail, with an ankle monitor and he was barred from being within 100 yards of Peggy's home in St. Francisville.

The ankle monitor did nothing to deter Marshall from carrying out the murder of Peggy Beasley Rayburn on the night of September 20th. After taking the life of Peggy, Marshall Rayburn would turn his firearm on himself and take his own life. 

Neglectful Overseers

Even with a GPS-tracking ankle monitor around the leg of Marshall Rayburn, he violated the terms of his bond by repeatedly coming within 100 yards of Peggy's home, doing so as many as five times in one day. Despite the obvious violations of his bond the company operating the ankle monitor did not notify law enforcement even once.

Individuals within the company, American Electronic Monitoring (AEM), have been charged in conjunction with the murder of Peggy Beasley Rayburn. AEM owner Van Hopkins was charged with negligent homicide, which could carry a prison sentence of up to five years and a $5,000 fine.

Forward From Here

This tragic story shed much-needed light on Louisiana's broken system of ankle-monitor supervision. In the state of Louisiana, GPS ankle monitors are provided by a system of judges and bail bond agencies, typically in which the defendant pays the bail bond company directly for the services of being monitored 24/7.

Up until this last Monday it was not legally mandated that a firm monitoring a GPS ankle monitor on behalf of law enforcement be held responsible to notify law enforcement. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a regulation that forces private companies involved in the ankle monitor business to notify policy within 24 hours of an ankle monitor being tampered with. Failure to notify police could result in fines and a ban from operating within state borders.