SALEM — Ever since her daughter was brutally murdered this winter while working alone at a group home in Revere, Kimberly Flynn has been on a mission.
The Peabody mother wants justice for her daughter, Stephanie Moulton, a 25-year-old social worker who was beaten, stabbed and dumped in a church parking lot. And she wants to change a state mental health system that she believes put her child in peril.
Deshawn Chappell, a 27-year-old schizophrenic with a history of violence, has been charged with the Jan. 20 slaying at the state-funded group home. A trial has been set for next April.
Last night, Flynn's mission took her to the Salem Park and Recreation Commission, which approved a request to use Salem Willows on Saturday, Aug. 27, for a rally in support of "Stephanie's Law," which was filed yesterday in Boston by Senate Majority Leader Fred Berry of Peabody.
"She can't die for no reason," Flynn said last night. "No other family can go through this."
The law would require private agencies or the state to provide mental health workers in residential treatment facilities, or counselors who work alone, with "panic buttons" or some kind of emergency alert devices. The buttons, similar to lifeline systems used by seniors, would be monitored 24 hours a day and trigger a police response.
The bill is based on a recommendation in a June report by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health's Task Force on Staff and Client Safety.
"It was a horrible, tragic thing that occurred," said Berry, who, after the death of the Peabody resident, urged the state agency and governor to convene the task force on the safety of workers in group homes.
Berry called the security devices a "good first step" that the state can afford and that can be accomplished quickly.
Surrounded by members of her family after last night's meeting at the senior center on Broad Street, Flynn thanked Berry, who worked with her on the legislation.
"He's been right there the whole way," she said. "He was at my daughter's funeral, and he hasn't left our side since."
The Aug. 27 event, which starts at 1 p.m., will launch the lobbying campaign for "Stephanie's Law."
Flynn said she already has supporters and donations, and hopes to organize a legion of volunteers to contact legislators. The public is invited to the rally.
This bill, she said, is the start of her campaign to reform the state mental health system, which has been criticized for funding cuts and reductions in staffing levels.
"We just want to make sure (the workers) are safe and this doesn't happen again," Flynn said.
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