LANSING, Michigan — Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed “Melody’s Law,” closing a significant loophole in Michigan’s criminal code by explicitly criminalizing necrophilia. This new legislation comes after the murder and posthumous assault of Melody Rohrer in 2021, whose case revealed the absence of legal penalties for sexual contact with a deceased body.
Richard Rohrer, Melody’s husband, listened intently as Sen. Veronica Klinefelt (D-Eastpointe) presented the proposed law before the Michigan Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee on May 16, 2024. His wife’s tragic case, involving evidence of post-mortem sexual assault, highlighted the urgent need for legal reform.
In 1995, the Michigan Court of Appeals clarified that the state’s sexual assault laws did not extend to deceased individuals, as a “dead body is not a person.” This legal interpretation meant that sexual acts performed on a corpse could not be prosecuted as sexual assault, prompting the court to suggest legislative action.
Nearly three decades later, Sen. Klinefelt introduced “Melody’s Law” to rectify this oversight. The legislation, comprising Senate Bills 841, 842, and 843, establishes misdemeanor and felony charges for sexual contact with a deceased human body. Offenders face up to 15 years in prison and are required to register with the state’s sexual offender registry.
“This law closes a glaring loophole in Michigan’s criminal code and ensures that any horrifying acts of necrophilia can be properly prosecuted,” Klinefelt stated in a press release following the bill’s signing.
The journey to this legislative milestone was driven by the pain, courage, and love of Melody Rohrer’s family. In May, Richard Rohrer shared memories of his wife of 45 years with lawmakers, emphasizing her dedication as a nurse and her loving nature as a mother and grandmother.
“Melody represented all that is good in this world,” Rohrer said. Her murder, he recounted, involved a man who intentionally hit her with his car and subsequently raped her corpse. Despite the presentation of DNA evidence and incriminating searches on the perpetrator’s phone, the absence of a specific law against necrophilia prevented sexual assault charges from being filed.
Angela Povilaitis, staff policy attorney at the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, underscored the additional trauma families face when learning that there is no criminal punishment for necrophilia. “These bills provide families with some recourse in the criminal justice system,” Povilaitis said during the May committee hearing.
Though Melody’s family will forever miss her presence, Richard Rohrer finds solace in the passage of “Melody’s Law.” “While we are devastated that the person responsible for Melody’s death was unable to be charged for this particular crime, it will give us peace of mind that no one else will have to endure the same injustice our family has had to endure over the past two-and-a-half years,” Rohrer said.
Now on a tribute trip in honor of his wife, Rohrer expressed gratitude that this chapter of their ordeal is over. “My family and I are thankful that this part of our nightmare is over,” Rohrer told Michigan Advance. “We can now spend our time with our special memories of Melody, the wife, mother, grandmother, and wonderful woman that she was.”