Audrii’s law, named after Audrii Cunnningham, went into effect on September 1.
AUSTIN, Texas — Among the hundreds of laws that took effect on Monday, September 1, was one that honored an 11-year-old Livingston girl who was abducted and killed by a family acquaintance early last year.
Audrii’s Law was approved in the legislative session and signed into law.
It was House Bill 2000, which adds child grooming to the list of crimes that require registration as a sex offender. The bill was filed after it came to light that the man who killed Audrii, Steven McDougal, had a history as a child predator but was allowed to stay off the registry as part of a plea deal.
Audrii’s Law closes that loophole.
McDougal was sentenced to life in prison as part of a plea deal that allowed him to avoid the death penalty.
Editor’s note: Video above is from after both the Texas House and Senate approved the measure, sending it to Gov. Abbott’s desk for signature.
Audrii Cunningham’s story
Audrii Cunningham was just 11 years old when she was kidnapped and murdered by Don Steven McDougal in February 2024.
In the months before Audrii’s death, her family allowed McDougal to live in a camper on their property. Audrii’s grandparents, Tabitha and Phillip Munsch, said they wanted to help McDougal, knowing that he had a troubled past, but were not aware of his history as a child predator.
Munsch has said she even checked the sex offender registry for McDougal and never found his name.
In 2007, McDougal pleaded guilty to a lesser charge when he was convicted of a child sex crime. Part of that plea deal allowed him not to register as a sex offender.