The Arizona Senate has rejected a bill to impose harsher prison sentences on illegal immigrants.
Senators voted 16-14 against Grant's Law on Wednesday. The bill is inspired by Grant Ronnebeck, a 21-year-old man who was killed in 2015 while working at a Mesa QuickTrip.
The accused killer, Apolinar Altamirano, is an illegal immigrant with a criminal past. Ronnebeck's family worked with the bill's sponsor.
The bill proposed tougher sentences for felons who are illegal immigrants compared to what the general public would get.
Judges could not give a minimum sentence for their crimes, instead they would start at a mid-range, presumptive, sentence.
The defendant would also be ineligible for probation, community service, commuted sentences or early release.A similar bill failed in the Arizona Legislature last year.
