by Matthew Holloway | Apr 16, 2026 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona has enacted legislation aimed at addressing teen suicide by expanding criminal penalties for adults who encourage minors to take their own lives through targeted communication.
According to a press release from Arizona House Republicans, House Bill 2665, known as “Cade’s Law,” establishes criminal liability for adults who intentionally advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide through direct communication, including online messages.
The law expands Arizona’s manslaughter statute to include cases in which an adult, age 18 or older, knowingly encourages a minor to die by suicide while aware of the minor’s intent.
The legislation, sponsored by Representative Pamela Carter (R-LD4), is named after Cade Keller, a 16-year-old Arizona teen who died by suicide in 2022. Lawmakers said the case highlighted a gap in existing law, which penalized providing the physical means for suicide but did not address targeted online communication encouraging self-harm.
In the release, the Arizona House GOP Caucus wrote, “Cade’s Law closes a dangerous loophole.”
Under the new law, “directed communication” includes verbal, written, or electronic messages specifically aimed at a minor, including social media posts, text messages, or other online interactions.
An adult who intentionally sends such communication to a minor, with knowledge of the minor’s intent to die by suicide, can be charged with manslaughter, a Class 2 felony.
The measure does not apply to general discussions about suicide or mental health that are not directed at a specific individual.
In a statement marking the law’s enactment, Carter said, “Teen suicide is a crisis, and we cannot ignore it. Cade Keller was only 16. He loved welding and had plans to attend Mesa Community College. Then his life was cut short. Cade posted online that he planned to take his life. People saw it. No one called 911. No one got an adult. Cade died. That is the nightmare every parent fears, and it is happening to too many families. Cade’s Law makes this a crime. If you knowingly use direct messages to advise or encourage a minor to die by suicide, you will be prosecuted. If you see warning signs, do not wait. Make the call. Get help. Step in.”
The legislation was designed to address the growing role of online platforms in cases involving teen self-harm. Teen suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 10 to 24 in the United States, according to data cited in legislative materials.
The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Arizona Legislature and was advanced as part of broader efforts to address youth mental health and online safety concerns. It was signed into law alongside HB 2666, which addresses the sexual extortion of minors online.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Staff Reporter | Feb 25, 2026 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona House passed a bill increasing prison time for adults who target teenagers with sexual extortion, or “sextortion.”
HB 2666 passed out of the House with unanimous bipartisan support on Monday. The bill increases the penalty for adults who commit sextortion against minors ages 15 through 17 by increasing the offense level from a class 3 to class 2 felony. It also requires sentencing to be consecutive to any other sentence imposed for sextortion.
The bill would prohibit offenders from eligibility for sentencing suspension, probation, pardon, or release from confinement unless the court-imposed sentence has been served or commuted.
Arizona statute already has sextortion of minors under the age of 15 listed as a class 2 felony.
The bill did receive an amendment to address certain concerns by stakeholders.
Vicky Lopez, an attorney with Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice (AACJ), spoke against the bill during its committee hearing. Lopez expressed concerns that the bill as written would provide offenders with an affirmative defense that they didn’t know their victim’s age, and that the bill failed to address the circumstance of both the offender and victim being minors.
The Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) expressed support for the bill as written. The MCAO said it was against amending the bill.
Rebecca Baker on behalf of the MCAO rejected AACJ’s stance that this bill would provide an affirmative defense, and that minor offenders shouldn’t be held equally accountable.
“We’re talking about coerced conduct. We’re talking about one person forcing another person to have sex, and that’s analogous to sexual assault. I see that very differently than something like sexual conduct with a minor or even exchanging photos openly that are somehow later misused. This is forced conduct,” said Baker. “Regardless of whether the perpetrator is 15, 16, 17, or even 35, it’s still having that same effect on the victim.”
However, legislators who spoke up on the bill during the committee hearing seemed inclined to agree with AACJ. One committee member, Rep. Khyl Powell (R-LD14), agreed that minor offenders needed to have special considerations.
“I want discretion to be given back to judges. If we’re going to protect our juveniles who do something stupid, then we need to open up the door and give back to the judges’ discretion,” said Powell. “If we continue to mandate and we lock in these laws, then we will create additional victims.”
The bill author, Rep. Pamela Carter (R-LD4), said in a press release on Monday that sextortion of minors was an especially heinous type of exploitation that merits a harsher punishment.
“Sexual extortion is hitting Arizona teens hard, and the predators behind it know exactly what they’re doing,” said Carter. “If you prey on teens for money or sexual favors, you should face a class 2 felony and mandatory consecutive prison time. No probation. No shortcuts. No easy way out.”
Sextortion crimes occur often through social media platforms, namely Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord.
One recent case that occurred in Arizona concerned a ringleader of an online violent terror network, 764. The Tucson man arrested for those crimes, Baron Martin, was arrested in December 2024 for committing sextortion against minors. This past October, Martin was indicted on 29 charges.
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