Pam Lychner

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Pam Lychner
Pam Lychner
Statue of Lychner and her daughters in Spring Valley Village, Texas, United States
Statue of Lychner and her daughters in Spring Valley Village, Texas, United States

Pamela Sue Rogers "Pam" Lychner, born Pamela Sue Rogers[1][2] (born in Aurora, Illinois, died July 17, 1996 [July 18 UTC]) was a Spring Valley Village, Texas, United States (near Houston) real estate agent [3] who promoted the "Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996" bill. Lychner died in the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800.

Lychner, a former flight attendant for TWA, bought a vacant house to sell in 1990. When she and her husband, Joseph "Joe" Lychner[4], visited the house, a workman from a cleaning company named William David Kelley appeared and told the couple that he forgot to clean under the sink. Later Kelley tried to tear Pam Lychner's clothes off her body; Joe Lychner held Kelley as Pam Lychner called for help. Kelley, a convicted rapist and child molester, carried a knife and duct tape on his person and a blanket in his pickup truck. [3] Kelley plea bargained and received a sentence of 20 years for "aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sex assault." [5]

After the Texas Department of Criminal Justice sent a letter to the Lychner residence, notifying the household that the state nominated Kelley as a candidate for early release, Pam Lychner decided to become a "victim's rights" advocate, founding the group "Justice For All." Pam Lychner, as president of the group, lobbied for repealing mandatory release laws, registration of sex offenders, and the construction of more prisons. [5]

Pam Lychner promoted and crafted the language of a bill, later called the "Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996," that established a federal database for United States sex offenders. [6]

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[edit] Death

Lychner and her daughters died on N93119, the Boeing 747-131 used for TWA Flight 800
Lychner and her daughters died on N93119, the Boeing 747-131 used for TWA Flight 800

Shannon Evan Lychner, Pam Lychner's 10 year-old elder daughter, had copied Claude Monet's paintings, and Pam Lychner wanted to introduce Shannon Lychner to the Giverny, France artist's garden, located near Paris. The family created a plan for a three-day Paris trip. 37 year-old Pam Lychner and her daughters, Shannon Lychner and 8 year-old Katherine Elizabeth "Katie" Lychner, [7] boarded TWA Flight 800 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, bound for Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris. The Boeing 747-131 used for Flight 800 exploded off the coast of Long Island, killing all of the passengers, including the three Lychners, and all of the crew. Joe Lychner advocated for an investigation of Flight 800.[8]

[edit] Post-mortem recognition

After Pam Lychner and her daughters died, the United States Congress passed the "Pam Lychner Sexual Offender Tracking and Identification Act of 1996." [6]

The City of Spring Valley Village posted a bronze statue of Pam Lychner and her daughters at the city hall. [9]

[edit] References

  1. ^ "HC00081F." Legislature of Texas.
  2. ^ "Photos: 10th Anniversary of Flight 800 Crash," Newsday
  3. ^ a b "After the Crash," Houston Press 1.
  4. ^ "LOCAL REV COMFORTS TWA DAD." New York Daily News.
  5. ^ a b "After the Crash," Houston Press 2.
  6. ^ a b "Background Information on the Act and Its Amendments," Bureau of Justice Assistance of the United States Department of Justice
  7. ^ "Aurora family copes with double disaster," Chicago Sun-Times
  8. ^ "After the Crash," Houston Press 3.
  9. ^ "After the Crash," Houston Press 5.

[edit] External links