Bentley and Mason’s Law Celebrated at Byrnes Mill Signing Ceremony

SB 1135 allows Missouri courts to require impaired drivers who take the life of a parent or guardian to provide financial support for the surviving children.

By The Jefferson Review

BYRNES MILL, Mo. — A law born from one Jefferson County family’s unimaginable loss was celebrated Sunday evening as relatives, first responders, law enforcement officers, elected officials, and community members gathered at Spring Hills Presbyterian Church in Byrnes Mill.

The August 2 ceremony recognized the passage of Senate Bill 1135, known as Bentley and Mason’s Law. The new law allows Missouri courts to order an impaired driver who causes the death of a parent or guardian to provide financial support for the surviving children.

The law is named for Bentley and Mason, two young children who lost their parents, Cordell and Lacy, and their baby brother, Cordell II, in an impaired-driving crash on April 13, 2021.

The crash occurred only a short distance from the church where Sunday’s ceremony was held.

Representative Cecelie Williams, who carried the legislation in the Missouri House, described the law as one that emerged from heartbreak but could make a difference for families throughout the state.

“This accident happened just shortly down the road,” Williams said. “It is something that those who live in Jefferson County drive by every single day.”

Williams said the family was struck from behind by an impaired driver traveling approximately 107 miles per hour. She credited the boys’ grandmother, Cecilia Williams, with spending five years fighting to turn the family’s tragedy into a measure that would protect other children.

“We are just the people who presented the legislation and the ones who stood on the floor to talk about it,” Representative Williams said. “It was truly us being there for Cecilia and Bentley and Mason.”

A Five-Year Fight

Cecilia Williams first contacted then-State Representative Mike Henderson in May 2021 with the idea that an impaired driver who kills a parent should remain financially responsible for the children left behind.

Henderson, now a state senator, continued introducing and advocating for the legislation as it repeatedly moved through the General Assembly but failed to reach final passage during previous sessions.

The proposal finally crossed the finish line in 2026.

“The reason the bill took so long to pass was by no means anything to do with his work or his effort,” Cecilia Williams said. “It always got to that finish line, and then at the end something always happened. But here we are, five years today, and I can proudly say that this bill has finally passed in Missouri.”

Under the law, courts may impose a financial obligation on an offender convicted in connection with the death of a parent or guardian. Williams explained that the obligation can begin accumulating while an offender is incarcerated and remain due after the offender is released.

She said the law is intended both to help support surviving children and to serve as an additional deterrent against impaired driving.

“Bentley and Mason’s Law holds the offenders financially accountable for the children left behind,” she said. “This is not something that can be thrown on the back burner.”

Senator Henderson said the credit for the bill’s passage belonged primarily to Cecilia Williams and her determination to continue returning to the Capitol.

“I don’t mean to offend Cecelie, but Cececlie and I did not pass this bill,” Henderson said. “Miss Williams passed this bill.”

Henderson recalled presenting the proposal in legislative committees several times. He said he would provide lawmakers with an overview before allowing Williams to tell the family’s story.

“When they would hear that story, you would usually see some tears,” Henderson said. “They were thinking, ‘What if this happened to my family?’”

Henderson said his greatest hope is that the law is never needed.

“My greatest hope with the bill is it’s never used,” he said. “My greatest hope is we never use this because no one has to go through this catastrophe again.”

Remembering the Victims

The ceremony also honored the first responders and law enforcement officers who responded to the 2021 crash.

Police Chief Frank Selvaggio described it as one of the most difficult scenes of his 45-year career. He recognized the officers, Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies, firefighters, paramedics, and ambulance crews who responded.

Selvaggio said the relationships that developed between the first responders and the family were an example of something positive rising from tragedy.

“I look at this situation kind of like a phoenix rising from the ashes,” Selvaggio said. “Something very good has come out of something very tragic.”

Officer Cody Umfress spoke about the wider impact of impaired-driving crashes and the importance of remembering the victims long after a crash scene has been cleared.

“We have to stop thinking of DWI as a victimless crime,” Umfress said. “Every single DWI that’s taken off the road is a life saved.”

He said victims include not only the people involved in a collision, but also their families, witnesses, first responders, and others affected by the aftermath.

Umfress encouraged those attending to continue speaking the names of Cordell, Lacy, Cordell II, and other victims of impaired driving.

Representative Williams said laws named for victims ensure that their names and legacies continue to be remembered.

“There are two times you die in your life,” she said. “The first when your soul leaves your physical body, and the second time is a little bit later when your name is spoken for the very last time.”

She said Bentley and Mason’s Law will preserve the family’s legacy each time the law is discussed or applied.

A Promise Kept

Cecilia Williams told the crowd that when she first visited the crash site, she made a promise to her son.

“I would do everything that I can to prevent this from happening to another family,” she said. “I would do everything I can to prevent children from having to deal with such a loss, and I’ve done that.”

Representative Williams and Senator Henderson concluded the event by participating in a ceremonial signing of Senate Bill 1135 alongside members of the family.

The evening also carried another special meaning for the family. August 2 was Bentley’s birthday.

Before the ceremony ended, those gathered inside the church joined together to sing “Happy Birthday” to him.

The moment brought together the heartbreak that inspired the law, the years of work required to pass it, and the children whose names it will carry throughout Missouri.

“This was a law that was born from heartbreak,” Representative Williams said, “but it gives strength to a family that has lost so much.”