A new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy Tuesday will increase punishment for domestic abusers convicted of strangulation following the death of Yasmine Uyar.

Authorities say Uyar was found dead in Tennessee Saturday after she and her toddler son were allegedly kidnapped in New Jersey by an abusive ex-boyfriend.

Jennifer Vriens, of the YWCA Union County, says Uyar endured years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Tyler Rios, including strangulation, before the alleged kidnapping.

Court records show a slew of domestic violence charges against Rios, including a November 2017 strangulation that was set aside as part of a guilty plea he entered in 2020. Neighbors at Uyar's Rahway home say they saw Rios there even though there was a final restraining order against him.

Rios violated that order again just last October. He spent 73 days in jail before pleading guilty and was released on probation.

The bill was passed by the Legislature unanimously and had been on the governor's desk since May.

A law signed by then-Gov. Chris Christie in 2017 made strangulation a third-degree crime punishable by three to five years in prison. The new law signed by Murphy increases the punishment to up to 10 years.

The Union County YWCA's 24-hour domestic violence hotline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for crisis counseling.