FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 3, 2017
CONTACT: Mark Elliott, FADP Director, 727-215-9646, mark@fadp.org
TAMPA, FL – Today, Florida Governor Rick Scott removed Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Aramis Ayala from 21 murder cases and reassigned them to Fifth Circuit State Attorney Brad King, a longtime death penalty proponent.
Responding to the Governor’s announcement, Mark Elliott, director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty stated:
“The decision is a brazen power grab by our politically ambitious and power-hungry governor. The governor is undermining an independently elected state attorney who is legally using the broad discretion granted to her under law.”
“This is not about seeking justice. It is about stoking the fires of anger, fear, and revenge in the hearts and minds of Floridians. Governor Scott wants to appear tough on crime without doing the hard work and making the investment to actually protect the public – solving more unsolved homicides, providing real relief to victims of violent crime and their families, and expanding proven crime prevention measures.”
“State Attorney Ayala should be applauded for courageously acting in the best interest of Orange and Osceola County residents by making her difficult decision based on evidence, not emotion.”
“Every other State Attorney and anyone with experience in the realities of Florida’s capital punishment program knows the death penalty is traumatic and tortuous for victim’s families, wastes millions of taxpayer dollars, and doesn’t deter crime or protect law enforcement.“
“If the Governor is confident that the death penalty serves justice and the best interest of Floridians, he can declare a moratorium and authorize a comprehensive non-partisan review and investigation of the hugely expensive and controversial state government program.”
Sent by:
Mark Elliott
Executive Director
Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
P.O. Box 82943
Tampa, FL 33682
FADP is a non-profit and non-partisan Florida organization of individuals and groups united to abolish the death penalty in Florida