FOLLOW US

By DARA KAM
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

©2017 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved. Posting or forwarding this material without permission is prohibited. You can view the Terms of Use on our website.

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 16, 2017......... Days after Gov. Rick Scott signed a law effectively putting the state's death penalty back on track, a newly elected Central Florida prosecutor stunned legislators Thursday by announcing she will not pursue death sentences for any capital cases during her time in office.

The decision by Aramis Ayala, the state attorney in Orange and Osceola counties, sparked an official rebuke from Scott, who quickly appointed an outspoken supporter of the death penalty as special prosecutor in a high-profile case involving accused cop-killer Markeith Loyd.

Scott appointed Brad King, state attorney for the 5th Judicial Circuit, to handle the case of Loyd after Ayala refused to recuse herself.

Loyd is accused in the execution-style killing of Orlando Police Lt. Debra Clayton in January. Loyd is also accused of the December shooting death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon. Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Norman Lewis died as a result of a traffic crash during the hunt for Loyd.

Ayala "has made it clear that she will not fight for justice," Scott said in a statement announcing his reassignment of the case to King, who is based in Ocala and has been the circuit's chief prosecutor for nearly three decades.

"I am outraged and sickened by this loss of life and many families' lives have been forever changed because of these senseless murders. These families deserve a state attorney who will aggressively prosecute Markeith Loyd to the fullest extent of the law and justice must be served," Scott said in the statement.

Ayala's decision infuriated other state officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, drew harsh criticism from law-enforcement organizations and prompted some legislators to call for her ouster.

Ayala, who defeated incumbent State Attorney Jeff Ashton in a Democratic primary in August in the 9th Judicial Circuit, said Thursday that, while she has the discretion to seek the death penalty in capital cases, "doing so is not in the best interest of this community or the best interest of justice."

Ayala cited numerous problems with the death penalty --- on hold for more than a year statewide because of court rulings --- as the rationale for her decision, which she said she reached after "extensive and painstaking thought and consideration."