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.”
