STUDY REGARDING DEATH PENALTY JACKSONVILLE, Fla. In the last few days, several out of state sources have published articles and/or studies focusing on the death penalty in Duval County without taking into consideration the multi-faceted and extremely complicated aspects of this issue. The death penalty is the law of the State of Florida. The serious decision to seek or waive the death penalty is given great consideration and must meet strict legal standards. When a case warrants the death penalty under Florida law, it is the State Attorneys job to seek the death penalty; a jurys job to render an advisory recommendation; and a judges job to impose the death penalty. The State Attorneys decision to seek or waive the death penalty is based on the facts and circumstances of each case and the aggravating and mitigating circumstances as detailed by Florida law. However, all three of these recent articles/studies fail to mention the most important aspect of these crimes: VICTIMS. Barely a word is devoted to the innocent victims of these murders who span every race, gender, age, and vulnerability. It should be noted that many of our victims in Duval death penalty cases are black and deserve ultimate justice. The articles/study also fail to mention the following: 1. We engage in a careful weighing process both before and after indictment and invite mitigation from the defense before proceeding to trial. 2. The number of cases where death could have been sought but we waived the death penalty. 3. The philosophy of and method by which we seek the death penalty in the Fourth Judicial Circuit (Duval, Clay, Nassau Counties) has varied little over four decades and among three elected State Attorneys: a. Ed Austin 1974 to 1991 b. Harry Shorstein 1991 to 2008
c. Angela Corey 2009 to date
4. The articles/study make no mention whatsoever of the GENDER of the murderer. If given a fair and balanced study, it would indicate that like race, the gender of the defendants on whom we seek the death penalty is based on the number of those who commit death penalty eligible crimes, not on the general population. The State Attorneys Office of the Fourth Judicial Circuit remains devoted to faithfully serving the citizens of Northeast Florida with an unwavering commitment to justice, fairness and public safety, and we will never apologize for being tough on crime, for seeking the death penalty in appropriate cases, and fighting for victims and their families.