Office of the State Attorney

Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida

www.sao4th.com

Contact: Jackelyn Barnard

Tel: (904) 255-3004
JBarnard@coj.net

ANGELA B. COREY
STATE ATTORNEY

***NEWS RELEASE***
For Immediate Release

August 23, 2016

STATE ATTORNEY COREY RESPONDS TO RECENT ARTICLES/

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.

###