The Orlando prosecutor, targeted by Ron DeSantis in the middle of a triple shooting investigation he continued to defend himself against the Florida governor attacksclaiming Thursday that he is looking for any reason to remove her from office because she is a Democrat.
During an update Thursday on pending charges in the shooting — which left a 9-year-old girl, a 38-year-old woman, and a local news reporter dead last month — State’s Attorney Monique Worrell criticized DeSantis while accusing him of exploitation. the tragedy to probe his office and dig up a reason to suspend it.
“It’s not about following the law, it’s not about whether or not my policies are a danger to public safety,” he said. “This is about the governor who wanted to control politics in this entire state. And frankly it’s dangerous because this is a democracy, not a dictatorship.”
Monique H. Worrell.
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State Attorney New Judicial Circuit
After grilling Worrell during a Feb. 27 news conference, DeSantis filed a formal request ordering his office to provide records related to past arrests of 19-year-old Keith Moses and records of each case in which a person arrested for a felony or misdemeanor. in violation of probation has not been charged by his office since 2020, when he was elected.
A letter from the governor’s office said the request was to “determine whether Mr. Moses was triggered by gaps in our sentencing laws that need to be corrected, or, frankly, the failure of your office to properly administer justice.”
Florida Prosecutor Reveals The Real Reasons She Landed In DeSantis’ Target
Worrell responded that while he has nothing to hide, his office will not bow to DeSantis’ unrealistic records request — ordered to be filed by Tuesday — just to score political points. She said she has already sent all the information requested about the February shooting and its suspect specifically.
Worrell said Thursday that he hasn’t failed at any point, but fulfilling the massive records request from Tuesday would be impossible on such short notice and expensive, with an estimated cost of $800,000 to taxpayers.
Florida Prosecutor Reveals The Real Reasons She Landed In DeSantis’ Target
Worrell he told The Daily Beast last week that she was the subject of a “ridiculous witch hunt” that was looking for any reason to get rid of her burden.
“There is certainly a target on my back and it has nothing to do with anything I’ve done, but only with the fact that the governor wants total control of Florida politics and does not respect the will of the elected”. Worrell said.
DeSantis, Orange County Sheriff John Mina and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) suggested Worrell was partially the reason Moses was still on the streets when he allegedly slaughtered three people last month despite an arrest 2021 in which it was “t processed.
Worrell clarified Thursday that Moses was not locked up because his lone arrest as an adult (his past juvenile arrests, which include gun charges, battery and grand theft, are sealed under Florida law) was for possession of crime drug that did not justify. that he was charged because of a law that DeSantis himself signed in 2019.
Worrell said the legislation, which amended the legal definition of cannabis to require a minimum of 0.3 percent TCH, made it impossible to tell in November 2021 whether the cannabis substance Moses allegedly possessed was hemp or a illegal amount of marijuana.
As for a gun that was recovered from Moses’ car during that arrest, something DeSantis glossed over in his criticism of Worrell, he said it was a moot point in the prosecution of the 19-year-old because deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office never has. he sent it for DNA testing.
Worrell repeatedly hinted Thursday that DeSantis cares more about removing another political opponent from office than getting justice for the shooting victims, calling his actions “political fear mongering.”
“I’m an elected Democrat who is not in alignment with the governor’s politics,” he said. “This was an attempt to build a basis for a suspension. The last item bulleted in his investigation was to have the opportunity to go through every file in my office to be able to find a basis.”
Worrell says the governor’s office interviewed former colleagues looking for an example of non-prosecution — something the governor used last year to oust fellow prosecutor Andrew Warren, a Tampa Democrat, when he refused to prosecute abortion patients.
The families of two victims allegedly killed by Moses have spoken out against DeSantis and Scott themselves, accusing Republicans of politicizing the deaths of their loved ones.
“They are sickened by what they believe was the exploitation of their children’s deaths by Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott,” said attorney Mark NeJame, who represents the Lyons and Major families. FL Voice News reported.
The lawyer also pointed out that even if Moses had been sentenced for his arrest in 2021, he would probably have been free again at the time of the shooting last month.
“Even if the killer had been in prison for a year since he was first arrested,” NeJame said, “…he would have been out of prison months before his killing spree.
The motive in TV Journo, The murders of children are still a mystery
Instead of rushing to complete the governor’s records request, Worrell says she will continue to work for Orlando, which includes the prosecution of Moses. She announced Thursday that he will be charged later this week with three counts of second-degree murder — charges she believes will likely be upgraded to first-degree murder as the police investigation continues.
“Facts matter. I know it doesn’t matter to the governor, I know it doesn’t matter to the senator and sometimes it doesn’t matter to the sheriff,” Worrell said. “This is a statewide challenge faced by prosecutors everywhere; however, the governor and senator have chosen to specifically single out my office for criticism regarding an issue that has been raised through legislation that the Governor himself signed.”
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