Tallahassee, FL—Many Floridians may strongly agree that Markeith Loyd, a Black man, who is currently awaiting trial for murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Sade Dixon, and then murdering Orlando Police Lieutenant Debra Clayton, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. However, many people are aware of States flaws within their Criminal Justice System, including prosecutorial misconduct leading to wrongful convictions—putting innocent people on death row and to death. Mrs. Aramis Ayala, a Black female, who is a Democrat, was recently elected as Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney (Orange-Osceola Counties). Mrs. Ayala is the first Black to hold this elected position in the state of Florida. She has also been tasked to prosecute Markeith Loyd for all of the heinous crimes that he is facing. Mrs. Ayala has decided not to seek the death penalty against Markeith Loyd. And in doing so, according to Orlando Weekly, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott has the support of Florida’s Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Republican-led Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, and other victims’ families.
In January 2013, an article entitled, ‘Can Forgiveness Play a Role in Criminal Justice?’ by Paul Tullis was featured in The New York Times. Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell was featured in the article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/06/magazine/can-forgiveness-play-a-role-in-criminal-justice.html
Florida’s current 2nd Judicial Circuit State Attorney Jack Campbell, who was an Assistant State Attorney for more than a decade under former 2nd Judicial State Attorney Willie Meggs, openly discussed in detail about an ongoing murder case that he was prosecuting with a contributing reporter for The New York Times. For the first time in the American Criminal Justice System, Jack Campbell used Restorative Justice to play a role in the murder of 19-year-old, Ann Grosmaire. Ms. Grosmaire, a student at Tallahassee Community College, had been shot in the head with a shotgun at point-blank range by her abusive boyfriend, 19-year-old, Conor McBride, a White male, during an argument. Sadly, for numerous months after Mr. McBride’s arrest, Ms. Grosmaire’s parents were kept in the dark about the history of abuse that Mr. McBride had been inflicting on their daughter and about the details that led up to her murder—they believed that Mr. McBride unintentionally shot their daughter. In their blindness, Ms. Grosmaire’s parents sought to immediately forgive Mr. McBride—not wanting to see Mr. McBride spend the rest of his life in prison for accidentally shooting their daughter.
State Attorney Willie Meggs, Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell, along with Jack Campbell’s dad—Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell, as well as, Mr. Conor’s parents and Mr. Conor’s defense attorney, Gregory Cummings—they all knew that Mr. Conor murdered Ms. Grosmaire in cold-blood. According the article in The New York Times, “Conor was prone to bursts of irrational rage.” Idiotically, with knowledge of what unfolded right before Mr. Conor blew the brains out of Ms. Grosmaire’s skull, Jack Campbell and his dad, Sheriff Larry Campbell, made special provisions inside of the Leon County Jail in order for Mr. McBride to fulfill the Restorative Justice process. Restorative Justice, in part, is where the victim, the offender, and the community make amends for the committed offense. Restorative Justice was mostly used by schools and churches as a form of punishment for kids who commit vandalism or petty theft crimes. But, as part of the process in this case, the special provisions made by Sheriff Campbell, who went above and beyond measures to want his son to have national notoriety/celebrity status, clearly and severely disregarded all jail facility safety measures—putting everyone—including correctional officers and inmates at the Leon County Jail in jeopardy. Furthermore, as stated in The New York Times article, Jack Campbell told Ms. Grosmaire’s parents, “state attorney has broad discretion to depart from the state’s mandatory sentences.” Jack Campbell stated: As he always does with victims’ families, he explained to the Grosmaires the details of the criminal-justice process, including the little-advertised fact that the state attorney has broad discretion to depart from the state’s mandatory sentences. As the representative of the state and the person tasked with finding justice for Ann, he could reduce charges and seek alternative sentences. Technically, he told the Grosmairs, “if I wanted to do five years for manslaughter, I can do that.”
Neither Governor Rick Scott nor Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi nor Republican-led House of Representatives nor the Prosecuting Attorneys Association intervened when State Attorney Willie Meggs and his Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell used Restorative Justice during their prosecution of a cold-blooded murderer. Ms. Ann Grosmaire was not school property that had been vandalized. Neither was she trash strewn throughout the pew of a church. Ms. Ann Grosmaire was a human being. She was a beloved daughter who was a longtime victim of domestic abuse before she was murdered by her abuser. Ms. Grosmaire will never walk on this earth freely. She will never give her parents grandkids. Unfortunately to state—her murderer will be free, again to do whatever his heart desires. Where’s the outrage for Ms. Ann Grosmaire?
Many non-supports of Mrs. Ayala believe that if Mrs. Ayala did not have the backing of Mr. George Soros and other prominent backers, she would have lost her running against her boss, then State Attorney Jeff Ashton, a White male, who is also a Democrat. Seemingly, Mrs. Ayala’s non-supporters do not want to remember when Mr. Ashton dropped charges against 18-year-old, David Alyn Penney, a White male, who shot St. Cloud Police Officer Clinton in the foot and wounded St. Cloud Police Officer Spencer Endsley.
On February 13, 2013, Orlando Sentinel published an article by Henry Pierson Curtis entitled, ‘AK-47 shooter poised to get as little as 8 years in prison, records show,’ byline reads, ‘Prosecutors drop 10-20-Life mandatory minimums against young man who opened fire on two St. Cloud police officers.’ According to the article by Mr. Pierson, ‘All the most serious charges were dropped before St. Cloud police officers knew negotiations were under way for what many believe is the worst attack on law enforcement in Osceola County…’ The article goes on to read, ‘After learning Monday morning about the pending plea deal, Gauntlett and up to 30 officers attended the 1:30 p.m. hearing Monday before Circuit Judge Jon Morgan Jr. at the county courthouse. The dropped charges included two counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm of a law enforcement officer, which carry mandatory life sentences.’ The article also read, ‘Penney was 18 when he walked down Alabama Avenue at 2 a.m. Nov. 21, 2011 with two AK-47s he bought at a local gun show. Carrying five high-capacity magazines with 150 cartridges, Penney methodically fired into an acquaintance’s home before shooting through the windshield of a patrol car coming down the street, according to court records.
Three of the 95 bullets he fired that night tore up a headrest on either side of rookie Officer Spencer Endsley’s head as he drove into the ambush. His partner, Officer Clinton, was shot in the foot as he jumped out of the car to return fire, records state.’
Again, Governor Rick Scott nor Attorney General Pamela Bondi nor Republican-led House of Representatives nor the Prosecuting Attorneys Association intervened or shouted, “Blue Lives Matter” when State Attorney Jeff Ashton and his assistant state attorney tossed out mandatory minimum sentencing laws during their prosecution of an attempted-cops murderer as if they were tossing out molded bread.
After Mrs. Ayala chose not to seek the death penalty against Markeith Loyd, Governor Rick Scott removed many cases from her office and placed them under Ocala based State Attorney Brad King, a White male, who is a Republican. In an attempt to get her cases back, Mrs. Ayala filed a lawsuit in Florida Supreme Court against Governor Rick Scott. For sure, there are many truths in her filing. The family of Tallahassee Community College student DeShon Thomas is way too familiar with is a response that his mother received from Governor Rick Scott after she filed several complaints against 2nd Judicial Circuit State Attorney Willie Meggs, Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell and 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge James C. Hankinson (Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford—Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi’s) office during the prosecution of DeShon. Governor Rick Scott, in part responded, “Each state attorney is an elected official charged with certain discretionary duties… The state attorneys operate independently, and as elected officials, they answer only to the voters of their individual jurisdiction.”
DeShon Thomas, a Black male, was 17-years-old, when he and his family found themselves in the most gross judicial process they could ever imagine—State Attorney Willie Meggs having assigned Assistant State Attorney Jack Campbell to prosecute DeShon Thomas, after Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell charged DeShon with Two Counts of 1st Degree Murder. The son/ father duo was not considered a conflict of interest—therefore, the circus began. Local attorney Gregory Cummings robbed DeShon’s mother of nearly $30,000, while failing to communicate to DeShon that the man who had searched him, and then locked him and his mother in an integration room for several hours against their will and denied them access to an attorney—was never an employee at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, yet, a wealthy Republican friend of the Campbell Family (Pay to Play). Currently, DeShon Thomas is once again representing himself—post conviction—because his former attorneys at the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel Criminal refuse to properly represent him. In spite of an attorney having admitted that he was in “fear” while in front of former 2nd Judicial Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford, Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pamela Jo Bondi are still refusing to investigate the corruption that led to DeShon’s conviction. Why are attorneys practicing in “fear” in any of Florida’s courtrooms?
Mothers Against Unethical Laws (MAUL) 