ORANGE COUNTY, FL (July 30, 2026) — The appointed attorney general’s statement is misleading, and it exploits a family’s tragedy in an effort to score political points.

The facts matter. This was not a “sweetheart deal.” The plea agreement required the defendant to serve 30 years in prison for killing his wife. It was a resolution the victim’s family requested — a request rooted in the fact they did not want to sit through a trial that would force them to relive one of the worst days of their lives in open court, in front of strangers, for days or weeks on end.

Judges and prosecutors weigh sentencing outcomes, trial risks, and the certainty of a plea against the uncertainty of a verdict every day. Reasonable people can and do disagree on where that balance lands. What cannot be dismissed is the family’s own voice — the people who lived through this loss and asked for this outcome.

The appointed attorney general had a choice: respect a grieving family’s wishes or use their pain as a talking point. Without reason, he continues to be ill-informed about the inner workings of an office he has no direct knowledge of. While I understand he’s running for the office he’s been appointed to, and he thinks he knows best, victims and their families deserve better than watching their tragedy repurposed for political gain.

My office will continue pursuing justice with integrity, compassion, and respect for the people we serve and not the will of the appointed attorney general.