Charges Filed Against Former Deputy Sheriff Ayler Cruz

ORLANDO, FL – This morning, our office filed charges against former Deputy Sheriff Ayler Cruz for perjuryin official proceeding, perjury when not in an official proceeding, and battery. It is important to note that as aresult of this incident, Ayler Cruz is no longer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The State Attorney’s Office is grateful for the cooperation of Sheriff John Mina and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office regardingthis matter.

State Attorney Worrell’s Statement On The Withdrawal Of Death Notices

ORLANDO, FL – The Office of the State Attorney received a phone call at 8:30 a.m. this morning inviting us to an 11 a.m. press conference on former State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s decision to withdraw death notices in three cases. Whether to seek the death penalty is one of the most serious and difficult issues within the criminal justice system. I have promised to treat decisions on whether to seek it with extreme care, and I am currently in the process of forming a panel and developing a procedure to review every capital-eligible case that comes before my panel.