Issue 1 - Office of The State Attorney, 4th Judicial Circuit

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The State Attorney Sidebar
V O L U M E
SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:
 A message
from the
State Attorney
 Response to
questions
regarding
the Zimmerman case
 Recent SAO
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I S S U E
1
S E P T E M B E R
2 0 1 3
A Message From the State Attorney
I would like to introduce
you to our newsletter - The
State Attorney Sidebar.
How compelling for our
newsletter to launch around
the anniversary of 9/11.
Twelve years ago, thousands
died at the hands of terrorists. It has also been one year
since four Americans tragically died in Benghazi.
The State Attorney’s Office
is honoring those Americans
who lost their lives or were
injured.
In much the same way as
our military fights for our
country’s freedom, this office
will continually fight for justice. The SAO salutes all
who serve in our military, in
law enforcement, and in fire &
rescue. ~ God Bless. Angela
Never Stop Figh ng for Freedom, Never Stop Figh ng for Jus ce! trial victories
The Rebuttal
 Victim
shares her
experience
 Featured
Prosecutor
 Back to
school safety
tips
The first in a series of responses to ques ons about the Zimmerman case
Many opinions have been
voiced since a jury deliberated
for 16 hours and rendered a
verdict of not guilty in the
George Zimmerman trial.
Many of those opinions
were based on misinformation
of fact and law.
that while Zimmerman was entitled
to use some force to defend himself,
he violated the law when he initiated
the conflict, then used excessive force
which resulted in the death of
Trayvon Martin.
In “The Rebuttal” we hope to clear
up some of the key areas that have
been lost in the shadows of this verWhile we fought hard for
justice, we certainly respect the dict.
jury’s decision.
The first issue is why we did not
use
a Grand Jury.
The six jurors deliberated for
two days on the evidence and
the law. Justifiable use of deadly
force is a formidable defense
and we knew this was a tough
factual case. It was our belief
We decided not to use a Grand
Jury for the simple reason that a
Grand Jury’s work is necessarily done
in secret. The standard of a grand
jury for charges to issue is probable
cause. If the case was taken to
the Grand Jury and an indictment was returned, the criticism would have been the State
Attorney’s Office can indict a
“ham sandwich.”
Filing charges via an information is the primary method
by which we file our criminal
cases. The Zimmerman case
was already a matter of great
public interest. The charge
against Zimmerman was then
subject to the scrutiny of the
law, rules of criminal procedure,
rules of evidence, and the many
protections afforded to every
defendant.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
PAGE 2
Justice Promised, Justice Delivered
 A jury unanimously (12-0)
recommended the death penalty
for Leo L. Kaczmar. He was
convicted of Murder, First Degree Arson and Attempted Sexual Battery. ~ASA James Colaw.
 Bobby L. Bigham was convicted of Trafficking in Morphine,
Opium, Oxycodone, Heroin and
Hydrocodone. ~ASAs Rebecca
Emert and Chris Bracken.
 Randall D. Ratledge was
found guilty on six counts of
Aggravated Assault. ~ASAs Brittany Mauerberger and Peter
Overstreet.
 Noni J. Stinson was found
guilty of Manslaughter in the
death of her husband, Solomon
Stinson. ~ASAs John Guy and
London Kite.
 John F. Hagans was convicted
 Troy K. Curry-Pennamon was
of Sexual Battery on a minor.
~ASAs Alan Mizrahi and Theresa
Simak.
sentenced to 25 years in FSP . He
was convicted of Attempted Second Degree Murder and Carrying
a Concealed Firearm. ~ASA Jessica Klingensmith.
 Maria E. Bratton was convicted of Second Degree Murder of
Cecil Scroggie. ~ASAs Alexis
Sykes and John Kalinowski.
 Floyd T. Rupp was convicted of
Sexual Battery and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation of a minor.
~ASAs Adair Rommel and Jessica
Narducci.
 Jamie B. Spivey was convicted
of Sexual Battery. ~ASAs Terence Martin and Sandra Rosendale.
 Co-defendants Terrence
 Anthony L. Bryant was found
Paris II and Kendrick M. Jackson were both found guilty of
Armed Burglary with Assault and
Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. ~ASAs Janeen Mira
and London Kite.
guilty of Armed Burglary with
Assault or Battery. ~ASAs Mike
Kirkland and Katie Deal.
 Taliaferro R. Wilson was convicted of Sale, Manufacture or
Delivery of Cocaine within 1,000
feet of a Church. ~ASA Janeen
Mira.
W.
 Rahim R. Allah was convicted
of Armed Robbery, Resisting
without Violence and PFCF.
~ASA Garrett Hill.
Hearings and Cheerings
Congratulations to Clay County Deputy Director, James Colaw,
for his appointment to Circuit Court Judge in the Eighth Judicial
Circuit. The Eighth Judicial Circuit covers Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
Colaw has served as the Deputy Director of the Clay County
State Attorney’s Office since 2009.
Governor Rick Scott said, “Jim Colaw’s extensive experience
serving the citizens of North Florida with distinction will be a great
asset in his new position on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court. I am
confident that he will be a great asset on our bench and will continue doing good work for all Floridians.”
State Attorney Angela Corey and James Colaw Special Acknowledgement Opportunity
PAGE 3
University,graduatingin
Mayof2010.
InAugust2010,Garrett
washiredasaLegal
Trainee.Hewasswornin
asanAssistantStateAttorneyinSeptember2010
andwasassignedtoCountyCourt.InJuly2011,Gar-
Charles“Garrett”Hillhas
beenapartoftheSAOfor
threeyears.
HeearnedhisB.S.degreeinCriminalJustice
fromFaulknerUniversity,
wherehegraduatedas
Salutatorianin2007.Garrettthenattendedlaw
schoolatFloridaState
Assistant State
A orney Garre Hill
“Lysa saw just
how important
the role of a
victim advocate
was and knew
that she wanted
to be able to do
the same for
others.”
rettwaspromotedtoCircuitCourt,DivisionCR-B
andthentransferredto
RepeatOffenderCourt
ROC inOctober2012.
GarrettwasrecentlypromotedtotheHomicide/
MajorCrimesDivisionon
August19,2013.
Victim’s Voice
One of the duties of the State
Attorney’s Office is to provide
support for those who have
been a victim of a crime.
was sentenced to death.
newest victim advocate for the
Justice Coalition.
Not long after, Lysa suffered
Lysa’s story is truly inspiring. She
another major loss when her
managed to take all the negative
husband, Dana, passed away.
things she had endured and use
In 2009, Lysa Telzer became a Once again, Sabrina was there
them in a positive way that allowed
victim when she discovered her to offer her support and guidher to help others; just as Sabrina
mother-in-law, Renie Telzerance. Lysa saw just how imhad helped her. It goes to show
Bain, had been brutally murportant the role of a victim
dered. This horrific event deeply advocate was and knew that she you that good things are always
possible, even in the most difficult
affected her and her family; espe- wanted to be able to do the
circumstances.
cially her husband, Dana. Lysa
same for others. She began
became the support system that volunteering for the Justice
her family needed, even though Coalition, but never felt it was
she was struggling to cope with enough. Then, a victim advothe loss herself. Then, Victim
cate position became available
Advocate Sabrina Gouch
after Sabrina announced that
stepped in and offered support
she would be moving to take
to Lysa and her husband through care of a family member.
that difficult time. Sabrina stood Without hesitation, Lysa endby their side throughout the
ed her career in property
entire trial and was pre- management and seized the
sent when Renie’s killer opportunity to become the
Lysa Telzer with her mother‐in‐law Renie
Telzer‐Bain and husband Dana
ASA Aaron
Feuer
Off The Record
Assistant State A or‐
ney Aaron Feuer rep‐
resented the SAO in the Woody’s BBQ rib ea ng contest to ben‐
efit the First Coast Child Protec on Team (CPT). Feuer downed 17 ribs in 5 minutes and de‐
feated more than 20 oth‐
er contestants; ul mately being crowned contest champion. This event helped raise thousands of dol‐
lars for the CPT, who work with abused and neglected children in our community. PAGE 4
Safety Zone
Safety Tips From Your SAO Inves gators 
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
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

Be sure that your child knows his or her home number, address, your work/cell phone number, the number of a trusted adult and how to call 911 in case of an emergency. Walk the route with your child beforehand. Tell him or her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where people are not around. Plan a walking route to school or the bus stop. Choose the direct way with the fewest street crossings and, if possible, with intersec ons that have crossing guards. Teach your children to arrive at the bus stop early. Stay out of the street, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street, watch for cars and avoid the driver’s blind spot. Teach your kids to obey all traffic signals, signs and officers while walking, biking or riding the bus to school. “Stranger Danger” ‐ Make sure your child knows to NEVER approach a motor vehicle for any reason; no ma er how kind the individual seems. If this happens, teach them to yell “this is not my mom” or “this is not my dad” while running away. www.sao4th.com
Setting the Record Straight
Recently, the local newspaper posted an article about the
sentencing of Bianella Susana.
She is the mother of two-yearold David Galarriaga, who was
murdered by his big brother,
Cristian Fernandez.
In a news conference following the sentencing, Assistant
State Attorney Mark Caliel
was interviewed. The paper
misquoted ASA Mark Caliel
twice in the article about Susana’s sentencing.
The original publication reported that Mr. Caliel said,
“We hope Ms. Susana takes
advantage of this situation. But
we don’t think she deserved it.”
What Mr. Caliel actually said
was, “We hope that Ms. Susana
takes advantage of this huge opportunity the judge gave her because, quite frankly, I don’t think
she was deserving of that opportunity.”
In another portion of the article, the newspaper quoted Mr.
Caliel saying, “I think the people
who said we overcharged are
ignorant and uninformed.” Once
again, this was incorrect. Mr.
Caliel said [in reference to those
who believe Susana was overcharged], “I think those people are
uneducated and uninformed,
when it comes to Florida law and
what the facts and circumstances
of this case are.”
VictimDavidGalarriaga
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