A Florida state attorney previously suspended by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for being soft on crime is facing renewed scrutiny after approving an insanity plea deal that allowed a man charged with attempted murder to walk free — before he was later arrested in a triple homicide.
The suspect, who had a long history of violent behavior and police encounters, was released back into the community with limited conditions after being allowed to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, Newsmax crime correspondent Jason Mattera reported Monday on "Wake Up America."
He was recently arrested in Kissimmee, Florida, in connection with the fatal shooting of three people visiting the area near major tourist attractions, including Walt Disney World.
According to Mattera, the victims — two brothers and a friend — were staying at a short-term rental when they were shot and killed outside the home. Authorities say the suspect had been well known to law enforcement and posed an ongoing threat to the neighborhood.
The case has refocused attention on former State Attorney Monique Worrell, who oversaw the prosecution after the suspect was charged in 2021 with attempted murder and aggravated battery for firing a gun at random vehicles in a gas station parking lot.
Instead of facing prison time, the suspect was granted an insanity plea and ordered to receive outpatient treatment.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has criticized the decision and is now pushing legislation to tighten Florida's insanity defense laws.
The proposal would still allow defendants to receive mental health treatment but would prevent sentences from falling below statutory minimums, keeping dangerous offenders off the streets.
The legislation is intended to prevent what state officials describe as rogue prosecutors and judges from using the insanity defense to release violent criminals — failures that, in this case, officials say ended with the loss of three innocent lives, Mattera reported.
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