The mayor of Orlando, Fla., argued for the death penalty for an alleged cop killer Saturday, in light of the prosecutor’s refusal to pursue it.
Buddy Dyer said alleged cop killer Markeith Loyd deserved the death penalty, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
“I support the death penalty,” Dyer said. “It’s the law of the state of Florida. It should be available as it exists under statute. It is for the most heinous crimes and, by any stretch of the imagination, what Markeith Loyd did deserves the death penalty.”
Loyd is accused not only of killing his pregnant girlfriend last December, but also of killing police Lt. Debra Clayton with the Orlando Police Department. Police allege that Clayton went to investigate a suspect and was subsequently gunned down. (RELATED:Police Offer $60,000 Reward For Help In Capturing Murder Suspect)
Florida Gov. Rick Scott took State Attorney Aramis Ayala off the case after she announced Thursday that she would not seek the death penalty in any cases during her time in office.
“What has become abundantly clear through this process is that while I do have discretion to pursue death sentences, I have determined that doing so is not in the best interests of this community or in the best interests of justice,” Ayala said at a news conference Thursday.
Dyer also criticized Ayala’s decision to stay away from the death penalty.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that there is never a time to use the death penalty,” Dyer said. “That’s a policy decision, whether or not we’re going to have the death penalty, that’s made by the state legislature.”
Scott named State Attorney Brad King as a special prosecutor. Loyd now faces two counts of first degree murder and other charges.
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