美国国家公共电台 NPR Florida Gov. Removes State Attorney From Death Penalty Case

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

There's high drama in Florida over a prosecutor¹'s decision not to seek the death penalty for an accused cop killer². The governor is involved, taking the unprecedented³ step of replacing the prosecutor on the case. The decision is reigniting the debate in Florida over the death penalty there after the law spent a contentious⁴ year in court. From member station WMFE in Orlando, Brendan Byrne has more.

BRENDAN BYRNE, BYLINE⁵: Executions in Florida were on hold for much of last year. That's because Florida's Supreme⁶ Court said the way judges and juries decided⁷ on the death penalty was unconstitutional. At the time, the law said only seven of 12 jurors need to recommend a death sentence.

The legislature passed a law to change that requiring a unanimous jury decision for death. Governor Rick Scott signed it into law earlier this week, which forced state attorney in the Orlando area, Aramis Ayala, to act.

ARAMIS AYALA: What has become abundantly clear through this process is that while I currently do have discretion⁸ to pursue death sentences, I have determined⁹ that doing so is not in the best interest of this community or the best interest of justice.

BYRNE: Ayala, who represents one of the largest judicial¹⁰ circuits in Florida, said the death penalty is not a deterrent¹¹. She cited FBI research showing the south accounts for 80 percent of executions but still has the highest murder rate. Ayala also didn't find any compelling evidence that the death penalty protects law enforcement.

She said the blanket decision to not pursue the death penalty includes the recent case of Markeith Loyd. He's accused of killing¹² his pregnant girlfriend and an Orlando police officer. The decision not to seek the death penalty in that case does not sit well with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

JERRY DEMINGS: To put it bluntly, law enforcement officers throughout Florida are outraged¹³ over the decision that was made in this case. I've also heard from many citizens who share the same feeling.

BYRNE: Backlash from the state attorney's decision followed quickly. State Attorney General Pam Bondi called the measure a, quote, "blanket neglect of duty." Governor Rick Scott asked for Ayala to recuse herself from the police shooting case. When she refused, Scott issued an executive order assigning it to another state attorney. Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Charles Wells says that while Florida's death penalty system might be broken...

CHARLES WELLS: But it is the law. And when you've adopted a law, then it's the function of everyone who has a role in it to make it work.

BYRNE: The special prosecutor who took over Loyd's case yesterday said he has not made a decision whether he will seek a death sentence. A grand jury indicted¹⁴ Loyd on two counts of murder last month. For NPR News, I'm Brendan Byrne in Orlando.

(SOUNDBITE OF DEERHUNTER SONG, "ALL THE SAME")

1 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

2 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

3 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

4 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

11 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

13 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

14 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。