Judge who presided over Casey Anthony trial running for state attorney
Judge Belvin Perry talks during the Casey Anthony trial at the Orange County Courthouse on Saturday, June 4, 2011. (Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel)
LAKE MARY, Fla. - A former chief judge of Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, who gained national attention while presiding over the murder trial of Casey Anthony, is running for the state attorney seat being vacated by Aramis Ayala.
Belvin Perry Jr. will face Democrats Deborah Barra and Ryan Williams in a primary election on August 18 for the circuit representing Orange and Osceola counties. The other candidate in the race is Republican Kevin Morenski who is unopposed.
Last year, Ayala announced that she would seek a second term. She cited the Florida Supreme Court's decision that upheld former Gov. Rick Scott’s actions to reassign cases to another state attorney because of her opposition to the death penalty.
"After thoughtful consideration and many discussions with my family, my closest friends and my team, I have decided not to seek re-election," she said.
Perry retired as chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit in 2014 and is currently an attorney with the Orlando-based Morgan & Morgan law firm. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Bethune-Cookman University.