Belvin Perry
| Belvin Perry, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Chief Judge of Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit (retired) | |
|
In office 1989–2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Belvin Perry, Jr. October 10, 1949 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Thurgood Marshall School of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Profession | attorney, judge |
Belvin Perry Jr. (born October 10, 1949, in Orlando, Florida) is a personal-injury attorney and former chief judge in the Florida's Ninth Judicial Circuit.[1] He was the presiding judge for the high profile Casey Anthony murder trial.
Early life and career
Perry's father, the late Belvin Perry, Sr. (born October 8, 1920- died May 16, 1995) served as one of Orlando's first two African-American police officers.[2][3]
Perry earned his Bachelor of Science degree in History in 1972 from Tuskegee University. In 1974 he earned his Masters of Education from the same university. In 1977, Perry received a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law.[1] Perry is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Judge Perry has been involved in two of Central Florida's most highly publicized trials. As a prosecutor, Perry was the lead attorney in the case of Florida v. Buenoaño, in which Judy Buenoano was tried and convicted of killing her son Michael Goodyear and her husband at the time, James Goodyear. As a Circuit Court Judge, Perry presided over the case "State of Florida v. Casey Marie Anthony", in which Casey Anthony was charged in the death of her daughter Caylee Anthony. The jury found Anthony not guilty of First Degree Murder, Aggravated Child Abuse, and Aggravated Manslaughter of a child, but guilty of four misdemeanor counts of Providing False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer.[4]
In 2014, Perry retired from the bench and immediately joined Orlando law firm of Morgan & Morgan as a personal-injury attorney.[5][6]
Career achievements
- Prior to 1989 – Assistant State Attorney for the Ninth Circuit
- 1989 to 1990 – Elected Circuit Judge in Osceola County, Florida.
- 1990 – Appointed Administrative Circuit Judge of Osceola County.
- 1992 to 1995 – Served as Circuit Judge of Orange County Criminal.
- 1995 to 1999 – Elected Chief Judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit.
- 1999 to 2001 – Served as Circuit Judge for Orange County Civil Court.
- 2001 to 2011 – Re-Elected to position of Chief Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit.
Perry has also been involved in the following organizations:
- Trial Court Budget Commission (TCBC)
- Texas Bar Association
- Orange County Bar Association
- The Florida Bar
See also
- Casey Anthony trial
- Timeline of Casey Anthony case
- Jose Baez (lawyer)
- Linda Drane Burdick
- Cheney Mason
References
- 1 2 "Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr.". Ninth Judicial Circuit. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ↑ Taken from Central Florida News 13's "Black History In The Making" series Retrieved 5 Aug. 2011
- ↑ Belvin Perry Sr., Pioneering Black Police Officer, Dies, by Debbie Salamone and Christopher Quinn, Orlando Sentinel (.com) staff, published May 17, 1995, accessed May 8, 2013.
- ↑ Casey Anthony not guilty of murder, other charges in daughter's death
- ↑ Belvin Perry, Jr. Attorney's page at Morgan & Morgan
- ↑ Weiner, Jeff (September 3, 2014). "Belvin Perry signs on at Morgan firm as personal-injury attorney". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 26, 2015.