Norm Wolfinger

Norm Wolfinger, State Attorney

Norman Robert "Norm" Wolfinger[1] (September 30, 1945 – January 5, 2016) was the State Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida in Florida until January 8, 2013. The judicial circuit covered about 1 million people at the time that Wolfinger held office.[2][3] He is succeeded by Phil Archer.

Early life and education

Wolfinger was a member of the United States Army during the Vietnam War. In 1973, Wolfinger graduated from the University of Florida College of Law.[4]

He was given the National Commanders Award for Disabled American Veteran of the Year in 2007.[5][6]

Law career

Wolfinger gained national prominence after the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin when he acted as a Special Prosecutor for the case.[7][8]

Until the Martin case, Wolfinger was probably best known for his successful prosecution of mass murderer, William Cruse,[9] and child murderer Mark Dean Schwab. He died of cancer on January 5, 2016.[10]

Controversy

Wolfinger was criticized for making the decision that there was insufficient evidence for a conviction of George Zimmerman on the charge of manslaughter. Wolfinger has expressed surprise at the national spotlight and the reaction to his decision.[11] Zimmerman was found not guilty after being tried by another prosecutor in a state court.[12]

He was also State Attorney when Catherine and Curtis Jones, ages 13 and 12, were tried as adults and sent to prison in 1999 for murdering their father's girlfriend. They both told the investigators that they were jealous of the time their father spent with his girlfriend and not with them. Their release in 2015 has garnered a lot of critical press attention to their case, particularly since the Joneses have since claimed that the murder was the result of their having been physically and sexually abused at home by a male friend of their father. Child welfare officers were finding evidence of before the murder occurred. Wolfinger told reporters in 1999 that their being tried as adults was appropriate, a position that in 2015 is drawing scrutiny.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Norman Robert Wolfinger - Attorney - Viera, Florida FL". Lawlink.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  2. ↑ "Census 2010 Database: Florida's changing communities". U.S. Census Bureau Data for 2010. Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
  3. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Brevard County, Florida". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20120407174913/http://sa18.state.fl.us:80/nwbio.htm. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ D. Clare, "For community service, Veteran's advocacy", DAV Magazine, July–August 2007
  6. ↑ "Disable Veteran of the Year Honored" (PDF). Magazine.dav.org. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  7. ↑ Richard Luscombe (2012-03-27). "Bill Clinton says laws need 'reappraisal' in wake of Trayvon Martin case | US news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  8. ↑ Trymaine Lee, "Trayvon Martin Case: State Attorney Quits Investigation As State Studies 'Stand Your Ground' Law", Huffington Post, 22 Mar 2012.
  9. ↑ Lynne Bumpus-hooper, "Schwab Gets Top Attention", Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 1991.
  10. ↑ http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2016/01/06/former-state-attorney-norm-wolfinger-dies/78140532/
  11. ↑ "State attorney 'outraged' by federal review request in Trayvon". Clickorlando.com. 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  12. ↑ Schneider, Mike (July 13, 2013). "George Zimmerman found not guilty in Trayvon Martin death". Associated Press. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  13. ↑ Mack, David (July 27, 2015). "These Young Killers Are Getting Out Of Prison, But Advocates Call Their Lockup "A Failure Of Justice"". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 28, 2015.

External links

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