Press Releases

The mission of the Public Information Office is to provide accurate information to citizens and the media in a timely manner. Dedicated to promoting and supporting various functions within the SAO, the office also provides information on services and initiatives.​

​If you are a member of the media and have a public records request or inquiry please email mediarecordsrequest@sao9.org. For all other request (i.e. statements, questions, or interview requests) please email pio@sao9.org​. Include the case number and name of the defendant when possible.

All non-media requests for public records, please visit our Public Records Request page.

ORANGE COUNTY, FL – In a significant development in the 2018 homicide of a Boone High School student, a grand jury has returned a murder indictment against DeAndre Eugene Florence, 23. Florence is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Alejandro “Alex” Vargas Martinez. He is also charged with robbery by snatching, racketeering, three counts of grand theft motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property.
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida announces that Tyquarius Smith has been found guilty of First Degree Murder with a Firearm after a man was found shot and killed in Apopka in 2019.
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The Office of the State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida announces that David Tronnes has been found guilty of first degree murder in the death of his wife Shanti Cooper-Tronnes in 2018. On April 24, 2018, Cooper-Tronnes was beaten and strangled to death in the couple’s Delaney Park house after a dispute concerning home renovations. Tronnes had spent thousands of dollars on renovations and had hopes of appearing on the reality television show, “Zombie House Renovations”. This led to the couple experiencing problems in their marriage. Cooper-Tronnes’ refusal to appear on the show upset Tronnes to the point that it led to her murder.
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The Office of the State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida announces that Ya Ken Maleeq Sowell has been found guilty of First Degree Murder With A Firearm in the death of Jacaris Rozier after shooting him in a robbery attempt. Sowell was accused in a plot to rob a man after observing him purchasing expensive items from the Gucci and Louis Vuitton stores at the Millenia Mall.
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – The office of the State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida announces that Avery Williams has been found guilty of two counts of Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer with a firearm after a deputy-involved shooting in late 2021 at an Orange County apartment complex.
NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, FL – Since August 9, 2023, the State Attorney has been diligently working to uphold our commitment to justice, fairness, and the protection of our community. The State Attorney Office of the Ninth Judicial Circuit is proud to provide an update on its accomplishments and initiatives after a month of new leadership under Andrew Bain:
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – This morning, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in collaboration with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), arrested Jason Brown, 48, of Cape Canaveral, for hanging swastikas and other antisemitic banners along the Daryl Carter Parkway Bridge in Orlando. There are currently three outstanding arrest warrants for additional demonstrators who live out of state and whose actions were in violation of newly enacted state law. The State Attorney’s Office is working with law enforcement partners and plans to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent the law allows.