Gov. Ron DeSantis June 16 signed into law the Officer Jason Raynor Act, which was named in honor of a slain Daytona Beach Police officer and requires a mandatory life sentence without parole for anyone convicted of killing a law enforcement officer in the state, according to a social media post from 7th Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza’s office.
Raynor was fatally shot by Othal Wallace in 2021. Larizza’s Office charged Wallace with first-degree murder and sought the death penalty.
The trial was moved to Clay County, where a jury found Wallace guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter with a firearm, which carried a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano, who has since retired, sentenced Wallace to the maximum.
Afterward, Larizza’s office with the help of Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, and Rep. Jessica Baker, R-Jacksonville, worked to pass the Jason Raynor Act. Baker was a former prosecutor for Larizza.
Prosecutor: Jason Raynor Act provides needed protections
Members of Larizza’s office attended the signing of the bill in Polk County along with Raynor’s family and personnel from the Daytona Beach Police Department, according to the social media post.
“Officer Raynor’s murder was a dark time for his family and our law enforcement communities,” Larizza said in a statement in the social media post. “This law brings some much needed protections to law enforcement and honors the life and sacrifice of Officer Raynor.”
Wallace shot Raynor on June 23, 2021, in the parking lot of a Daytona Beach apartment complex. Raynor had walked up to Wallace, who was sitting in his car, and asked whether he lived there.
The situation quickly escalated into a brief struggle before Wallace shot Raynor in the head. The 26-year-old Raynor remained hospitalized until his death on Aug. 17, 2021.
The 5th District Court of Appeal in June 2025 affirmed Wallace’s conviction.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Law in honor of slain Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor signed
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
