Othal Wallace’s conviction and sentence for killing Daytona Beach Police Officer Jason Raynor was affirmed by the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach in a ruling released June 17.
Retired Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano sentenced Wallace on Oct. 27, 2023, to the maximum of 30 years in prison for killing Raynor.
A three-judge panel of the 5th DCA, Chief Judge James A. Edwards, Judge F. Rand Wallis, and Judge Eric J. Eisnaugle, on Tuesday issued a ruling known as a “pca” or “per curiam affirmed,” meaning the three judges unanimously agreed on upholding Wallace’s conviction and sentence. PCAs don’t include written opinions by the judges.
Wallace, 32, 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.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza’s office argued during a trial in Green Cove Springs for a first-degree murder conviction as prosecutors sought the death penalty.
But the jury convicted Wallace of manslaughter with a firearm, the least serious charge he faced for killing Raynor. The maximum possible penalty for that was three decades behind bars.
Since then, Larizza has supported a bill named in honor of Raynor in the Florida legislature that would change the law so that a conviction of manslaughter of a law enforcement officer, correctional officer or probation officer in the line of duty is punishable by mandatory life in prison.
The measure has failed to pass in the last two years with some saying the change went too far or was unnecessary.
Larizza earlier this year said the bill would be introduced again in next year’s legislative session.
Wallace was defended at trial by criminal defense attorneys Terry Shoemaker and Tim Pribisco. Wallace was prosecuted by Larizza and Assistant State Attorneys Jason Lewis and Andrew Urbanak.
According to the Department of Corrections’ website, Wallace is being held at the Hardee Correctional Institution, and his current release date is listed as February 2, 2051.
Wallace can try to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, but it does not have to consider his case.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Appeals court affirms conviction of Othal Wallace for killing Daytona Beach police officer
Reporting by Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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