State Attorney Aramis Ayala receives noose in the mail

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala was sent a noose in the mail.

Ayala’s office reported the incident to the Sheriff’s Office after receiving two threatening and racist letters in the mail, one of which included a noose, an incident report states.

The first letter was received March 20 after a clerk at the State Attorney’s Office picked up mail and saw a racist message on an envelope addressed to Ayala, an incident report states.

A week later, deputies say the clerk found a second threatening piece of mail, which appeared to have come from the same person.

He opened the envelope and found a noose made out of green twine. It was taped to a post card, authorities said.

The content of both letters was redacted by the Sheriff’s Office.

Workers told Ayala, the state’s first African-American state attorney, about the threatening pieces of mail.

She said she “believes the hangman’s noose was meant as a threat to her as a public official,” according to an incident report.

Ayala also said she thinks the incidents are a hate crime.

Deputies said they are investigating and working with the U.S. Postal Service to try to figure out where the letters originated.

Ayala has become a controversial figure after announcing last month she would not seek the death penalty against any defendant, including accused cop killer Markeith Loyd.

After her announcement, Gov. Rick Scott reassigned 23 of her capital cases to another prosecutor.

Ayala filed a lawsuit against Scott earlier this month, claiming the Governor does not have authority to remove her from the cases.

Many groups have continued to back her, including anti-death penalty advocates and members of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.

Before she publicly disclosed her position on the death penalty, Ayala sought advice from groups that oppose capital punishment, emails show.

She also never disclosed her stance on capital punishment while campaigning against former State Attorney Jeff Ashton.

chayes@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5493 or Twitter: @journo_christal

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