Death Sentence for Murdering Miami Crime Lord Astonishingly Nixed As Judge Is Exposed For Sending Brutal Text Messages Blasting DA's Office
Corey Smith's death sentence has been nixed as a judge was exposed for her brutal text messages.
Nov. 11 2024, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
A death sentence for a Miami gang leader has been shockingly overturned after a judge was exposed for sending brutal texts to the district attorney's office.
The State Attorney’s Office announced it would avoid the death penalty for Corey Smith, leader of the John Does — a ruthless drug gang in Liberty City — and instead aim for a lighter sentence after his defense team pushed for a retrial, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Text messages from Judge Bronwyn Miller were recently revealed, exposing her criticism of defense attorneys and derogatory remarks about other judges in messages exchanged from January to July, as reported by the Miami Herald.
Miller stands accused of pressuring Miami-Dade Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle on how to manage Smith's resentencing after having handled his case as a prosecutor twenty years earlier.
Text messages from Judge Bronwyn Miller, who oversaw Smith's case two decades ago, exposed her attempts to pressure DA Katherine Fernandez Rundle on how to manage the case.
Smith was convicted of four murders in 2004 and sentenced to death a year later after a high-profile trial.
Despite leaving the State Attorney's office two decades ago, the messages showed Miller trying to influence the DA to replace the judge currently handling Smith's case, Circuit Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson.
In one exchange, Miller told Fernandez Rundle: "I think you should disqualify her" — referring to Wolfson.
She added: "Then all ruling can be reconsidered."
Miller also stated that Zamft, a former defense attorney, should never have been involved in Smith's case.
She wrote in the texts: "They play by different rules. No defense attorney should be training [assistant state attorneys]. It should be someone who knows that prosecutors are held to higher ethics."
Smith's lawyers had previously pushed for a resentencing but argued that the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office was 'too compromised' to be involved in the process.
Along with allegedly pressuring Fernandez Rundle about how Smith's case was being managed, Miller also criticized the DA for the individuals she permitted to work on the case — including Steve Gosney, a private practice lawyer who authored a "sadomasochistic sex novel".
She wrote: "I just don’t know what’s going on in the office anymore. It’s outlandish. I’m sorry."
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Many of Fernandez Rundle's responses were missing from the released records, and it remains unclear whether they were withheld or redacted.
The text messages were submitted by the State's Attorney's Office on Friday as a discovery in Smith's case.
Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez said he has reviewed the text messages and is seeking a remedy that will protect his clients.
Judge Miller has since sought an opinion from Founding Director Professor Anthony V. Alfieri of the Center for Ethics and Public Service, who advised her not to make any public comment at this time.
Smith's defense attorneys, Allison Miller and Craig Whisenhunt, were equally shocked to hear about the text messages.
They told Miami Herald: "Judge Bronwyn Miller has called into question her fitness to serve the people of the state of Florida and called into doubt every case that has come before her for decades.
Smith was convicted of four murders in 2004 and sentenced to death a year later after a high-profile trial.
"The consequence of these revelatory messages will be substantial and have reverberations across our community and state.
"She simultaneously played the parts of judge, prosecutor, witness, and quite literally attempted to subvert justice to see Corey Smith executed."
Smith's lawyers had previously pushed for a resentencing but argued that the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office was "too compromised" to be involved in the process.
The death sentence was not unanimous, and he is now set to be resentenced with a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday, NBC Miami reported.
Wolfson is now weighing the possibility of overturning his sentences, which would require the state to retry him.
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