Retired Casey Anthony Prosecutor Will Run for Former Boss's Job
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
By: Nicole Creston

January 3, 2012 | WMFE - Newly retired Orange County prosecutor Jeff Ashton today is expected to announce officially that he's running for state attorney in Central Florida. Ashton is widely known for his role in the Casey Anthony murder trial...and the best-selling book he's written since.

Ashton is a 30-year veteran of the state attorney’s office. Published media reports say he made an informal statement this weekend that he’ll be going head-to-head with his former boss Lawson Lamar to become the Orange-Osceola State Attorney.

Ashton has a news conference scheduled for Tuesday morning to formally announce his campaign.

Ashton, who served as Orange County Sheriff before spending 3 decades as a prosecutor, retired as planned days after Anthony's trial ended in July with an acquittal in the killing of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. His new book, “Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony,” is a best-seller.

Ashton said he hoped that the Anthony case would not overshadow the election, or the roughly 300 other cases he has tried in his career.