The decision-maker

INVERNESS -- The man in the spotlight today is Circuit Judge Ric Howard.

The 54-year-old Citrus County judge will make his first ruling from the bench about life or death today when he decides the fact of John Couey for the death of Jessica Lunsford.

Then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to the bench in 2000 and for the past four-plus years he's served as the only felony criminal judge in Citrus County. But this case is not the first time Howard has attracted national attention.

The 1978 Stetson College of Law graduate is generally known as a tough judge. He once sentenced a teenager to prison for stealing a six-pack of beer and slipping away from a patrol car. In 2005, he gave an 18-year-old man with no previous record a 30-year prison term for vehicular manslaughter after a fatal car accident, which incited charges of racism and community outrage.

Then again, the state appeals court the same year said Howard was too lenient when he dismissed two charges against an Inverness man arrested for driving with a license suspended and possession of marijuana.

Howard's ruling about whether Couey is mentally retarded shed light on his thinking: He wrote that Couey's deeds "are far from simple acts" and that they showed a deliberate attempt to commit the crime and hide his involvement.

He could make more comments during today's hearing, which is expected to last about an hour.

--John Frank, Times staff writer

Comments

[pat bedford]

couey gets less than he deserves. whats with his lawyer to coueys right,how rude can you get, rolling his eyes, tapping his fingers. was he bored??? did he not give a rip??? this family is in so much pain, maybe he could have shown a little more compassion.