Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Top prosecutor bringing ‘prudent reform’
Familiar courthouse faces set to be taking on new positions, reassignments
The face of justice in Broward County changed on Tuesday as Harold Pryor took over the State Attorney’s Office, with some familiar faces taking on new roles in the courthouse.
Pryor said the appointments, mostly consisting of promotions and reassignments of veterans, demonstrate his commitment to a reform agenda that won’t be jarring to citizens and voters concerned about “law and order.”
“We think they’re going to help us get to a prudent reform,” he said. “We want the community to give us a chance to show what we mean when we promise meaningful change.”
Expanding on his history-making election as Broward’s first Black state attorney, Pryor selected two Black women to serve as his chief lieutenants, Gina Faulk and Neva Rainford-Smith.
Traffic homicide prosecutor Ross Weiner is now the supervisor in the department, while his old boss, Michael Horowitz, moves to head the felony trial unit. Maria Schneider, former head of juvenile prosecutions, will take on homicide cases. The juvenile division will now be run by Gloria Moschella.
Veteran prosecutor Tim Donnelly, who headed “special
prosecutions” (cases involving police officers and elected officials as defendants), will not be returning. That unit will now be run by Christopher Killoran. Justin McCormack, one of Pryor’s opponents during the election campaign, will remain in special prosecutions under Killoran.
Mike Satz, who held the top job since 1976, will stay on to oversee the prosecution of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, as will his former chief assistant Jeff Marcus.
Remaining in place are: Shari Tate, who oversees the homicide unit; Stefanie Newman, who heads the domestic violence unit; Denise Neuner in charge of the drug trafficking unit; and Kathy Heaven, head of the economic crimes unit.
Sarahnell Murphy, another one of Pryor’s opponents for the Democratic nomination i n August, remains in the office as an executive director, while Margaret Carpenter takes over Murphy’s former role overseeing misdemeanor cases.
During the campaign, Pryor vowed to rely more on diversion programs that aim to assist people who turn to drugs or misdemeanor crimes. He expressed a commitment to considering the death penalty in egregious homicide cases and said to expect fewer instances of juveniles being prosecuted as adults.
Not included in the appointments are former Broward Circuit Judge Ilona Holmes and private lawyer Eugene Pettis, who oversaw the transition from 44 years of Satz’s leadership.
“You pick people to serve on a transition team to provide professional insight,” Pryor said. “It was never the goal to bring anyone from transition to the administration.”
There are changes at the other side of the courthouse as well — incoming Broward Public Defender Gordon Weekes appointed Nadine Girault Levy to the position of Chief Assistant Public Defender, a job Weekes held before he won the 2020 election.
Melisa McNeill, lead defender in the Parkland school shooting case, is promoted to head of the major crimes unit, and Adam Goldberg will be in charge of cases in mental health, drug, and veterans’ courts.