Almost a month after a mistrial in the case of former Orlando guardian Rebecca Fierle, a judge on Tuesday scheduled the retrial for March 2023.
During a virtual hearing, Fierle’s attorneys told Circuit Judge Samantha Ward their client was waiving the 90-day rule mandating the start of a new trial after a mistrial. After conferring with both sides on their availability, the judge set the second trial to start on March 20.
Fierle, 53, is accused of aggravated abuse and neglect of an elderly or disabled adult in the 2019 death of her 75-year-old incapacitated client Steven Stryker. She has pleaded not guilty.
A six-person Tampa jury deadlocked on a verdict in the trial last month after deliberating for about 12 hours over two days.
Fierle was the court-ordered decision maker for Stryker and hundreds of other incapacitated people in Florida before details of his death sparked a statewide scandal in the state’s guardianship system.
Multiple investigations into Fierle by authorities and news outlets, including the Orlando Sentinel, exposed widespread flaws in the guardianship program, prompting lawmakers to pass reforms in 2020. (Continue Reading)
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Rebecca Fierle mistrial: Orlando guardian’s 2nd trial set for March
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