Demings declines to take bait from Chestnut

Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings’ interest in bringing the killers of deceased FAMU drum major Robert Champion to justice goes beyond the simple duties of his oath of office. At a May 2 press conference, he said Champion’s homicide alarmed him on a personal level.

"As a parent of a current FAMU student, I know the importance of the work that has been done in this case," Demings told reporters.

In the days after Demings made that statement, Champion family attorney Christopher Chestnut jumped to try and paint the sheriff as an individual who was somehow soft on FAMU and the student suspects. Chestnut claims that the investigation led by Demings' office "was botched from Day 1."

"Because there wasn’t an aggressive investigation initially, the case has been compromised," he said.

Chestnut blames Orlando’s law enforcement for letting the suspects leave the city after Champion’s death on Nov. 19.

"We have learned that there was a calculated conspiracy to cover up Robert Champion’s murder,” Chestnut added. "We have learned that alumni were communicating with students on that bus, telling them what to say."

Demings has kept his cool despite Chestnut’s attempts to bait him into a media slugfest.

"I know our deputies questioned everyone available," Ginette Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for Demings, said in quote published by CNN. "I can assure you our detectives conducted a thorough and complete investigation, as we do in every case."

Chestnut might be trying to gain the support of the many conservative, potential Orlando-area civil court jurors by making his allegations an issue in reelection campaign of Demings and the Congressional campaign of Valdez Demings, the sheriff’s wife. She is the former Orlando chief of police and is running as a Democrat to unseat incumbent Daniel Webster, a former Republican speaker of the Florida House.

Jerry and Valdez Demings are proud FAMU parents even though they both earned their undergraduate degrees from Florida State University. Their two twin sons are FAMU alumni and their youngest son is currently enrolled at the university.

If Chestnut can make the case that the Demings family isn’t serious about pursuing criminals associated with the university their three sons chose to attend, it could motivate Webster voters on a civil jury to view any testimony from Jerry Demings’ detectives with skepticism.

Chestnut’s civil lawsuit against Fabulous Coach Lines has already placed him at odds with Demings' office. The lawsuit claims that that driver Wendy Millette stood guard outside the bus on which Champion was being hazed on Nov. 19. It also says she “forced” him back onto vehicle when he came out the bus door to vomit.

But despite Chestnut’s allegations the Orlando County Sheriff’s Office has not placed Millette under arrest for any crime related to Champion’s death. Keon Hollis, a former FAMU drum major who says he went the same hazing ritual as Champion on Nov. 19, says that he didn’t see the driver anywhere near the bus during the pledging process.