Jeff Ashton biography

Synopsis

Background and Early Career

Jeffrey L. Ashton was born on October 3, 1957, in St. Petersburg, Florida, to Barbara and Richard Ashton, and grew up with three sisters. At a young age, Ashton decided to pursue a career in law, partially due to the encouragement of his great aunt when he was a child. After Boca Ciega High School, he attended St. Petersburg College before transferring to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he majored in philosophy and graduated in in 1978. He then attended the university's law school, graduating and taking on work as a prosecutor in Orlando.

Pioneer in Using DNA Evidence

Jeff Ashton worked in a number of divisions that were part of the state attorney's office before winning his first murder conviction in a 1983 trial. While serving as assistant state attorney, in 1987, Ashton took on a groundbreaking role: He began working as prosecutor on the trial of a Florida serial rapist, and during the trial, he introduced DNA-based evidence. The case resulted in the first conviction using DNA testing, with such evidence being used regularly thereafter, in cases throughout the country. Three years later, Ashton established his office's homicide division.

For a time in 2002, Ashton was appointed as head of the juvenile division of the state attorney's office, but missed the courtroom and decided to return to prosecuting. Over his decades-long career, he has taken hundreds of cases to trial.

The Casey Anthony Trial

In June 2011, Ashton worked as prosecutor in the highly sensational Casey Anthony trial. Anthony, a young woman from Florida, was accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony, whose remains were found near the Anthony home. The case received a huge amount of media attention focusing on the Anthony family's back-story, with the prosecution taking the stance that Anthony was guilty of murder, and the defense countering that Caylee's death was an accident that was subsequently covered up.

On July 5, 2011, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter or aggravated child abuse charges. Anthony was found guilty of charges related to providing the police with false information, and was placed on parole after receiving a fine and credit for time served. Ashton was stunned by the decision.

Publishing a Book and Public Office

As he'd intended, Ashton retired from working as prosecutor after the trial, and worked part-time at a law firm. In November 2011, Ashton released the best-selling book Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony, published by William Morrow.