Pam Bondi Is Sorry She Delayed an Execution So She Could Throw a Party

A few weeks ago, we told you about how State Attorney General Pam Bondi had the execution of a convicted murderer postponed because it got in the way of her reelection kickoff party. Well, now Bondi has come out with a "mea culpa" (or a "my bad," if you prefer)...

By Chris Joseph

September 24, 2013

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A few weeks ago, we told you about how State Attorney General Pam Bondi had the execution of a convicted murderer postponed because it got in the way of her reelection kickoff party.

Well, now Bondi has come out with a "mea culpa" (or a "my bad," if you prefer) and has apologized for having Marshall Lee Gore's execution delayed.

On Tuesday, she told reporters that, yeah, maybe it wasn't such a hot idea to postpone an execution for a reelection party. What with her being the STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL and all.

Gore, who was convicted for the 1988 raping, strangling, and stabbing of 30-year-old Robyn Novick and for killing 19-year-old Susan Roark months later, was slated to be executed in mid-September but had it pushed to October 1 to accommodate Bondi's request.

Gov. Rick Scott went ahead and processed the execution postponement request, although he claimed he didn't know why Bondi made the request.

But on Tuesday, she apologized while trying to move on from the subject:

"I should not have requested that the execution be moved," Bondi told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. "I should not have moved it. I'm sorry. And it will not happen again. Next question."

But when pressed about it, Bondi said, "I was wrong. I'm sorry. It will not happen again."

When a reported asked her if the decision compromised her role as state attorney, she said, "I made a mistake. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I asked that a killer's date be changed, and he was given 20 more days. It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

So, in other words, she's sorry. And it won't happen again.

Bondi has been notorious for cracking down on attorneys delaying executions. She's a strong proponent of the "Timely Justice Act," which was designed to get through legal red tape and delays and execute inmates quicker. So the question of her not looking so good in light of things was legit.

By the way, Gore's execution postponement reportedly cost the Department of Corrections around $1,000.

But it won't happen again.

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