Homicide in Orange County — Public Defender vs Private Attorney

In Orange County, we compared 137 Homicide cases with public defenders against 116 cases with private attorneys (2023-2025). Public defenders achieved a 1.7 percentage point higher dismissal rate.

5.1%
PD Dismissal Rate
137 cases
3.4%
Private Attorney Dismissal Rate
116 cases
-1.7 pts
Dismissal Rate Difference
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Full Comparison: Public Defender vs Private Attorney

Metric Public Defender Private Attorney
Total Cases 137 116
Dismissal Rate 5.1% 3.4%
Conviction Rate 79.6% 92.2%
Guilty Rate 71.5% 84.5%
Adjudication Withheld 8.0% 7.8%
Diversion Rate 0.0% 0.9%
Avg Sentence 16.0 years 14.1 years
Avg Fine $0.00 $2,161
Avg Probation 4.0 years 4.8 years

Important context: Correlation is not causation. Private attorney clients may differ from public defender clients in income, prior criminal history, charge severity, and willingness to go to trial. These factors independently affect outcomes. This data is informational and does not constitute legal advice.

Statewide Comparison

Statewide, the dismissal rate for Homicide is 2.5% with public defenders and 1.9% with private attorneys (-0.6 point difference). Orange County's -1.7 point difference is below the statewide average.

Location PD Dismissal Private Dismissal Difference
Orange County 5.1% 3.4% -1.7 pts
Florida (Statewide) 2.5% 1.9% -0.6 pts

Other Charges in Orange County

Charge PD Cases PD Dismissal Private Cases Private Dismissal
Drug Possession 7,058 1.1% 1,080 1.2%
Traffic Offense 4,014 14.6% 3,298 11.6%
Larceny / Theft 5,124 3.0% 1,480 1.2%
DUI 1,190 2.6% 2,671 1.3%
Battery 2,384 6.2% 1,119 3.8%
Other 1,564 2.4% 1,446 2.4%
Resisting Officer 2,056 4.7% 466 2.8%
Trespassing 2,222 10.4% 248 4.8%

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Orange County, private attorney clients have a 3.4% dismissal rate for Homicide compared to 5.1% for public defender clients. This is a -1.7 percentage point difference based on 253 cases. However, correlation is not causation — private attorney clients may have different case characteristics.
The conviction rate for Homicide in Orange County is 79.6% with a public defender and 92.2% with a private attorney. Conviction includes both guilty findings and adjudication withheld.
Statewide, the dismissal rate is 2.5% for public defenders and 1.9% for private attorneys. Orange County's difference of -1.7 points compares to a statewide difference of -0.6 points.

Conviction includes guilty pleas and adjudication withheld. Data covers 2023–2025 FDLE public court records. Last updated: March 2026

Important: Differences in outcomes between public defenders and private attorneys may reflect differences in case complexity, defendant resources, charge severity, and other factors — not solely attorney quality. These statistics do not predict individual case outcomes.

Source: FDLE Criminal Justice Data Transparency · 253 cases analyzed · Orange County · 2023-2025 · Data last updated March 2026