STATE WON'T CHARGE IMPRISONED LAWYER IN DRUG DEATH AT HOME

No state charges will be brought against a former Palm Beach County
assistant public defender serving a 10-year federal sentence for giving
drugs to an 18-year-old client found dead in the lawyer's bedroom in 2002,
a Fort Myers prosecutor said Monday.

Assistant State Attorney Dean Plattner wrote in a memo to West Palm Beach
police that despite the tragic occurrence, there is insufficient evidence
to support a criminal charge against Damon Amedeo, 33. Plattner took over
the case in late 2003 because a relative of the victim, Douglas Rozelle
III, works in the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

In 2003, U.S. District Court Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley went above sentencing
guidelines and sent Amedeo away for 18 years for providing drugs to a
person younger than 21, blaming his drug-infused lifestyle for Rozelle's
overdose. In March, Hurley reduced the sentence to 10 years after a federal
appeals court ruled that the legal justification used to increase the
sentence could not be applied. Amedeo is appealing the sentence.

At the time of Rozelle's January 2002 death, Amedeo was working for the
teen's father, West Palm Beach lawyer Douglas Rozelle Jr. The elder Rozelle
had asked Amedeo to help his son through the drug court system. Amedeo
worked for the Public Defender's Office from 1997 until January 2001.

Federal agents arrested Amedeo after finding videotape in his home showing
him and Damon Rozelle using drugs and Amedeo performing oral sex on an
apparently unconscious Rozelle. Amedeo told authorities that he and Rozelle
had sex and that he found Rozelle dead in his bedroom several hours later.
Autopsy results showed Rozelle overdosed on a combination of drugs.

Plattner's memo states that while Amedeo's actions "were ethically and
morally reprehensible," there is not enough evidence to prosecute him
successfully.

"Our decision was based on the law and evidence related to our possible
charges," Plattner said Monday. "We're aware he was serving federal time as
well, but our decision is based on the review of our evidence."

Plattner said he met with the Rozelle family to let them know of his
office's decision. Douglas Rozelle Jr. died in March 2004 at age 52.

Staff Writer Shahien Nasiripour contributed to this report.