Michael Usan

Michael Allen Usan is an American lawyer and legal official who has served as a judge in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida since 2010.

Michael A. Usan
Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2010
Appointed by	Charlie Crist
Preceded by	Linda L. Vitale
Personal details
Citizenship	United States
Parents	Arthur M. Lillian Usan
Alma mater	University of Minnesota (BA) Wake Forest University (JD)
Occupation	Judge
Profession	Judge

Usan gained national attention in 2023 as the presiding judge of the trial for the murderers of rapper/singer Jahseh Onfroy, best known as XXXTentacion.

Life and career

Usan graduated from the University of Minnesota for his B.A. in 1984 and from Wake Forest University for his J.D. in 1987. Usan was a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Air Force from 1987 to 1992.^[1] Prior to entering private practice in 1993, he also served as a prosecutor for a brief period of time in Broward County. Up until his court appointment in 2010, he practiced criminal defense law in Fort Lauderdale.^[2]

XXXTentacion murder trial

Main article: XXXTentacion murder trial

Usan gained national attention as the presiding judge over the trial for three of the murderers of rapper and singer-songwriter Jahseh Onfroy (XXXTentacion). He gained attention for his sternness towards the defense attorneys for Onfroy's murderers. He was also commended for his harshness towards the murderers and his compassion towards Onfroy's family and fanbase, delivering a direct speech to Onfroy's family and fans about Onfroy's legacy before the murderers' sentencing, and with Usan stating to shooter Michael Boatwright at his sentencing that he is glad that Boatwright will die in prison.^[3][4] He sentenced two of the three murderers to the mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole, and sentenced Michael Boatwright, the shooter, to an uncommonly high sentence for a single murder: two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus another consecutive 30 years.^[5][6]

Sunny LaValle Case

Sunny LaValle was a wife/mother killed by a sleepy (and admittedly) drunk driver in Weston, Florida in May 2021 while riding her bicycle in the bike lane. The driver was not apprehended at the time of the accident nor tested for alcohol or drugs. Usan presided over the case, ultimately handing out a two-year prison term for vehicular homicide as part of a negotiated plea agreement.