Belvin Perry Jr. was the chief judge for the high-profile Casey Anthony murder trial. Perry earned a BS and MEd from Tuskegee University and holds a JD from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Formerly a prosecutor, Perry became the first African American elected to the bench of the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, Florida without first being appointed. His efforts during his service included establishing Florida’s complex business litigation court, establishing a receiving center to assist those with mental illness and substance abuse, and protecting domestic violence victims. After achieving national prominence during the Casey Anthony trial, Perry retired in 2014. Presently, he is a personal injury attorney. Perry has been featured on several major media outlets, including the Today Show, Nancy Grace, TMZ, Dr. Oz, CNN, Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, The New York Post, Court TV, ABC News, CBS News, People Magazine, The Daily Mail, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Good Morning America.

Perry lives by Sir Winston Churchill’s words: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Amy Mitchell, Esq. is a Canadian-born, multi-award-winning author with an honors BA in English from the University of Toronto. She holds a JD from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and an LLB from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. Mitchell practices family law and has received the Elite Lawyer award. She is also a Florida Supreme Court certified family mediator.

Mitchell was born to write and has been a passionate writer from the moment she could put pencil to paper. When Mitchell taught a law class at a private high school, Belvin Perry Jr. was a guest speaker. The stars aligned for them to join forces and coauthor this debut, true crime memoir, The Velvet Hammer. Mitchell currently resides with her three daughters in central Florida.