Florida judge behind OnlyFans mom, UCF murder cases appointed to district court

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his appointment of a Winter Park judge to the Sixth District Court of Appeal on Wednesday.

State officials said DeSantis selected Paetra Brownlee for the position. Brownlee previously served as a judge on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court since her appointment by DeSantis in 2020.

Brownlee has presided over a number of cases in Orange County during her time as a circuit judge, including one in 2022 where a mother, Victoria Triece, sued the school district.

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In that case, Triece was banned from volunteering in her child’s classroom due to her participation on adult websites like OnlyFans. Brownlee ruled that Triece volunteering at her child’s school didn’t constitute a right, and so her case was dismissed.

Other cases she’s dealt with include Benjamin Holmes, who was sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for murdering a UCF student, and Joanne Zephir, a mother accused of murder after forcing her two children to drink bleach.

Prior to her role as a circuit judge, Brownlee also served as a partner at The Brownlee Law Firm, having received a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and her juris doctor from Florida State University, the release shows. She was also appointed to two different Judicial Nominating Commissions in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Her announced appointment Wednesday means that Brownlee will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jay Cohen, who held the position before Brownlee.

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