TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — A Florida woman faces sentencing with a new judge after successfully having the trial judge removed from her case.
Alicia Andrews appears in court during her murder trial on Oct. 29, 2025. (Court TV)
Alicia Andrews was convicted of manslaughter in the shooting death of rapper Charles Jones, known as “Julio Foolio.” Andrews was convicted for her role in the killing in October, but her sentencing was on hold after her attorneys filed an appeal arguing the judge in her case was biased.
Judge Michelle Sisco presided over the trial and the months of pretrial hearings, but Andrews’ defense argued that her conduct prevented them from having a fair trial. “Throughout the proceedings, Judge Sisco has exhibited overt hostility toward the defense — repeatedly interrupting counsel, refusing sidebars, and visibly prompting the prosecution during witness examination,” Andrews’ attorneys said in their appeal.
MORE | FL v. Alicia Andrews: The Murder of Julio Foolio
The motion, which Sisco initially denied before Andrews’ defense team appealed to a higher court, accused the judge of allowing prosecutors to present irrelevant evidence to the jury, telling the defense to “wrap up” its questioning of a witness, and, in one case, laughing at the defense attorneys.
“Her body language and tone during defense objections have reflected irritation, impatience and at times even anger, while her treatment of the prosecution has remained deferential and uncritical.”
The defense maintained that the behavior was obvious to observers, who commented online while watching the trial unfold on YouTube. Included in the motion are a series of comments from users: “This judge is a mess and literally cannot hide her bias,” “Judge hates the defense,” and “This is not a fair trial,” among them.
The order from the Second District Court of Appeal called for Judge Sisco to be immediately removed from the case and for someone else to be named in her place. Court records indicate that on Jan. 29, Judge Kimberly Fernandez was named the new judge on the case.
According to online records, Judge Sisco was first appointed to the bench in Hillsborough County in 2002 and was elected in 2004.
No new sentencing date has been set.
