[ZeroHedge] While California lawmakers are trying to protect pedophiles, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday threw support behind his state's decision to seek the death penalty for a man indicted for the sexual battery of a child.
The post was made to X just hours after State Attorney William Gladsome filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in the case of Joseph Andrew Giampa, who has been indicted on six counts of sexual battery on a person under the age of 12, and three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child.
Given the severity of the crime and its impact on the community, the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office has filed a notice that it intends to seek the death penalty pursuant to Florida Statutes 794.011(2)(a) and 921.1425.
The decision to pursue the highest penalty reflects the gravity of the charges and the State Attorney’s Office’s dedication to holding criminals accountable for their actions. The State Attorney's Office acknowledges the sensitivity of this matter and the impact it has on the community. Our commitment to ensuring justice and protecting the vulnerable remains unwavering.
The 36-year-old Giampa was arrested in November. According to the affidavit, Giampa led authorities to a camper and showed them video on a laptop of a man sexually abusing a child while recording the act.
| Unnecessary details can be read at the link. |
The man then puts the camera down and moves in front of it, revealing that it was Giampa.
"If an individual rapes an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 2-year-old or a 5-year-old, they should be subject to the death penalty," said state Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers), who sponsored the bill.
As The Messenger further notes, the case is highly unique, as it's likely the first time in modern history that prosecutors will seek the death penalty for such an act that did not involve murder.
It' is's also likely to set off constitutional challenges as current Supreme Court precedent does not allow capital punishment for rape.
The court ruled in 1977 that applying the penalty in cases of rape violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. The court once again ruled in 2008 that the punishment was unconstitutional in cases of child rape that don’t result in the death of the victim.
Despite this, lawmakers in Florida passed a bill making sexual battery of a child eligible for the death penalty.
The Florida bill stated that prior high court rulings on the matter were “wrongly decided, and that such cases are an egregious infringement of the states’ power to punish the most heinous of crimes.” -The Messenger
The bill went into effect Oct. 1.
Trump and DeSantis on the same page
In July, former President Trump released a campaign proposal that would hit human traffickers with the death penalty.
"When I am back in the White House, I will immediately end the Biden border nightmare that traffickers are using to exploit vulnerable women and children," said Trump in a video released by his campaign. "I will urge Congress to ensure that anyone caught trafficking children across our border receives the death penalty immediately." |