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Former Lawmaker Faces Death Penalty | Spokane News
Description
A former Florida state lawmaker and close ally of Governor Ron DeSantis has been arrested on shocking charges including kidnapping, molestation, and child abuse — crimes that could trigger the death penalty under a controversial 2023 law he helped create. That law specifically allows capital punishment for sexual battery against children under twelve, a stark contrast to the lighter sentences possible for other offenses. The governor has already suspended him from his judicial roles, and while prosecutors hint at potential death penalty charges, the case remains shrouded in secrecy due to Florida’s unique grand jury process. This case may become the first major legal test of the law’s constitutionality — as the U.S. Supreme Court previously ruled death penalty unconstitutional for non-homicide crimes — though no one has yet been sentenced under it. Other counties have already used the law, raising questions about its future and the fate of this high-profile defendant.
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