Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
A Florida man accused in a scheme to lure a 9-year-old girl to a vacant home, kill the child’s family members and then videotape himself raping her has been sentenced to 885 years in prison on child porn charges.
On Monday, the judge ordered the 31-year-old man to serve 15 years for each of 59 counts of possession of child pornography.
He was convicted in July.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials claim the man told the family he was a student making an independent film. The girl’s grandfather entered the house near Orlando, leaving the girl and his son-in-law behind in the car. He became suspicious and left before anything could happen, according to reports.
The man also faces trial on attempted murder and attempted rape charges. A date has not been determined.
Florida is a state in which the laws governing sexual offenses are extremely strict. Police usually err on the side of protecting the victim, not the accused. Sex crime charges, even just allegations, tend to leave have a lasting impact, which is why it is very important to be proactive in finding a criminal defense lawyer as soon as you believe you might be charged with a crime.
While downloading, possessing and producing child pornography is illegal, there are unique situations where the pornography was not downloaded intentionally, or the downloader was unaware that it was pornography. These facts must be established in order to develop an effective defense. Regardless of the circumstances, you need aggressive representation to address the accusations and charges so that you are not branded with an unwanted social stigma, including being forced to register as a sex offender. Moreover, these charges carry significant time behind bars, and each count of child pornography can carry a separate sentence.
If you or someone you love has been charged with a child pornography offense, please call a Florida Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer at Whittel & Melton today at 866-608-5529 or contact us online. We can begin helping you with your case immediately – your initial consultation is free!