Florida State Attorney First to Pursue Death Penalty for Child Rapist Under New DeSantis Law

The case is set to challenge a Supreme Court decision that has been upheld for more than 45 years.

The Florida Supreme Court building in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 22, 2023. Nanette Holt/the Epoch Times

For the first time since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis passed a law that would allow convicted child rapists to receive the death penalty, a state prosecutor is pursuing that sentence, in a case that’s set to challenge a decision the Supreme Court has upheld for more than 45 years.

State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson of Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit announced the grand jury indictment of Joseph Andrew Giampa on Dec. 14 and the intent to seek the death penalty. Mr. Giampa is being held in Lake County Jail in central Florida and has been indicted with six counts of sexual battery upon a person younger than 12 years of age and three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child.