Illegal migrants arrested for gang-raping seven year-old girl should face death penalty if convicted, AG says
Josue David Mendez-Sales, 26, and Pablo Neftaly Cobon-Mendez, 23, were arrested in West Palm Beach and charged with sexual battery on the seven-year-old child.
Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that he expects the State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit to seek the death penalty for the two suspects, both from Guatemala.
In a post on X, Uthmeier said: 'These allegations are beyond horrific. Anyone who can commit such heinous crimes must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.'
If convicted, Mendez-Sales faces five mandatory life sentences and up to five additional years in prison, while Cobon-Mendez faces two mandatory life terms - with the death penalty also possible in both cases under Florida law.
The harrowing details first emerged on July 30 when the young girl bravely confided in her babysitter, reporting that she had been inappropriately touched by Mendez-Sales and Cobon-Mendez, both individuals she knew, while in the Sunset Apartment Complex.
The Department of Children and Families was immediately alerted, launching an initial investigation before bringing in law enforcement.
In a follow-up interview, the child provided a chilling account, revealing that Cobon-Mendez molested her 'every day.'
Evidence of physical abuse was also present, with visible bruising on the child's body, which she attributed to Mendez-Sales hitting her with a belt.
In interviews with investigators, Cobon-Mendez admitted to molesting the young girl about two weeks prior while under the influence of alcohol.
He now faces two counts of sexual battery on a child.
Mendez-Sales now faces five counts of sexual battery on a child and one count of child abuse.
According to police, Mendez-Sales admitted to sexually abusing the girl around five times over the past three months, claiming he was intoxicated during each incident and couldn't recall the details.
He also told investigators he had recently struck the child with a belt.
He and a second suspect are both being held without bond at the Palm Beach County jail.
West Palm Beach Police Chief Tony Araujo called the case 'heinous.'
The investigation is ongoing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ryan King jailed after £11m drugs found at Killingholme Port
A man has been jailed for 14 years after £11m worth of Class A drugs were found hidden in an air King, 38, of Tollerton Road, West Derby, Liverpool, was part of an organised crime group that tried to smuggle 159lbs (72kg) of cocaine and 112lbs (51kg) of heroin into the UK in March drugs were found at Killingholme Port, near Grimsby, after arriving in an unmanned trailer from the Hook of was due to go on trial but was sentenced at Hull Crown Court on Tuesday after he changed his plea to guilty. King pleaded guilty to two counts of the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a Class A DNA was found on the drugs packages and a tracker by National Crime Agency was arrested at Liverpool John Lennon Airport in December 2022 when he returned from Alicante. NCA operations manager Carl Barrass said: "The loss of those drugs and the loss of King damages the crime group behind the smuggling attempt."They have lost a huge amount of money which cannot now be ploughed back into further offending, and the drug seizure means they will not be pushed around our communities causing misery."Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Austin Robert Drummond arrested in quadruple killing in Tennessee
A man suspected in the targeted killing of four family members and leaving their baby abandoned in front of a stranger's home has been arrested in rural weeklong manhunt for Austin Robert Drummond ended after local authorities instituted an early morning shelter-in-place for residents near Jackson after he was sighted there. Residents were warned to lock doors and windows as police searched for accuse Drummond, 28, of killing the baby's parents, grandmother and teenaged uncle before abandoning the infant in front of stranger's arrest "marks an important step in restoring safety to our community," Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley said. The abandoned baby, left in a car seat, was found in front of a stranger's home in Tigrett, Tennessee on July 29 prompting a search for the parents. Soon after, the four family members were found dead about 40 miles (64km) away in Tiptonville. It prompted a statewide manhunt for Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch said the killings were believed to be targeted and that Drummond had a relationship with the family. Authorities have not elaborated on the relationship, nor on any potential motive. The baby is safe and being cared for, authorities have said. A photo of Drummond's capture shared by the TBI shows him in a black hoodie in a wooded area in Jackson, about 70 miles south of Tiptonville, where the family was found dead. The victims have been identified as: James M. Wilson, 21, and Adrianna Williams, 20, the baby's parents; Cortney Rose, 38, the infant's grandmother; and Braydon Williams, 15, the baby's other people have been arrested and charged with assisting Drummond after the quadruple his arrest, police released footage appearing to show Drummond carrying a gun and wearing camouflage clothing while trying to enter a building.A $32,500 reward for information that would lead to his arrest was offered on Monday as authorities scrambled to end the is facing charges including four counts of first degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, four counts of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous was previously convicted of robbing a convenience store in 2013 with a gun. He was released in September 2024 after serving13 years in prison, according to Tennessee prison 2020, a district attorney warned the state's parole board against releasing Drummond, citing threats to jurors and multiple disciplinary actions while in prison."This type of behavior clearly demonstrates that Drummond has no desire for rehabilitation and is not capable of living among society," Jody Pickens wrote.
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Death and amputation after boat driver 'found behind the wheel with THIRTY NINE empty cans of beer'
A North Carolina boater allegedly had 39 empty beer cans on board when he crashed into unsuspecting swimmers - killing a little girl and leaving a woman without a leg. Quinten Kight, 40, stands accused of drunk driving a boat in Shearon Harris Lake and causing the fatal collision that killed Brooklyn Carroll and severely injured Jennifer Stehle, 41, on Saturday at around 4:30pm. The suspect rammed the vessel into Brooklyn and Stehle when he turned his back to look at a tube he was pulling, carrying two people, according to investigators. The victims were in the water with a third swimmer, Brooklyn's mother Kim. Authorities rushed to the scene, but Brooklyn had already died. Stehle's left leg was shredded by the boat's propeller. She was airlifted to a hospital where her the mutilated limb was amputated from above the knee. When officials confronted Kight they discovered 39 empty beer cans on the boat. He was allegedly trying to get rid of them as investigators arrived. Seven of these cans appeared to have been 'shotgunned,' Chatham County District Attorney Jeff Nieman said in court on Monday, KPTV reported. Police said other containers of alcohol were found outside the boat, which are believed to have been Kight's as well. The suspect is charged with Operating While Impaired and Death by Impaired Boating and remains in jail on a $500,000 bond. 'It's absolutely preventable any time that someone gets out on the water and partakes in drinking alcohol or using any other impairing substance,' Wildlife Resource Commission Sgt Claude Smith told ABC 11. Brooklyn was entering the fifth grade at West Lake Elementary School, where Stehle works as a social worker. 'BB was a light in every room she entered, with an infectious smile, a loving heart, and a spirit that touched everyone who knew her,' Brooklyn's family wrote on GoFundMe. 'Her laughter, kindness, and energy brought so much joy to her family and friends.' A relative created the fundraiser to help ease the financial burden on Brooklyn's grieving parents, Kim and Matt, as they arrange to lay their daughter to rest. So far, more than $39,000 has been donated. Another GoFundMe was started to support Stehle and her family as she embarks on the grueling road to recovery that lies ahead. Kight (pictured during his virtual court appearance on Monday) had racked up an unflattering criminal track record prior to allegedly drunk driving in Shearon Harris Lake The mother-of-two 'will require extensive therapy and rehabilitation as she works to recover,' organizers wrote. More than $78,700 has been donated. Kight told the court on Monday that he was an Army veteran. According to records reviewed by the Daily Mail, he was given a court appointed lawyer. The Public Defender's Office could not provide the name of Kight's court-appointed attorney to the Daily Mail. Court documents obtained by ABC 11 revealed Kight had racked up an unflattering criminal track record prior to allegedly drunk driving in Shearon Harris Lake. He was arrested in New Mexico in 2009 with DUI and has pending charges from a 2023 hit-and-run that harmed Alex Myers, 35, of Vass, North Carolina. 'If they would have been able to do something and maybe I don't know, penalize this guy in some way maybe that little girl would still be alive,' said Myers of Saturday's tragedy. He recalled the moment he first learned that the man who allegedly struck him with a truck had been accused of yet another senseless crime.' 'I opened it up, and it was just mind blowing to me that that guy is just living out there completely careless,' he told ABC 11.
