Florida mother arrested on 41 counts could face death penalty for alleged abuse of her 11-year-old
A St. Petersburg mother was arrested by detectives and charged this week with more than 40 crimes tied to child pornography and sexual battery involving her 11-year-old daughter. Authorities say some counts are capital offenses that could carry the death penalty if convicted.
Court filings list 41 charges, including multiple counts of transmitting child pornography and sexual performance by a child, several counts of capital sexual battery, aggravated child abuse, lewd or lascivious molestation, and allegations of sexual activity with an animal. The indictment also cites unlawful use of a two-way communication device and other related counts. The 34-year-old suspect remains in the Pinellas County Jail without bond.
‘This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it.’
Investigators also identified a 38-year-old man who faces separate felony counts tied to child pornography and allegedly traveling to meet a minor to engage in sex. “Detectives began their investigation after learning that a 38-year-old male subject was involved in obtaining child pornography and meeting with young children.”
“Detectives learned that the woman had been forcing her 11-year-old daughter to perform sexual acts on the suspect, herself, and the family dog,” police stated. “Detectives say that the suspect would record and photograph these incidents, sharing them with a 38-year-old male.”
“The things that the mother did to the daughter are graphic, and they are grotesque.” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said the remark during a press conference.
“During March and April of this year, the mother created at least 14 videos of her 11-year-old daughter posing at the mother’s direction and engaging in various sex acts, including bestiality with the family dog,” Gualtieri stated. Gualtieri noted that the mother used sex toys on her daughter.
“These acts constitute sexual battery or, as commonly referred to as rape, and because of the child’s age, the mother’s crimes are capital offenses punishable by death,” Gualtieri said. Officials said the mother admitted during interviews that she had forced her daughter into sexual acts on video and sent the files to the man.
“These cases are the worst cases of child abuse, and in this case, it’s not just sexually abusing a child; it’s gross sexual abuse of a young girl by her mother to satisfy an adult with a perverse craving for watching kids engaged in sex acts.” Gualtieri added. Investigators are trying to determine whether money changed hands or whether the material was distributed to others.
The sheriff said the victim’s father and a sibling lived in the same home, and investigators do not believe the father was involved in the alleged abuses. The victim is being taken care of by the father, but the Department of Children and Families is “very involved” in the case.
Gualtieri said there are no indications so far that the sibling was sexually exploited by the mother. The mother made her first court appearance on Tuesday, when a judge ordered the suspect not to have any contact with her daughter. A local report said the father was at the hearing, and he was “visibly upset and appeared to be praying at one point.”
The sheriff noted that 84 different people have been booked into the Pinellas County Jail on child pornography charges since January, producing roughly 900 charges of possessing or distributing illicit material. “Think about that: That’s 900 different videos of kids, mostly in the 5- to 12-year-old range, engaged in perverse sex acts for the pleasure of adults who seek, obtain, and watch these videos,” Gualtieri said.
“This is nuts. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s ruining kids’ lives,” Gualtieri said.
