Lake County pursues death penalty in sex crime prosecution
Lake County prosecutor William “Bill” Gadson announced he is seeking the death penalty in the case against Joseph Andrew Giampa.
Giampa has been charged with two counts of sexual battery upon victims under the age of 12 and three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child.
This is the first case in the state to seek a capital conviction since the law went into effect in July of this year.
The State was meticulous in passing the law to ensure it met the thresholds for a death sentence established by previous US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) precedence. Gadson qualifies this case as meeting the four aggravating factors necessary for a capital charge.
The State has prepared the law and selected this case for a review by SCOTUS. All the t’s seem crossed and i’s seem dotted from that perspective. Left for review will be an answer to the question can the State execute for reasons other than murder.
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Derek:
Has it really been 19 years? My how time flies when you’re having fun.
You’re right around the corner from your 20th anniversary of activism.
Please keep up the good work. I look forward to your activism for another 20+ years and hope to live to see you celebrating 50 years of activism.
I know a lot of haters don’t like me supporting you but they can all [moderated].
I personally hope he lives a long and prosperous life but I would rather not need his activism. I would rather FAC’s purpose come to an end. Then maybe our efforts can morph into getting people the help they need, both the victim and the perpetrator. Focus our efforts on prevention etc.
We can’t focus on prevention when we’re too busy struggling to survive. Society doesn’t seem to get this simple premise.
There’s always two sides to every story
But one thing we all need to remember is in our childhood.
Things have happened to cause the way we think. It is a mental illness in my correct. But you want to kill somebody on the deaf chair or penalize them. For a cri’m instead of helping them or incarcerated them into a cess pool, think about it.
I replied to your comment but for some reason it went to the main chat thread and not here.
I know exactly what you mean brother.
Interesting. I hope that the victims in this case are not the defendant’s daughters or a close relative as usually is with these cases. Stranger danger cases are very rare. It is not beneficial for the victim to feel that his or her testimony sent their father or close relative to death-row, thus forcing the victim to live with that guilt in their conscious for rest of their life. The state of Florida before the SO registry crazed was more geared in providing psychological help to allow the reunification of these families and for healing to take place. Now is all about punishing the families.
Mr. Dorsett, at about the age of 4, I was molested by a female babysitter. I can only remember it happening one time. I don’t know why but I never said anything to my parents. I was never threatened or anything.
The way it all happened is probably so weird that I couldn’t tell my parents what actually happend. Short story is that I was blind folded. I didn’t realize what actually happened until I was 22 yrs old (I’m 45 now, on SO probation and court ordered to go through sex offender treatment through ITC for LL on a 15 yr old girl. That’s when it all came flooding back to me and it actually hit me what actually happened to me at 4yrs old. Everything started to come together and made sense to me. At the time I was also struggling with combat related PTSD from OIF 1. I didn’t even know I had combat related PTSD. I thought it was normal. How could I not know that PTSD is not normal when I started to experience PTSD at around 4 yrs old? I was put on some very potent meds like your self. I take a high dose of Effexor for depression and anxiety, a descent dose of propanalol for severe anxiety and a high dose of trazadone for insomnia and nightmares, and prazosin for nightmares/night terrors. I can definitely relate to your situation.
I said all that to say this. I do have empathy for you. But I would also like to say that I didn’t start to see any major improvement in my life until I started to let go of the victim mindset and started becoming a victor/survivor. I had to learn how to release all those resentments and anger. I could type a whole book on the steps that got me where I am today. A major portion was the ITC group therapy. I would’ve never known I was struggling with PTSD since 4 yrs old and then never sought help for combat PTSD through the VA. I make my story sound simple but it was not always that way.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
The death penalty is a the worst case for anyone. These Goveror’s seem to take the Bible or Commandments for grant and want it done their way. No wonder this Nation needs help. That’s America for you.
Isn’t the death penalty for those who kill another? Should not the punishment fit the crime. This death penalty for someone on the sex registry is like inducing one’s own vengeance. Government should understand true justice.
And if they are killed using the death penalty, in Florida that person would most likely remain on the offender registry.
If the death penalty is merely punishment for the killing of another, then that is eye for eye, which is Old Testament. We don’t live in Old Testament times, but many want to still use those ways in our New Testament times. You cannot have it both. Our country is sick and needs a good naked butt whooping internally to realize that to stand up and heal itself of where it is going, IMO.
Seem only trying to keep certain crimes away all together but any government official or police etc you hear at first the crime then resignation then nothing yet prostitute are still running around how far is all that
The Feds execute people for some drug trafficking charges [citation needed]. I’m sure this one won’t be overturned by the courts. I don’t think it can be made retroactive.
This is a horrifying example of gateway punishment, however. Next, they’ll just keep expanding the laws that have the death penalty on the table.