PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — An overwhelming number of people have posted comments on WPTV's Facebook page, calling for the death penalty for suspended Palm Beach County clerk Mike Caruso following his arrest on alleged sexual abuse charges, so we're getting answers.
The question of whether the suspended Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller could face the death penalty comes down to the details of how a state law is written — and whether his charges qualify him for it.
WATCH BELOW: Could Mike Caruso face death penalty?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed Caruso, weighed in on the possibility of the death penalty after the arrest.
"We're the first state to reintroduce the death penalty for pedophiles, and I'm proud that I signed that into law and I'm proud that we have very strong penalties for people that abuse children and if he's convicted he's going to be in a world of hurt," DeSantis said.
DeSantis was referring to the 2023 Florida Capital Sexual Battery Law — a law Caruso himself voted in favor of when he was a state representative. The law allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for adults convicted of sexually battering a child under the age of 12.
Caruso was arrested on five felony charges related to child sex abuse, including kidnapping, lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. The alleged victim was between 3 and 5 years old.
The challenge is that Caruso has not been charged with sexual battery. Without that charge, the law that could put him on death row does not currently apply to him.
But that could change. On Tuesday, Attorney General James Uthmeir said more charges are expected.
Caruso appeared in court Thursday in shackles and was issued no bond in Orange County, where he will go before a judge in a couple of weeks. At that point, the state could add a capital sexual battery charge — which could then potentially qualify Caruso for the death penalty.
WPTV spoke with Caruso's attorney, Jason Weiss, after Caruso appeared at his first appearance in Palm Beach County on Wednesday. Weiss said his client is innocent and that Caruso intends to "vigorously" defend himself against these charges.
The victim's attorney, Lisa Haba, said the family is completely shattered. Court documents show the boy has been receiving therapy.
When asked whether the family was considering pushing for the death penalty — given that Caruso himself once supported it — Haba did not commit to an answer.
"I don't have an answer for that," Haba said.
But she made clear the toll this has taken on the child.
"He never asked for any of this to happen to him. Now the child that was harmed in this case is going to be on a healing journey for probably the rest of his life," Haba said.
And she said the family's focus right now is on accountability.
"The family and the victim want justice; they want accountability for what happened," Haba said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
