This morning, Juan Alameda was sentenced to two life sentences for Familial or Custodial Sexual Battery and Lewd or Lascivious Molestation. The defendant molested a child victim multiple times in Collier County.
Assistant State Attorneys Laura Mason and Mara Marzano prosecuted the case.
This sentence and conviction were possible due to a change in the law, that allowed extremely crucial evidence, to be admissible in court. It was the evidence involved in this specific case that led to State Attorney Amira Fox’s team writing a suggested revision to the law to admit this important evidence.
“Life in prison is a just sentence for a person who took the innocence of a child. Even without the victim or guardian participating in this case, the hard work of so many to make sure this defendant did not get away with this horrendous crime, should be commended. Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka and Senator Jonathan Martin sponsored House Bill 934.03, to help the legal system be able to prosecute those who seek to harm children. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law last year, allowing prosecutors to use crucial evidence to take child predators off the streets,” said State Attorney Fox.
Florida Statute 934.03, states, in part, that it is lawful for a parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 years of age to intercept and record an oral communication if the child is a party to the communication and the parent or legal guardian has legal grounds to believe that recording the communication will capture a statement by another party to the communication that the other party intends to commit, is committing, or has committed an unlawful sexual act or an unlawful act of physical force or violence against a child.
Key evidence in this case was a recording of the defendant during the commission of the crime. The child’s guardian had put the child’s cell phone in a doll house, located in the living room of a residence, to record any interaction between the defendant and the child.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director