LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — State Attorney Bill Gladson is seeking the death penalty against a man accused of sexually battering a child.
Gladson made the announcement Wednesday morning after a jury indicted 41-year-old Schubert Navarozza Macarat on 47 felony counts, 12 of which were for Sexual Battery upon a Child less than 12 years of age.
Gladson stated he believes this could be the right case to challenge a 2008 Supreme Court decision that held the death penalty for a child rapist was cruel and unusual punishment.
The case found sentencing a defendant to death for any crime other than homicide is unconstitutional.
In 2023, the Florida legislature passed a law opening the door to capital punishment in certain child sex abuse cases, with the intent to challenge the SCOTUS ruling.
However, even without the Supreme Court Ruling, death penalty cases are notorious for a lengthy appeals process that could take years or decades to resolve.
Still, Gladson announced he believes he has the necessary aggravating factors to prove 41-year-old Schubert Navarroza Macarat should be put to death.
“We are seeking to prematurely end his life because he has forfeited his right to live among us,” said Gladson, who cited the heinous and disturbing nature of the crime.
Macarat is accused of sexually abusing a child victim for three years, beginning when the victim was only 9 years old.
“We’re talking years of abuse for this particular child. What the child did was, at some point during the abuse, record what happened to her on her cell phone. And she recorded it because she knew that she would need it as evidence,” Gladson said.
According to Gladson, after interviewing the victim, investigators found more evidence, including a 4-terabyte hard drive containing at least 3,000 videos. Seven hundred were confirmed to be child sexual abuse material.
The state attorney said the aggravating factors present include the fact that the crime was motivated by money, that it was especially heinous, and that the victim was particularly vulnerable.
“All decisions eventually get challenged. This is one of those cases that I think needs to make that challenge, and I think these facts support it,” said Gladson of the 2008 SCOTUS decision.
Macarat is currently being held at the Lake County Jail without bond. His trial is tentatively scheduled for September 2026. ,
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