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Florida to Seek Death Penalty Against Nathan Holmberg in Child Sex Abuse Case

The bid tests a 2023 state law permitting executions for sexual battery of children under 12 against a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that bars death sentences for child rape.

Overview

  • A Hernando County grand jury indicted Holmberg, 36, on 25 counts, including seven capital sexual battery charges on a child under 12.
  • Attorney General James Uthmeier and Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson announced the death-penalty pursuit and said the investigation remains active.
  • Officials said multiple children are believed to be victims, including a child as young as 3, and additional charges are expected in other counties.
  • Prosecutors will proceed under Florida’s 2023 statute while urging the Supreme Court to revisit Kennedy v. Louisiana, which barred executions for child rape.
  • The case was developed by a statewide special task force with multi-jurisdictional authority, and Holmberg was arrested Oct. 20 after a multi-circuit probe.