Andrew Sharp, a former babysitter in Palm Coast, was handed six life sentences on Tuesday for the molestation of his eight-year-old cousins. The sentence was administered by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, after Sharp's conviction in February.
Sharp was initially charged with five felonies for his actions: four counts of sexual battery on a victim under 12 by an offender over 18, and one of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim under 12 by an offender over 18. He was accused by prosecutors of raping his eight-year-old cousin, and encouraging her further sexual abuse by her eleven-year-old brother. The abuse is said to have begun in May 2021, and carried on for about a year.
The proximity of Sharp to his cousins was formed when their parents let him live with them for a time after moved down from West Virginia. During the trial Sharp claimed he had actually tried to stop the inappropriate contact between his cousins.
He was ultimately convicted on seven felony counts, each carrying a mandatory life sentence. Both previously and possibly in the future, Sharp's conviction may have resulted in the death penalty, but Florida's laws on administering capital punishment are currently in the midst of litigation.
“This defendant used the love between a brother and sister and their family to engage in the most horrific of crimes against children,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said after Sharp's conviction in February. “It is unfortunate that the death penalty does not apply because the crimes were committed before the law was amended to authorize the death penalty. Otherwise, a death sentence would have been pursued in this case.”
