The suspect allegedly believed he was arranging a meeting to facilitate the rape of two children aged eight and twelve and offered $350 for the opportunity to rape the girls. He traveled to Seminole County believing he was going to meet their father, the Orlando Sentinel reports. From the start of the case, the suspect was communicating through email and texts with FBI agents and no children were ever at risk.
Of course such cases trigger a strong public reaction. Even before all details have emerged, the public can convict a suspect forgetting that everyone is presumed not guilty until proven otherwise. According to multiple media reports, this suspect has revealed a tremendous amount of information about his fantasies and lifestyle that may prove damaging to his case. But even these details do not necessarily indicate he committed a crime.
Perhaps this suspect wanted to be caught. Perhaps he suffers
from serious psychological problems. Perhaps he was entrapped by law
enforcement officials. There are many unanswered questions in the case but what
should never be questioned is this: in even the most scandalous and disturbing
situations, everyone has constitutional rights that must be rigorously
defended. This may be especially important when the public has such a strong
emotional reaction to an alleged crime.