27-year-old Daniel Rodriguez, currently listed as a Daytona Beach resident but who previously resided in Palm Coast, has been convicted by a jury of multiple sex crimes against a preteen victim. Rodriguez was charged with sexual battery, molestation, and lewd/lascivious battery.
Though Rodriguez has not yet been sentenced for his crimes, he will be facing a mandatory life sentence when that day comes. His fate is set in stone: Rodriguez will be living out the rest of his life in prison."The defendant will spend the remainder of his life in the Florida State Prison System," confirmed State Attorney R.J. Larizza, whose office prosecuted Rodriguez. "He deserves nothing less!"
During the trial, Rodriguez confirmed on the stand that inappropriate encounters took place between he and the victim, but any hope of sparing himself a life sentence was ultimately in vain. Rodriguez previously rejected a plea deal from prosecutors to serve 40 years behind bars and the rest of his life as a registered sex predator.
Rodriguez's victim was a boy whom he was said to have molested from the ages of 11 to 13, and whom he had known since he was 10. He was arrested in June 2023, and has been in custody ever since. The jury deliberation lasted for only eleven minutes before a guilty verdict was returned. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols presided over the case.
