LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a Lake County man facing 47 charges for allegedly sexually abusing a child for years.
In March, Lake County deputies responded to a home in Leesburg after someone reported that a child disclosed she was being abused by 41-year-old Schubert Macarat. Macarat was arrested that same night.
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The victim, a girl under 12 years old, told investigators she used her own cellphone to document the assault. State Attorney Bill Gladson said the child’s decision to record the abuse was deliberate.
“She recorded it because she knew that she would need it as evidence,” Gladson said.
Gladson said the abuse had been ongoing for years and that investigators found physical evidence that coincided with interviews the child gave.
“When I say ongoing, we’re talking years of abuse for this particular child,” he said. “Sexual devices that the child described that were used during the sexual assault, condoms, lubricant [were found].”
A grand jury has since indicted Macarat on 47 charges, including 12 counts of capital sexual assault, as well as possession of child pornography. Investigators say the evidence collected is extensive.
“[Searches] resulted in a four-terabyte external hard drive that has 3,000 videos, 700 of which are confirmed child sexual abuse material,” Gladson said. “Some of the videos had been shown to the child prior to, and sometimes during, assault.”
Because of the severity of the case and the volume of evidence, prosecutors say they believe Macarat abused the girl for at least three years, the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office has filed a notice that it intends to seek the death penalty.
“We are seeking to prematurely end this defendant’s life because the crimes he committed are so heinous that no other punishment is fitting,” Gladson said.
“In this state we protect our children, in this state we protect our vulnerable, in this state we have zero tolerance for child predators.”
Macarat was arrested and remains in custody on no-bond status at the Lake County Detention Facility. He is due back in court next month.