Two West Palm Beach men now face the possibility of receiving the capital punishment after they were indicted for the repeated sexual abuse of a young girl.
On Friday, October 3, 2025, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office announced that it will seek the death penalty for Josue D. Mendez-Sales, 27, and Pablo N. Cobon-Mendez, 23.
Both men were originally indicted by a grand jury in August on multiple counts of sexual battery on a person less than 12 years of age.
This decision is one of the first local tests of Florida’s newly expanded death penalty law, which now classifies sexual battery of a child under 12 as a capital offense.
"The crimes committed against this young child are among the most horrific imaginable," said Palm Beach County State Attorney Alexcia Cox in an official statement.
"This is about justice, accountability, and protecting the innocent," she added.
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| Pablo N. Cobon-Mendez |
The criminal investigation into this case began after the 7-year-old victim bravely came forward and reported the abuse to adults.
According to police reports, the abuse was not only frequent—it was brutal.
Law enforcement officials state the child was sexually assaulted nearly every day and beaten with a belt, as per CBS12 News.
The abuse reportedly began sometime between April and July of 2025, when the girl was just six years old.
After the crime was exposed, The West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) quickly launched an investigation.
This ultimately led to the arrests of Mendez-Sales and Cobon-Mendez, both of whom are originally from Guatemala.
During a news conference in late July, Police Chief Tony Araujo called the allegations heinous.
“Both Mendez-Sales and Cobon-Mendez were arrested and transported to the West Palm Beach Police Department Headquarters where both suspects voluntarily confessed,” said Chief Araujo.
Both men reportedly confessed to the crime after their arrest, and they are currently in the Palm Beach County Jail, held without bond.
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| Josue D. Mendez-Sales |
The decision to pursue capital punishment is a direct result of a 2023 change in Florida law. Former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg explained the legal significance.
“Florida recently changed the law to allow for the death penalty to anyone convicted of sexual battery against a child under the age of 12. It is now a capital offensenand that’s why the prosecutors went to the grand jury here," Aronberg said.
He emphasized the gravity of the case, stating, “This is the kind of behavior that so shocks the conscience that it really doesn’t get any worse than this. And so, this is as bad as it gets, which is why now these crimes are eligible for the death penalty.”
The State Attorney's Office is also using this prosecution as a critical stand for the community's most vulnerable.
In her statement, State Attorney Cox underscored the duty of her office to pursue the strongest available punishment in the gravest of cases.
“The law must send a clear and unmistakable message: those who prey on children will face the harshest consequences possible,” she said.
The allegations have drawn strong reactions from the highest levels of state government.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier took to social media to call the allegations horrific, adding that he expects the State Attorney to "see the death penalty" through.
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