ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The attorney for a former assistant teacher charged with 21 counts of child sexual abuse in St. Johns County plans to use insanity defense during the trial, court records show.
Last Wednesday, an attorney for Guadalupe filed a notice of intent to rely on an insanity defense during his criminal trial, according to documents obtained by First Coast News.
In July 2022, then-18-year-old Anthony Guadalupe was arrested on multiple counts of child molestation after parents said he inappropriately touched their children at the Chappell Schools in St. Johns County.
Prosecutors said classroom surveillance footage showed a "brazen" assault on a 4-year-old child by Guadalupe, one of several alleged assaults that occurred between May 26, 2022 and July 18, 2022.
Guadalupe pleaded guilty to 14 counts of child molestation in October 2023, but months later, withdrew his guilty plea and subsequently pleaded not guilty to additional molestation charges, totaling 21 counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim less than 12.
The move derailed the 'negotiated' sentence of 35 years to life in prison when he pleaded guilty to the charges. Now, if convicted, Guadalupe faces a minimum sentence of 103 years.
Guadalupe underwent a psychological evaluation on Wednesday, the same day as the filing, court records show.
Guadalupe's attorney said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe he was legally insane at the time the alleged crimes were committed in 2022, documents show.
In reference to the nature of the insanity, his attorney said: "Based on his [Guadalupe] behavior and sleep deprivation caused by his diagnosis of Schizophrenia Paranoid Type, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent Episode, without Psychosis, and Anxiety Disorder NOS, as well as his Intellectual Deficiency."
The attorney believes Guadalupe was experiencing an "acute psychotic reaction" along with paranoid delusional experiences, affecting his daily life during the time of the alleged offenses.
Guadalupe's attorney also filed an additional motion asking to delay a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, citing the newly discovered diagnosis as a reason he needed more time to prepare his defense, according to documents.
The motion was approved, pushing Guadalupe's final pretrial hearing to May 29, 2024, at 1:30 p.m.
The filing notes that the defense will be ready for a trial no later than the June trial term.