The sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl at Gwen Cherry Park has prompted Commissioner Marleine Bastien to review park safety protocols while the case becomes a potential test of Florida’s controversial new capital punishment law. The incident occurred Tuesday evening when community members intervened to apprehend the suspect, highlighting both the vulnerability of children in public spaces and the strength of neighborhood vigilance in Miami-Dade’s District 2.
The Incident and Community Response
According to Local 10, Antwan Johnson, 18, approached the child around 7 p.m. at Gwen Cherry Park, located at 7090 NW 22nd Ave., asking her to retrieve toilet paper from the women’s restroom under the pretense that the men’s room had none. CBS Miami reports that Johnson followed the girl into the bathroom, moved her to the last stall, covered her mouth causing a cut on her lip, choked her, and sexually assaulted her.
The assault was interrupted when a witness entered the restroom, prompting Johnson to flee. Mike Santiegue told WSVN he heard the witness scream, “Stop this guy. He just raped this girl,” and immediately gave chase. Along with another community member on an electric scooter, Santiegue cornered Johnson in nearby backyards until Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies arrived approximately three minutes later.
NBC 6 South Florida reports that Johnson initially denied the allegations but later confessed to the crime. He faces charges of sexual battery on a minor, kidnapping, and false imprisonment of a child under 13, and remains in custody without bond at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
Legal Implications and Capital Punishment Controversy
This case represents a significant test of Florida’s controversial 2023 law that expanded capital punishment to include sexual battery on children under 12. The Tampa Bay Times notes that Johnson faces a capital crime charge that could result in the death penalty, directly challenging U.S. Supreme Court precedent from Kennedy v. Louisiana (2008), which prohibited capital punishment for child rape cases that don’t result in death…