PALATKA, Fla. — A Putnam County jury needed only 30 minutes to convict an 82-year-old former teacher and school district official of sexually battering a child under 12, and he was immediately sentenced to mandatory life in prison.
Gilberto Del Castillo-Espana was found guilty of sexual battery on a person less than 12 years of age, according to the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit. The verdict came after a three-day trial.
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Del Castillo-Espana was arrested in 2024. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said the arrest “caused shockwaves” in South Putnam, where he was thought of as a “pillar” of the community.
He is a former teacher who served as the ESOL coordinator for the Putnam County School District from 2002 to 2015, a role that allowed him to work with sensitive populations, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the victim told detectives that Del Castillo-Espana threatened to kill the child’s parents if the child told them what was happening.
The child’s father told deputies he was initially hesitant to come forward because his family was in the country illegally. He said he noticed the child was acting differently and having nightmares after encounters with Del Castillo-Espana.
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Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach said Del Castillo-Espana targeted children of migrant worker families he was supposedly helping.
“This vile individual used his position of trust to silence victims through grooming, intimidation and bullying,” DeLoach said. “He was considered a beloved figure because he had manipulated communities to believe he was helping our migrant families. This bought silence, and I cannot imagine the ridicule the victim’s family endured because everyone trusted him. Now the truth has come to light, and Del Castillo-Espana will live out his twilight years in a cage.”
DeLoach also thanked prosecutors for their work on the case.
“I want to thank the State Attorney, Florida’s 7th Circuit and RJ Larizza’s staff for seeing this case to its final result in not only securing a guilty verdict but also ensuring Del Castillo Espana can never take away another child’s innocence,” he said.
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State Attorney R.J. Larizza said the consequences of abuse follow child survivors long after it ends.
“For the child survivors of rape - they live with the uniquely personal and profound consequences of the past abuse,” Larizza said. “I wish we could erase the trauma from their consciousness, but the best we can do is hold the perpetrators accountable. Please keep the survivors of sexual assault in your thoughts and prayers.”
Assistant State Attorneys Deborah Rothenberg and Andy Rippeon prosecuted the case for the state. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
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