An 8-year-old girl’s report of repeated sexual abuse inside her own family’s Orlando apartment has led to the arrest of a 21-year-old roommate, according to law-enforcement paperwork.
Detectives launched an emergency search and opened a criminal investigation after the child came forward, records show. Investigators executed an emergency search warrant at the apartment on July 4 and arrested 21-year-old Widson Felix, who now faces two counts of capital sexual battery and two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, according to the Orlando Sentinel and the arrest report.
The child told officers that Felix "called her to his room multiple times" and that on earlier occasions he lay on top of her, took off her clothes and touched her breasts and buttocks, according to the arrest paperwork. She described "weird" sexual acts that left her feeling "sad, mad and frustrated." A younger sister backed up parts of the account, telling police she saw the victim undress and saw Felix close his bedroom door with the girl inside, the Orlando Sentinel reported, citing the documents.
During the search, investigators recovered Felix’s Haitian passport along with photographic evidence, the arrest records state. Police say the investigation began shortly after midnight on July 4. Felix was booked into the Orange County jail and is being held without bond, according to public inmate records, which list his current status in the county’s inmate database.
Charges and legal penalties
Felix is charged with two counts of capital sexual battery and two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation, and the arrest paperwork notes he could face the death penalty if he is convicted. Under Florida law, sexual battery of a child younger than 12 by a person 18 or older is a capital felony, and Chapter 921 establishes separate sentencing proceedings that can lead to death or life imprisonment, per state statute.
Court rulings and appellate decisions have at times limited or questioned how the death penalty is applied in non-homicide sexual cases, so any eventual sentence in a case like this would be subject to extensive review and potential appeals.
What’s next
Prosecutors in the Fifth Judicial Circuit will review the investigation and determine how to move forward on formal charges, with the current counts listed in the arrest report. Police have asked anyone with information that could be relevant to contact investigators. The child’s identity will remain confidential under state rules that protect victims.
