A Florida man will spend the rest of his natural life behind bars following a jury’s decision in a Flagler County courtroom. Kristopher Henriqson, 48, was convicted Wednesday on 11 felony counts related to the sexual abuse of a juvenile family member.
The verdict follows an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Major Case Unit that began in early 2025.
After deliberating on the evidence presented during the trial, the jury found Henriqson guilty of two counts of sexual battery and four counts of lewd or lascivious molestation on a victim under the age of 12. He was also convicted of five additional charges involving a victim between the ages of 12 and 18, including sexual battery by a person in familial authority.
Immediately following the jury’s decision, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols sentenced Henriqson to multiple life terms in state prison.
READ: After 22 Years, Florida Jurors Demand Death For 2002 Trunk Murder
The judge added a consecutive 15-year sentence to the life terms, ensuring that the additional time would only be served if the life sentences were ever completed.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, whose office led the initial arrest in February 2025, expressed strong support for the heavy sentence.
“I said back when he was arrested this dirtbag deserved the death penalty, and I still believe that would have been a fitting penalty based on the horrifying abuse he committed, the innocence he stole from a child, and putting her through a trial,” Staly said.
The Sheriff credited the work of his detectives and the State Attorney’s Office for the 7th Judicial Circuit in securing the conviction.
“I commend the jury for seeing through his antics and making decisions based on the overwhelming facts of the case,” Staly added. “I also thank Judge Nichols for giving him the sentence he more than deserved and I commend this child for having the strength to come forward. May this perverted dirtbag rot in hell until he dies!”
Henriqson is currently held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He remains there in custody while he awaits formal transfer to the Florida Department of Corrections to begin serving his life sentences.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
