A Palm Bay man has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually battering a female relative.

A Brevard County jury found RONNIE DAVIS, 48, guilty in February of one count of sexual battery on a child by a person in familial or custodial authority. At a hearing March 18, Circuit Judge Steve Henderson sentenced Davis to life and declared him a sexual predator.  

The case for Assistant State Attorneys Andrew Joy and Christine Babb hinged on sworn testimony by Davis’ victim.

“The victim was brave to testify and stand up to her abuser,” Joy said. “The jury found her testimony so powerful that they agreed the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The victim’s mother reported Davis to police in 2024 after discovering a text message on another relative’s phone that described an attempted rape by Davis.  In follow-up interviews by experts at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Rockledge, the teenage victim said Davis sexually battered her on multiple occasions in Palm Bay, Orlando and Cocoa. Davis denied the accusations and charges, prompting the trial.

Joy credited the victim advocates from the State Attorney’s Office for “doing an incredible job” of guiding the victim through the trial process and ensuring she felt safe to testify.