A 54-year-old man was sentenced to six to nine years in prison for raping and assaulting a disabled 20-year-old woman a decade ago, Bristol County prosecutors said.
Fernando Rodriguez, of Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty to charges of rape and indecent assault and battery on a person with an intellectual disability, Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn said in a statement.
Rodriguez met the woman and her family while they were living in Puerto Rico. He abused the woman’s mother and her siblings, both physically and sexually, according to a statement from Quinn’s office.
In March of 2014, Rodriguez and the family moved to Somerset, then in October moved to Fall River. The assault happened on July 9, 2015 when Rodriguez walked into the woman’s bedroom and demanded she remove her clothes. At the time, the 20-year-old woman suffered from both physical and cognitive disabilites, prosecutors said.
The woman stayed home when her mother and siblings went grocery shopping, as walking long distances was difficult for her.
“The victim, being placed in fear because of the defendant’s demands, was then raped and indecently assaulted,” the statement reads.
Later that night, police were called to the home for a domestic assault against the woman’s mother. The next day, the family went to court to obtain restraining orders against Rodriguez, according to the statement
In an affidavit attached to the restraining order, the woman disclosed that Rodriguez had abused her beginning when they lived in Puerto Rico. While Rodriguez went to the restraining order hearing, he later fled the area, spending eight years on the run, according to the statement.
Rodriguez was found in Washington, D.C. in 2023, when he was arrested and brought back to Massachusetts.
“The defendant … terrorized the victim and her family, who were very pleased that the defendant was finally held accountable for the abuse he inflicted on the victim,” Quinn said in the statement. “I commend her courage and perseverance.”
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