A 51-year-old man was sentenced to 25 to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to 27 charges in connection with the rape and sexual abuse of three people over several years in what a judge called a “horrific” case.
Jose Oquendo, formerly of Athol, pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of aggravated rape of a child, seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, assault and battery and photographing a child in the nude, Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan’s office said in a statement.
Prosecutors from the district attorney’s office had asked Franklin Superior Court Judge David Hodge to impose a 25 to 30-year sentence for Oquendo. Isaac Maas, Oquendo’s attorney, sought a 15 to 20-year sentence.
Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Anne Yereniuk, who prosecuted the case, praised Oquendo’s accusers for coming forward.
“The victims are exemplars of resilience and heroism,” she said. “But for their bravery this defendant would never have been held accountable.”
Oquendo will also serve five years of probation after his prison sentence concludes with the conditions that he not have contact with the victims, undergo sexual offender treatment and register as a sex offender, according to the statement.
In a sentencing memo, Yereniuk said the probationary sentence “provides assurances for the victims’ safety, accountability for his whereabouts, and provides an avenue to prevent his recidivism and offending against other vulnerable individuals.” The sentence recommended by prosecutors would “hold the defendant accountable for the psychological devastation that he caused,” Yereniuk wrote in the memo.
“These facts are extraordinary, and therefore, merit an upward departure from the guidelines,” she added.
In setting down the sentence, Hodge said the “horrific nature” of Oquendo’s crimes warranted the punishment.
