On Wednesday, July 23rd, David Gonzalez (10/15/55: Staten Island, NY) was sentenced on two charges related to the assault of a child. The Defendant was found guilty of both charges by a jury of his peers in Berkshire Superior Court. The incident occurred in July 2017 while the Defendant was in the Berkshires.
The Defendant was found guilty of Rape of a Child with Force and subsequently sentenced to 18-to-20 years in State Prison. He was also found guilty of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Child Under 14 and sentenced to 9-to-10 years in State Prison (to be served concurrently with the first charge). The victim and her family read powerful victim impact statements at the sentencing.
The Commonwealth requested the Defendant be sentenced to 18-to-20 years in State Prison for the rape charge. Defense counsel requested a total sentence of 10 years for both charges. The Judge granted the 18-to-20-year sentence with the additional 9-to-10-year sentence for the Indecent Assault and Battery.
District Attorney Shugrue stated, “Children are among our most vulnerable population. They deserve to be valued and protected by ALL members of society. This victim and her immediate family had their lives permanently altered by the heinous, violent act at the hands of a pedophile. I commend the victim for her bravery in perseverance in the face of this terrible act and her immediate family for the support they provided.”
He continued, “My Office requested this high sentence, of which the judge concurred with, due to the despicable nature of David Gonzalez’s acts and the lasting impacts his crime had on a young child. This is the second lengthy sentence in a short period of time that my office has requested and successfully been granted in relation to a child abuse case.”
District Attorney Shugrue concluded, “Abuse of any nature effects victims for the remainder of their days. Abuse on children impacts them for essentially the entirety of their lives. Those who harm children deserve to be held accountable to the greatest extent possible.”
Chief of the Child Abuse Unit, Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Kristen Rapkowicz served as the Victim Witness Advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.