On Wednesday, May 15th, Douglas Agyeh (Pittsfield: 10/11/79) pleaded guilty to 23 charges. Agyeh pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court in front of Honorable Judge Flannery. The Defendant pleaded guilty to:
- 5 counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Person Over 14
- 9 counts of Rape of a Child with Force
- 9 counts of Rape of a Child, Aggravated by Age
The Defendant was sentenced to 10 to 12 years for the charges of rape and 3 to 5 years concurrent for the charges of indecent assault and battery. The Defendant will serve his sentence in State Prison.
In 2021 Agyeh was employed at a residential school for youth. Over a period of several weeks Agyeh was responsible for monitoring a student’s safety as they (singular) slept. During this time, he raped the student. In a separate incident, Agyeh was also found guilty of sexually assaulting a student under the guise of helping the student fold their (singular) laundry.
The Defendant was originally set to stand trial on January 30, 2023 but fled to Canada in attempt to avoid justice. The Defendant was arrested as he entered Canda. The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office worked closely with the United States Department of Justice and Canadian authorities to successfully extradite the Defendant back to Massachusetts. Authorities allege the Defendant was traveling to Canda in an attempt to return to Ghana, Agyeh’s native country.
District Attorney Shugrue commented, “Predators like Douglas Agyeh rely on silence of their victims. I commend the victims for breaking the silence and their bravery throughout this process. I also want to thank the untied law enforcement response, as well as the full cooperation of the residential school, which played a critical role in bringing justice in this horrific case.”
The Great Barrington Police Department served as the lead law enforcement agency in the case. The Department of Justice and Canadian law enforcement agencies assisted the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, including the State Police Detective Unit, in the extradition of the Defendant.
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Kristen Rapkowicz served as a victim witness advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office. Berkshire County Kids’ Place and Violence Prevention Center played a central role in the investigation. Emily Zoltan was the Multidisciplinary Team Leader in coordinating the law enforcement response.