logo
Western Mass. man sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison for raping 3-year-old

Western Mass. man sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison for raping 3-year-old

Yahooa day ago

A North Adams man found guilty of raping a 3-year-old child was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue's office said.
Austin Miller-Robinson, 29, was found guilty on June 4 of aggravated rape of a child with force and rape and abuse of a child aggravated by age difference.
'This is an important victory for the children and citizens of Berkshire County,' Shugrue said in a statement from his office. 'I will always advocate for the strongest possible penalties under the law for anyone who harms our children.'
Shugrue had previously requested the maximum sentence, according to a statement from his office.
'While the sentence is less than my request, and the criminal penalties are to be served concurrently, the 18-to-20-year sentence is substantial,' Shugrue said in the statement. 'Today is a good day for the children in the Berkshires.'
When he was 23, Miller-Robinson assaulted the child on July 4, 2019, Shugrue's office said previously.
River Valley Co-op Strawberry Ice Cream Social to aid Center for New Americans
'I killed two people': Witness reports abrupt confession from woman who crashed into trooper, causing serious injuries
A Juneteenth tribute to Afro-Caribbean traditions in art, dance in Holyoke; plus an events listing
UMass, MIT team tune up WMass bridge with new 3D-printing tech
Read the original article on MassLive.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Owner of Dominican nightclub whose roof collapsed and killed 236 people arrested
Owner of Dominican nightclub whose roof collapsed and killed 236 people arrested

CBS News

time3 hours ago

  • CBS News

Owner of Dominican nightclub whose roof collapsed and killed 236 people arrested

The owner of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, whose roof collapsed in April and killed 236 people, was arrested Thursday along with his sister. Antonio Espaillat and Maribel Espaillat have not been charged in the case, although authorities have 48 hours to present any charges before a judge. "Both defendants displayed immense irresponsibility and negligence by failing to physically intervene to prevent the club's roof from collapsing, as it ultimately did, causing 236 deaths and more than 180 injuries," the Dominican Republic's Attorney General's Office said in a statement. Prosecutors accused the Espaillats of trying to intimidate or manipulate company employees, adding that they could serve as witnesses in the case. An attorney for the Espaillats could not be immediately reached for comment. The Espaillats were arrested after being interrogated for several hours. A government-appointed committee that includes international experts is still investigating what caused the roof to collapse. In an interview in late April, Espaillat said his family has operated the building for about 30 years. Since then, he said no engineer, architect or state authority had ever conducted a structural review of the structure, but alleged that firefighters and city officials did inspect for basic safety and licensing issues. Espaillat said it is not commonplace for businesses in the area to undergo structural inspections. Crews worked for 53 hours nonstop after arriving on the scene in Santo Domingo shortly after midnight on April 8, rescuing 189 survivors. Following the collapse, the club said the tragedy "has deeply struck the hearts of all of us who are part of Jet Set and all Dominicans. The victims included beloved singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof caved in, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz. Also killed was former MLB pitcher Octavio Dotel, who was pulled from the debris but died at a hospital, and Dominican baseball player Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera. Other victims include a retired U.N. official, New York-based fashion designer Martín Polanco, an Army captain who left behind four young girls, and three employees at Grupo Popular, a financial services company, including the president of AFP Popular Bank and his wife. The club, which had operated for nearly five decades, was known for its Monday night merengue parties that attracted international celebrities and high-profile Dominicans.

Owner of Dominican Republic nightclub whose roof collapsed is arrested along with his sister
Owner of Dominican Republic nightclub whose roof collapsed is arrested along with his sister

Associated Press

time4 hours ago

  • Associated Press

Owner of Dominican Republic nightclub whose roof collapsed is arrested along with his sister

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The owner of an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic whose roof collapsed in April and killed 235 people was arrested along with his sister on Thursday. Antonio Espaillat y Maribel Espaillat have not been charged in the case, although authorities have 48 hours to present any charges before a judge. An attorney for them could not be immediately reached for comment. An investigation into why the roof collapsed is ongoing. Crews worked for 53 hours nonstop after arriving on the scene in Santo Domingo shortly after midnight on April 8, rescuing 189 survivors. The victims included beloved singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof caved in, and Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Montecristi province and sister of seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star Nelson Cruz.

Woman accused of being a witch in Brazil can seek asylum in U.S., court rules
Woman accused of being a witch in Brazil can seek asylum in U.S., court rules

San Francisco Chronicle​

timea day ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Woman accused of being a witch in Brazil can seek asylum in U.S., court rules

A woman who fled Brazil to California with her husband and child after attacks on her minority religion, including an incident in which she said a man held a gun to her head, has a right to seek asylum in the United States, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. U.S. immigration courts had ruled that the threats Silvana De Souza Silva encountered in Brazil amounted to no more than 'discrimination' against her Afro-Brazilian faith, Candomblé, and not to persecution, the legal requirement for political asylum and protection from deportation. But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said she had presented evidence that she and her family could face death if they are sent back to Brazil. There is 'ample' evidence 'that the harms and abuses De Souza Silva faced, including harassment, recurring and escalating vandalism, and an armed death threat during a home invasion, caused her to practice Candomblé underground and eventually flee,' the court said in a 3-0 ruling. The evidence also shows that attacks against adherents to the minority faith were common in Brazil, the court said. The court ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider the case, including evidence of attacks on Candomblé practitioners that the immigration judges had disregarded. The ruling was written by Judge Richard Paez, appointed by President Bill Clinton, and joined by Judges Kim Wardlaw, another Clinton appointee, and Carlos Bea, appointed by President George W. Bush. The court's action 'gives hope to all immigrants who have to face hardships, (particularly) in regards to their religion,' said the woman's lawyer, Jose Vergara. The woman declined comment to the Chronicle but said through De Souza Silva that she was happy with the ruling, 'but I still understand that there is a long way to go' before winning asylum. De Souza Silva, 39, lives in Tracy (San Joaquin County) with her husband and their 9-year-old child. Two older children remain in Brazil with De Souza Silva's mother. De Souza Silva began practicing Candomblé as a young teenager, in secrecy from her parents, who were devout Catholics, the court said. According to NPR, the religion originated in West Africa and was brought to Brazil by slaves. Followers of the religion believe in one all-powerful god who is served by lesser deities. The concept of good or evil does not exist, only individual destiny, NPR said. De Souza Silva moved away from home after meeting her future husband and a woman named Simone, both of whom also practiced Candomblé. Then in 2010 several people broke into Simone's home, murdered her father and called everyone there 'witches' and 'sorcerers' who were not welcome in the neighborhood, the court said. De Souza Silva, who lived nearby, soon started seeing graffiti on the walls of her home, saying things like 'this is not the place for you.' She and her husband had difficulty finding work, and their children were harassed at school, the court said. In September 2021, the court said, her husband got a call offering him a job that turned out to be a ruse to get him out of the home. A masked man then broke in, held a gun to her head, and told her, 'Witch, leave this town with your black magic family. This is just a warning. … Next time you won't live to see another day.' After reaching California with her husband and child, De Souza Silva applied for asylum but was rejected by an immigration judge. According to the appeals court, the judge said she had not suffered any lasting physical harm from the death threat, and her claim that her religion had cost her employment opportunities was just 'speculation.' The judge also said she and her family hadn't shown that they would be unable to relocate safely elsewhere in Brazil. The ruling was endorsed by the Board of Immigration Appeals. But the federal appeals court, which hears challenges to rulings by immigration judges, said the judges in De Souza Silva's case had ignored evidence of religious persecution in South America's largest nation. 'As evangelicalism grows in Brazil, its most extreme adherents — often affiliated with gangs — are increasingly targeting Brazil's non-Christian religious minorities,' Paez said in Wednesday's ruling. He said reports of religious-based violence against Afro-Brazilian practitioners increased nearly tenfold between 2016 and 2019. In 2019, Paez said, more than 200 Candomblé temples shut down after receiving threats, twice as many as in 2018. And because the evidence could show that De Souza and her family would face a likelihood of persecution if deported, Paez said, it would be up to the U.S. government to prove that they would be safe elsewhere in Brazil.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store