Child rapist sentenced to 30 years in prison on multiple charges

A 49-year-old Raynham man who was convicted at trial for forcibly raping his step-daughter on numerous occasions between 2011 and 2016 was sentenced to serve no less than 30 years in state prison on Friday, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

According to Gregg Miliote of the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Felipe Gonzalez was convicted by a jury of his peers on the following charges: Nine counts of rape of a child—aggravated by age, six counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, one count of assault with intent to rape a child, one count of rape of a child by force, one count of intimidation of a witness and one count of assault and battery.

The crimes against the victim occurred between 2011 and 2013 in Avon, 2013 and early 2016 in North Attleboro and for the rest of 2016 in Raynham.

The defendant was arrested in August 2016 after the victim began telling distant relatives about the repeated sexual assaults she suffered at the hands of the defendants during her pre-teen years.

During a sentencing hearing held before Judge Sharon Donatelle, Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman and Matthew Friedel argued for a 30-40 years state prison term, while the defense requested a more lenient 10 to 12 year state prison sentence.

Judge Donatelle sentenced the defendant to serve 30 years to 30 years and three days in state prison, meaning he must serve the full 30 year state prison term. The judge also placed the defendant on supervised probation for three years, which would begin when the defendant is released from prison.

““This defendant preyed on the victim because of his relationship to her mother. The facts are particularly disturbing. The victim suffered through years of repeated sexual abuse,” District Attorney Quinn said. “Despite the trauma inflicted by the defendant, I hope she can move on from this ordeal. The defendant in this case deserves every bit of the sentence imposed by the court.”