Former school assistant at Bristol County school facing rape charges involving students acquitted in Fall River court on most charges, sentenced to prison

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, III has announced the conviction and sentencing of 34-year-old Matther Parris for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student while working as a para-professional at Southeastern Regional High School in Easton in 2020. 

The defendant was convicted on August 1, 2025, after a jury trial before the Honorable Susan Sullivan on two counts of Indecent Assault and Battery on a Person over the Age of 14, which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in the State Prison.  The defendant was acquitted of Rape charges against the victim, a second student. Charges were originally issued in Bristol and Plymouth Counties.  The cases were consolidated and tried together in the Fall River Superior Court. 

The defendant was sentenced on August 11, 2025, by the Honorable Susan Sullivan in the Fall River Superior Court and will serve 2 1/2 years in the House of Correction followed by 3 years of Supervised probation.  The defendant is required to register as a sex offender, wear a GPS bracelet, is prohibited from employment that would put him in routine contact with minors under 16, and can have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.   The Commonwealth recommended a State Prison Sentence of 2 to 4 years followed by probation.

In March of 2020, the victim, a 15-year-old female student at Southeastern Regional High School in Easton reported that she had been previously sexually assaulted by the defendant, who was a 29-year-old para-professional in her shop class.  The victim reported that in February 2020 the defendant began messaging her on Instagram indicating she was attractive and started making sexual comments.  The defendant also provided instructions to the victim, to delete all messages.  During the February 2020 school vacation, the defendant arranged to meet the victim at a cemetery in East Bridgewater.  The defendant and victim met and went to the back of the cemetery.  Once in that remote location the defendant indecently touched the victim without her consent.  During this encounter, the victim connected via a video call with a friend, who was able to observe the victim and defendant together.

“This defendant took advantage of his position of authority as a para-professional to sexually assault the victim, who was a student in one of his classes. The defendant deserves to serve time and register as a sex offender.  I support proposed legislation that would increase penalties for anyone in a position of trust who supervises a child and indecently assaults them.  The legislation would also make it a crime if one in a position of trust with a child engages in sexual intercourse when the child is 16 or 17 years old.  Consent would no longer be a defense.  These statutory changes are necessary to hold those individuals accountable who sexually assault children they have supervision of ,” District Attorney Tom Quinn said.