Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog
In Massachusetts, Robert J. Shea, a basketball coach and custodian at Everett Middle School has been charged with two counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery involving a 12-year-old boy. He has pled not guilty to the charges.
Shea’s arrest on April 6 and the subsequent charges announced on April 7 came a few days after the boy’s mother reported him to police. Prosecutors claim that Shea sexually abused the boy for six months and the abuse incidents occurred in the 57-year-old’s house and at Everett High School.
Shea, an Everett School Department employee for 25 years and a junior varsity basketball coach for 14 years, has expressed shock at the charges. His Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer says that Shea only acted as the boy’s friend and older brother and that this is the first allegation against him after working around children for years.
Everett schools superintendent Frederick F. Foresteire says that this is not the first time that Shea has been investigated. He was investigated by the Everett Police Department in 2005 and the Department of Social Services in 2003. Both cases were closed without findings. Shea has been suspended from his job until the Everett sex crimes case is resolved.
Child rape is considered a very serious offense. The issue of child rape has been in the news headlines lately. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether a child rape conviction should lead to the death penalty. The case was brought to the Supreme Court by Patrick Kennedy, a Louisiana man that was sentenced to death after being convicted of raping the 8-year-old daughter of his girlfriend. He is appealing his sentence.
US high court mulls death for child rape, AP, April 17, 2008
Everett schools employee accused of sexually assaulting boy, Boston Globe, April 8, 2008
Related Web Resources:
Sexual Assault and Rape, Norfolk District Attorney’s Office
Rape a child, pay with your life, Louisiana argues, CNN.com, April 15, 2008
In Massachusetts, a conviction for forcible rape of a child can lead to a lifetime prison sentence. If you have been arrested for sexual assault of a child or an adult, you should contact our Boston sex crimes law firm right away.
Contact the Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm of Altman & Altman LLP today.
