Jessica Fargen of the Boston Herald reported that former New England Patriot and Walpole football coach and athletic director who has been charged with rape of a child has had his bail reduced from $100,000 to $7,500 by a Norfolk County Superior Court judge. Last week Daniel Villa was charged with raping a 15 year old student. He resigned as teacher, football coach and athletic director. Prosecutors allege that Villa once coached the 15 year old student athlete and that romantic involvement commenced in October. The relationship ended in December when the girl’s father found text messages between Villa and his daughter. Apparently Villa texted the student over 500 times in a one month period. If Villa is able to post bail he will be required to wear a GPS monitoring device. Once released Villa cannot have contact with the alleged victim or her family, or contact with anyone younger than 16, except his own children, and no contact with Walpole schools.
The day that Villa was arraigned in the Wrentham District Court on these charges his wife Joanne filed for divorce. The couple have been married for 18 years and have 4 children. Joanne Villa is seeking possession of the home, custody of the children and to resume her maiden name.
Danny Villa played 12 seasons in the NFL. His first 5 were spent with the New England Patriots, then he played for the Phoenix Cardinals. He played the 4 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs followed by another year in New England. He finished his career in 1998 with the Carolina Panthers. Villa played in 157 professional football games.
Villa has probably been charged with rape of a child in violation of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265 Section 23. That law states that anyone who has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse, and abuses a child under 16 years of age, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years or, or any term in a jail or house of correction. These types of cases cannot be continued without a finding. This crime is also known as statutory rape. Consent is not a defense to these charges. To convict someone of these charges the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant engaged in sexual intercourse or unnatural intercourse with someone under the age of 16. In Massachusetts the law states that once a person reaches the age of 16 he or she can consent to having sexual relations. Unnatural sexual intercourse is defined in Massachusetts as including oral and anal intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, and other intrusions of a part of a person’s body or other object into the genital or anal opening of another person’s body.
Crimes such as this are very difficult to defend due to the fact that consent is not a defense. The absence of a sexual act is a defense and one that is most frequently asserted when these cases go to trial. However, corroborating evidence in the form of admissions through text messages or clothing with traces of semen or DNA make acquittals more unlikely. Typically defendants in Villa’s situation plead guilty and hope that the judge who imposes sentence acts reasonably and/or that the district attorney’s office makes a reasonable recommendation for disposition. <!– This following tag is for the wrapper –>
Attorney Stephen Neyman defends child rape cases and has done so throughout his career. We recommend that if you are charged with the crime of rape of a child in Massachusetts you call a Norfolk County Massachusetts Sex Crimes Defense Lawyer immediately. The defense of your sex crimes case should begin right now. Do not wait. Contact Boston, Massachusetts Criminal Defense Law Firm now.