Articles Posted in Sex Crimes

A third victim in just one week has come forward to identify Peter Pearson as her assailant in a rape case dating back to 2005.  The facts follow a pattern similar to what has been alleged in the first two incidents.  Pearson pretended he was a police officer, solicited a prostitute, kidnapped her and forced her to perform oral sex acts on him.  On at least two occasions women have alleged that Pearson brandished a firearm.  Pearson flashed a badge and a large police flashlight during one of these incidents.  He told the victims that he was an undercover state trooper.  Pearson was arraigned on an initial set of charges last Tuesday and a second set yesterday.  Some of the crimes are said to have taken place as far back as five years.  Brockton police have stated that no less than ten other women have made similar accusations against Pearson.  All of the victims in these cases have worked as prostitutes in the past.  The first victim said the rape occurred in July.  The second said it happened sometime in 2003.  The third dates the acts back to 2005.  The second and third accusers came forward after seeing Pearson’s picture in the news. 

Pearson is being held without bail pending a hearing on dangerousness scheduled for tomorrow.  Dangerousness hearings in Massachusetts were established by G.L. c. 276 sec. 58A.  By law, people are held in custody pending the hearing on dangerousness.  This statute requires that a hearing be held immediately.  The defense if it elects may continue the case for up to seven days.  Typically continuances for dangerousness hearings are requested by the defense when time is needed to round up witnesses and records that will support a request for release from custody.  The prosecution is permitted to request a continuance for up to three days.   A judge cannot release a defendant pending a dangerousness hearing if the prosecution demonstrates that there was probable to arrest the defendant. 

Read Boston Globe Article August 26, 2008

For the second time this week Boston Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pearson was arrested for allegedly raping and kidnapping a woman while impersonating a police officer.  On Monday Pearson was arrested by Brockton Police and charged with kidnapping, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, rape and impersonating a police officer.  According to the Brockton Enterprise Pearson posed as a state trooper and ordered a prostitute into his car.  He drove her to a park and forced her to have oral sex with him.  It was also alleged that Pearson stalked the prostitute for weeks prior to committing these acts.  These allegations initially surfaced when a woman being held on suspicion of prostitution told police that she had been raped by a state trooper weeks earlier.  The victim later saw the car and was able to identify Pearson as her attacker.  He was arraigned in the Brockton District Court and released on fifty thousand dollars cash bail. 

Just yesterday, Pearson was arrested at his home in Bridgewater after another woman came forward and claimed that he committed the same crimes in Bristol County.  He is facing charges in Bristol County for aggravated rape, kidnapping for sexual intercourse, impersonating a police officer and assault with a dangerous weapon.  If convicted Pearson faces a possible sentence of life in prison. 

Pearson was arrested in 1996 for soliciting a prostitute and his case was continued without a finding in the Brockton District Court. 

A thirty one year old Billerica man pled guilty in the Lowell Superior Court to two counts of statutory rape of a fifteen year old girl.  According to the Lowell Sun, the two met through a chat room on the internet.  In October 2006 the two met for the first time near the girl’s home in Billerica.  The defendant would pick the girl up from her bus stop and drive her home.  Eventually the defendant brought the girl to his parents home where they had consensual sexual relations.  For the next nine months the relationship continued.  In June 2007 the two went to Salisbury beach for the day.  When the girl returned home her mother questioned her about her sunburn.  She admitted going to the beach with an older man.  The next day the girl’s mother got the defendant’s license plate and contacted the police.  The defendant was charged with two counts of statutory rape.

There are two forms of rape of a child in Massachusetts.  One is the rape of a child with force and the other is rape of a child without force, more commonly known as statutory rape.  In this case the defendant was convicted of statutory rape.  Massachusetts law specifically states that if the person is under the age of sixteen, the fact that he or she consents to the act or willingly enters into the act does not constitute a defense.  Thus, even though the defendant in this case was involved in a relationship with the fifteen year old girl for nine months and the sex acts were entered into voluntarily he was still guilty of a felony.  He will also have to register as a sex offender with the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB). 

It is important to note that even a good faith belief that the person with whom you are having sex is sixteen or older is not a defense to this crime.  Even if you tried to ascertain the person’s age and were convinced that the person was at least sixteen years old you can be convicted of this crime if it is proven that he or she had not yet attained that age. 

A grand jury sitting in Middlesex County returned indictments against a fifty-seven year old Everett man charging him with three counts of rape of a child and four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of fourteen.  If convicted the man faces a possible sentence of life in prison. 

The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office press release stated that 57 year old Robert Shea raped and assaulted a young boy at his residence in Everett as well as in the High School building.  These acts occurred in 2007 over a period of several months.  The victim made his complaint in April of 2008.  Bail was set at fifteen thousand dollars.

For full story read Middlesex County District Attorney Press Release

In Commonwealth v. Parreira, slip opinion August 4, 2008 the Massachusetts Appeals Court clarified joint venture and its application to sex crimes.  In Parreira, the defendant and another met up with two fifteen year old girls and agreed to get together the next day.  The girls wanted the older boys to buy them alcohol so that they could get drunk on Halloween.  The girls achieved their objective and after consuming some drinks ended up in a vacant apartment with the defendants.  One of the girls had been to the apartment before to attend parties. 

Eventually the two girls ended up in separate rooms in the apartment.  One ened up with the defendant and another with his friend.  One of the girls testified that the defendant penetrated her without consent after which he went into the other room where his friend was purportedly violating the other girl.  When he entered that room the girl got up and got dressed and rejoined her friend.  A jury convicted the defendant of being a joint venturer with his friend as to the lesser included offense of statutory rape of the other girl. 

To be convicted of being a joint venturer in Massachusetts the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was present at the scene with the knowledge that another intended to commit a crime or with the intent to commit a crime and that by agreement was available and willing to assist the other if necessary.  As to sex crimes, there is a requirement that to be found guilty as a joint venturer there must be a common victim.  The defendant must also be present at the crime scene and either provide assistance or facilitate the crime for another.  Examples of this are driving the victim to her attacker and guarding the door while the act is being committed.