Former Attleboro resident William Machado, 35, has been sentenced in Fall River to 35 to 40 years in state prison after a jury found him guilty of a series of sex crimes involving a child. Fall River Superior Court Judge Michael Cahillan handed down the sentence on Wednesday, ordering that it be followed by ten years of supervised probation. Prosecutors said the assaults took place in 2022 while Machado was living in the family’s home.
At trial, prosecutors laid out a deeply disturbing narrative: the child was discovered sleeping with an adult-size surgical mask resting on their chest, soaked with a liquid that smelled like nail polish remover. Investigators went on to interview the child in August and September 2022. Earlier that year, in January, the victim’s mother walked in to find Machado alone in the child’s room, adjusting his clothing. Prosecutors said Machado later grabbed the nail polish remover and his belongings and left the home. Authorities also alleged that he exposed himself to the child, performed oral sex, and used an object to penetrate the child, according to the Boston Herald.
Legal context
The jury convicted Machado on multiple counts, including two counts of aggravated rape of a child by a five-year age difference, two counts of rape by force, assault with intent to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 16, and open and gross lewdness. Under Massachusetts law, convictions for rape and aggravated rape can lead to life sentences or lengthy fixed terms, and certain provisions restrict eligibility for early release; see Section 22 of Chapter 265 for the statute.
Judge Cahillan imposed the 35-to-40-year state prison term and the additional decade of supervised probation, an outcome announced by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn in a statement, according to the Boston Herald. Prosecutors said Machado moved to Massachusetts in 2021 and was 35 at the time of sentencing.
What happens next
Machado will begin serving his state prison sentence and will be subject to ten years of supervised probation upon release. His defense team may pursue post-trial motions or an appeal, and any such efforts will appear in the public court record.
