A 22-year-old Kingston man was found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of indecent assault and battery following a three-day trial in Plymouth Superior Court, capping a case that traced back to a house party more than three years ago. Jason M. Webb was acquitted on two additional counts of indecent assault and battery after jurors deliberated for eight and a half hours.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz announced the verdict, according to 1420 WBSM. The case dates back to August 26, 2023, when Plymouth Police were notified by South Shore Hospital that a female patient had come to the hospital and reported a sexual assault, per the outlet's report.
Plymouth Police and Kingston Police subsequently determined that the victim had been raped at a house party at Webb's home in Kingston during the early morning hours of that same day, the station notes. More than three years passed between that initial report and this week's verdict, which followed the three-day trial in Plymouth Superior Court.
Prosecutors Sought Bail Revocation and GPS Monitoring
After the verdict came down, the Commonwealth asked the court to revoke Webb's bail and to order him to stay away from and have no contact with the victim, the same account states. Prosecutors also requested that Webb be required to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet while awaiting sentencing.
Judge Ira L. Gant did not grant those requests and instead released Webb on personal recognizance until his sentencing, which is scheduled for November 17. The outlet's report does not indicate what conditions, if any, will apply to Webb between now and that date.
Potential Sentence Tied to State Rape Statute
Webb faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each of the two rape convictions, and up to five years on the indecent assault and battery conviction, the report states. Massachusetts law governing rape, under Chapter 265, Section 22 of the Massachusetts General Laws, provides for life imprisonment or any term of years for a second or subsequent qualifying offense. A 15-year minimum applies when a second or subsequent offense is committed while armed with a firearm. A person serving a sentence for a second or subsequent offense under the statute is ineligible for furlough or temporary release until serving two-thirds of the minimum sentence; multiple consecutive sentences are subject to a separate calculation. The statute contains enhanced provisions for repeat offenses.
The verdict closes out the trial phase of a case that began with a hospital report in the late summer of 2023, though the sentencing hearing next month will determine how much time, if any, Webb ultimately serves.
