A Springfield man will spend the next 18 to 20 years in state prison after a Hampden Superior Court jury convicted him of raping a child who was 12 years old at the time. Ismael Freytes-Rodriguez, 39, was sentenced on October 13, following his October 7 conviction on six counts stemming from a series of rapes that took place in Springfield in April 2023.
According to the Hampden District Attorney's Office, the jury found Freytes-Rodriguez guilty on three counts of aggravated rape and abuse of a child and three counts of rape of a child with force. The aggravated counts were elevated because of the age gap between Freytes-Rodriguez and the victim, who was 12 when the assaults occurred. The victim is now 16 and was present in the courtroom for the sentencing.
Victim Impact Statement Read Aloud in Court
Assistant District Attorney Carrie Kenniston read a victim impact statement on the victim's behalf during the sentencing hearing, the district attorney's office said. Kenniston and Victim Witness Advocate Bianca Santaniello represented the Commonwealth throughout the case. Prosecutors had pushed for a stiffer term, asking the court to impose 20 to 25 years in state prison, while defense attorneys argued for a far shorter sentence of seven to 10 years followed by three years of probation.
The judge ultimately landed between those two requests, handing down the 18-to-20-year term. The conviction and sentence were also reported independently by WWLP, which confirmed the breakdown of three force-related counts and three aggravated counts, and by Western Mass News, which reported the same 18-to-20-year outcome following the jury's verdict.
District Attorney Points to Lasting Harm
Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said child victims suffer especially devastating harm from crimes like these, and that protecting children and holding offenders accountable is a responsibility his office takes extremely seriously. Gulluni also commended Kenniston for her commitment to the case and her broader work protecting vulnerable members of the community.
Under Massachusetts law, the charge of aggravated rape and abuse of a child, codified in Chapter 265, Section 23A, applies when an assault is aggravated by factors such as the age difference between the defendant and the victim or when the offense is committed by a mandated reporter. That statute underpins the three aggravated counts that made up half of Freytes-Rodriguez's convictions.
