Providence man found guilty of first-degree sexual assault
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was found guilty in Kent County Superior Court of committing multiple counts of sexual assault against a female victim in 2021.
On April 21, 2023, following the conclusion of a four-day trial before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, a jury found Hector Ramirez (age 38) guilty of three counts of first-degree sexual assault.
The defendant is currently being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending a sentencing hearing to be scheduled at a later date.
“Sexual assault is chronically underreported for many reasons, and so each time we bring a perpetrator of sexual violence to justice, I hope it helps other victims remember that they are not alone,” said Attorney General Neronha. “This defendant’s guilty verdict sends a clear message that offenders of sexual violence will be held accountable for the enormous trauma they inflict upon their victims. I am grateful to the Warwick Police Department for their outstanding work and partnership in this case and so many others.”
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on March 6, 2021, the defendant sexually assaulted a woman at the Motel 6 in Warwick. That night, a friend of the victim invited her to a house party in Providence. Following the party, the victim’s next memory was waking up in an unknown-to-her location while being sexually assaulted. Later that day, the victim reported the sexual assault to Women and Infant’s Hospital.
An investigation by Warwick Police matched DNA results from the victim’s sexual assault exam with the defendant. The defendant was subsequently arrested by the Warwick Police Department.
“Sexual assault cases are some of the most difficult cases we investigate,” said Bradford E. Connor, Colonel of the Warwick Police Department. “While there is no justice that can undo the pain caused to this victim, I commend her bravery throughout this process and thank Detective McGaffigan and our partners at the RI Attorney General’s Office for their investigation and prosecution of this case.”
Assistant Attorney General Alison DeCosta of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Patrick McGaffigan of the Warwick Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
