Ocean State Today

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was found guilty in Kent County Superior Court of sexually assaulting a female victim in Warwick in 2021.

On July 13, 2023, following the conclusion of a four-day trial before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, a jury found Francisco Vasquez (age 37) guilty of one count 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. At a separate trial in April 2023, a jury convicted a co-defendant, Hector Ramirez, of first-degree sexual assault stemming from the same incident.

“Sexual assault causes a great deal of physical and emotional trauma for victims, and we know it is chronically underreported for this reason and many others,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Each time we bring a perpetrator of sexual violence to justice, I hope it helps other victims remember that justice is possible. I also hope that the victim in this case, who bravely testified in two trials, can now find some peace. I’m 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, along with a co-defendant, sexually assaulted a female victim at a Motel 6 in Warwick. That night, the defendant invited a friend, the victim, 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. 

“While nothing can undo the pain caused to this victim, I commend her bravery throughout this process,” said Warwick Police Chief Bradford E. Connor. “Justice was served in this case, and I thank Detective McGaffigan and our partners at the RI Attorney General’s Office for their investigation and prosecutorial work.”

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.

Original source can be found here.