Boston Man Found Guilty of Being A Habitual Offender After Rape Case

WOBURN– A Boston man was convicted of rape as a being a habitual offender and sentenced to 20 years in prison, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced today.

Howard Thompson, 56, of Boston, was found guilty of rape following a jury trial in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn.   Based upon the defendant’s criminal history he was subsequently tried on the charge of being a habitual offender.  On September 25, 2013, following a bench trial, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Bruce Henry found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in state prison.

“This defendant violently assaulted his same sex partner and he has now been held accountable and sentenced to a lengthy prison term,” said District Attorney Ryan.    “We will continue to work with our domestic violence service partners, including those in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, to prosecute all cases of domestic violence.”

The defendant and the victim were in a same sex marriage, during which the defendant repeatedly and violently assaulted the victim between September and December 2007.  He raped the victim on December 16, 2007 and threatened to kill him if the victim told police.  The victim went to the hospital and then contacted Cambridge Police, who launched an investigation.

This was a second trial for the defendant who had been indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on March 13, 2008.  He was first convicted by a jury on April 17, 2009 of rape, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, and assault and battery.  Upon appeal, the Appeals Court ruled that new jury instructions were warranted regarding the rape charge and that the defendant was therefore entitled to a new trial.   The conviction on the other charges was upheld.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Suzanne Kontz and Daniel Harren.  The Victim Witness Advocate was Kristen D’Agnelli.