Pittsfield — A Berkshire County jury on Wednesday (April 19) found Omar Enriquez of Pittsfield guilty of rape and abuse of a child aggravated by an age difference.
In a retrial that started Friday, the jury in Berkshire Superior Court found Enriquez, 43, guilty of three counts of rape and abuse of a child aggravated by an age difference. The jury announced its decision after nearly two hours of deliberations. Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford is expected to impose sentencing at 9 a.m. Thursday.
The first incident of rape in the case occurred four years ago, when the victim was 14 years old and the defendant was 38. The jury on Wednesday also found Enriquez guilty of raping the same victim between May 17, 2015, and Nov. 9, 2016, when she was 15. A Berkshire County jury that heard that case in July of 2018 was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the rape charges, and the judge declared a mistrial. The jury in that trial did find Enriquez guilty of disseminating sexual images and messages to the victim. Judge John Agostini sentenced Enriquez to 2 ½ years in the Berkshire House of Correction.
At the retrial, prosecutors said that Enriquez started sexually assaulting the victim when she was a minor. Pittsfield Police arrested Enriquez after the victim’s mother reported finding an inappropriate image that Enriquez emailed her daughter.
“This just verdict is the result of a young woman who bravely shared her story with the jury, and the great investigative work of the Pittsfield Police Department,” District Attorney Andrea Harrington said. “Last week, we in the DA’s Office announced the formation of a Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force and implemented new policies in the office designed to support victims and hold sexual predators accountable. This retrial demonstrates our office’s commitment to aggressively prosecuting sex crimes, and in appropriate instances, reviewing and prosecuting old cases. Victims of sexual assault in Berkshire County deserve justice.”
Lead prosecutor in the case was Assistant District Attorney Andrew P. Giarolo. Enriquez faces a minimum of 10 years in state prison at sentencing.
