Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County announced that on April 6, 2017, visiting Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Erik H. Nyce sentenced Jaime Antonio Rivera, 27 of La Plata, to life plus 25 years in prison for first degree rape and child sexual abuse.
During the week of June 6, 2016, the victim, who was under 13 years of age, told friends at school that she was being sexually assaulted by Jaime Rivera. Her friends subsequently reported the allegation to a school counselor, who notified the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Social Services. The victim was immediately taken to Charles County Regional Medical Center for a forensic exam, where it was revealed that she suffered physical traumatic injuries consistent with sexual assault.
An investigation revealed that over a four year period, the defendant repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim, oftentimes by threatening to use or actually displaying a knife. The last sexual assault occurred a few days before she revealed the crimes to her friends.
Investigators recovered an article of the victims clothing. That clothing was submitted to the Maryland State Police Crime Lab for DNA analysis. That analysis revealed that there were body fluids found on the clothing and further analysis determined that the body fluids were that of the defendant.
At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney, Sarah Freeman told the judge that, “This particular case is extremely volatile and heinous; the victim has permanent physical and emotional scarring but her 8 year old sister also is permanently scarred, emotionally. Rape, should never happen let alone of an 11 year old, but to do so by waking up another child and having her move to the top bunk and subject her to the cries of the victim for the Defendant to stop, is unthinkable.“
Judge Nyce told Rivera during sentencing, “I presided over this case alongside Judge Greer. I do find that you are a sexually violent predator. Dr. Grant (the psychologist and forensic evaluator for Charles County) found that due to the heinous nature of this matter, you are at a higher risk for recidivism. The level of harm in this case was excessive. We are dealing with extreme mental and physical damage to a child who was in the comfort of her own home. I think about her vulnerability. Because of all of these factors, I believe it is appropriate to depart from the sentencing guidelines”.
Rivera has a separate case still pending in which he allegedly participated in a gang rape in 2010. That case is set for April 24, 2017.