Northfield man sentenced to two years in prison after rape conviction

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Staff Report

Published: 12-05-2023 5:13 PM

GREENFIELD — A Franklin County Superior Court judge sentenced Ethan Hatch, 20, of Northfield, on Tuesday to serve two years in state prison and three years of probation following his conviction on three counts of rape and one count of strangulation.

Hatch was convicted by a Superior Court jury in November after a three-day trial and four hours of deliberations, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. The crimes occurred in September 2022, when Hatch met a woman at a party, then drove her back to his residence, where he raped and strangled her. Over the course of the trial, 11 witnesses, including the survivor and defendant, testified.

“The survivor showed tremendous courage coming forward and testifying in court,” Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Andrew Covington, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement. “The commonwealth and the victim are pleased the defendant was held accountable for his actions and is heading to state prison.”

Covington asked Judge Karen Goodwin to sentence Hatch to five to seven years in state prison, followed by three years of probation. Defense attorney Kris Patria of Fitchburg asked the court to sentence Hatch to five years of probation. Conditions of Hatch’s probation include registering as a sex offender, engaging in sex offender treatment, providing a DNA sample and abstaining from alcohol with testing.

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