GREENFIELD — A Springfield man was convicted this week of 20 charges stemming from a prolonged pattern of physical and sexual violence against his former partner.
Branden Eugenio’s crimes occurred from 2020 through 2024 and included incidents that took place while the couple lived in Shutesbury. The trial in Franklin County Superior Court spanned eight days, during which the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office presented testimony from 22 witnesses and introduced 65 exhibits into evidence.
Eugenio, a resident of the Springfield village of Indian Orchard, faced 29 charges, and was found guilty of four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of rape, two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member, three counts of strangulation, two counts of witness intimidation, two counts of violating an abuse prevention order, and single counts each of kidnapping, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, suffocation, threatening to commit a crime and stalking.
He was found not guilty of one count of kidnapping and two counts each of rape, aggravated rape, strangulation, and assault and battery on a family or household member.
“These convictions would not be possible without the bravery of the victim who not only survived these heinous acts but had the courage to recount these crimes on the witness stand,” Assistant District Attorney Jillian Parent, who prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Sandra Staub, said in a statement. “We would also like to thank the jury for their thoughtful consideration of the evidence and the numerous law enforcement agencies involved, including the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit, and the Shutesbury, Hatfield and Whately Police Departments.”
According to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, Parent and Staub had assistance from paralegal Alyssa Stankowski and Victim Witness Advocate Kim Devine. Eugenio was represented by defense attorneys Daniel Kelly and Daniel Hagan, and Judge Jane Mulqueen presided over the trial.
Following the jury’s verdict, the defendant’s bail was revoked and he was taken into custody pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled, according to the DA’s office.
During Eugenio’s arraignment in Superior Court in August 2024, Parent said he raped his intimate partner after she denied a request for sex and later choked her while she was driving him to work. According to Parent, Eugenio also threatened to kill the victim, who stopped the vehicle and called 911 after locking herself in a public bathroom. Responding officers reported her clothes were ripped and her appearance was disheveled.
Parent told the court in 2024 that the victim now deals with chronic headaches and issues with speech and sight after she sustained head trauma when Eugenio dragged her out of a bathroom to sexually assault her. Eugenio also allegedly once struck the victim so violently while she was pregnant that she needed an emergency cesarean section, leading to the child’s premature birth.