Athol man gets 5 to 7 years for child rape

Defense attorney Emily Shallcross speaks to Judge Jane Mulqueen while standing next to her client, Timothy M. Erikson, who on Thursday pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, two counts of rape and abuse of a child under 16 years of age, and one count of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age.

Defense attorney Emily Shallcross speaks to Judge Jane Mulqueen while standing next to her client, Timothy M. Erikson, who on Thursday pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court to five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, two counts of rape and abuse of a child under 16 years of age, and one count of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. STAFF PHOTO/DOMENIC POLI

By DOMENIC POLI

Staff Writer

Published: 10-03-2024 6:05 PM

GREENFIELD — An Athol man was sentenced to five to seven years in prison on Thursday after changing his plea on eight charges related to child sexual abuse.

Timothy M. Erikson, 47, appeared in Franklin County Superior Court to plead guilty to five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, two counts of rape and abuse of a child under 16 years of age, and one count of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years of age. He will be subject to eight years of probation once he is released.

Judge Jane Mulqueen accepted the plea deal reached by the prosecution and the defense after hearing the facts of the case, two victim-impact statements and Erikson’s guilty pleas.

Stephanie Jimenez, the assistant district attorney on the case, explained that the offenses occurred in 2021, when Erikson was 44 years old and the victim was 13. The victim and her father left the courtroom as Jimenez described the illegal contact between Erikson and the victim, who reportedly thought the defendant was “a really nice guy” that she had “considered like an uncle.”

The victim’s father was visibly shaking and repeatedly fought back tears as he read a lengthy impact statement expressing his anger and guilt for not being able to protect his daughter, who was in eighth grade when the crimes took place.

“I told all my girls that Tim is family,” he said. “I unknowingly put a target on my daughter.”

He said he now has trust issues and regularly drinks before going to bed so he won’t have nightmares. He repeatedly said he wanted to deal with Erikson “the old-fashioned way” but didn’t to prevent his daughter from being fatherless when he would inevitably be going to jail.

The victim’s father also criticized defense attorney Emily Shallcross for the case’s numerous continuances over the past 3½ years and for what he perceives as abuses of the criminal justice system. He thanked his family members, the court’s victim advocates and Jimenez for their support.

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The victim, now a high school senior, told Mulqueen she has endured “three years of torture” as the legal process played out and she has watched her father “drink away the pain.”

“My guilt ate me alive and it still continues to,” she said. “I honestly thought that this would never end.”

The victim said the only aspect of this case worse than the crime itself is knowing it was committed by someone she trusted.

Before the victim-impact statements, Shallcross told Mulqueen she had received copies of the victim-impact statements at 1:30 p.m., when she was already in court with her client. She mentioned she read them and hoped to respond to what she felt was a misrepresentation, though she did not want to interrupt the victim and her father. After the statements had been read, Shallcross mentioned she understands the continuances were frustrating but her client has the right to an effective attorney acting on his behalf.

Before imposing the sentence, Mulqueen said the case’s details were troubling, and she told the victim and her family she hoped the guilty pleas would bring them some sense of closure.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.