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Rockland County resident Rigoberto Castro, age 26, of Spring Valley, was found guilty on rape and burglary charges by a Rockland County jury following a two-week trial on Tuesday, April 2.
Prosecutors argued that Castro forcibly raped the victim, a woman previously known to him, on Sept. 12, 2022. During the attack, he held a belt to the woman’s neck and hit her multiple times.
He raped the victim again on the following night after breaking into her Spring Valley residence and forcing his way into her locked bedroom, prosecutors said. He put his hands around her neck and repeatedly hit her throughout the attack.
The victim suffered significant pain and multiple bruises across her body, as well as a ligature mark on her neck.
In court Tuesday, jurors found Castro guilty of two counts of first-degree rape and one count of first-degree burglary.
He faces up to 25 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Tuesday, June 4. He remains jailed at the Rockland County jail awaiting his sentencing.
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