Crime & Safety
Ex-Boyfriend Found Guilty of Assault
Belen, 36, was accused of physically and sexually assaulted his then-girlfriend in her apartment in Woonsocket on April 1, 2014.
WOONSOCKET, RI—Leopoldo Belen, 36, of Provdence, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting his former girl friend, the state Attorney General said Tuesday.
According to Atty. Gen. Peter Kilmartin's office, the couple had awakened on April 1, 2014 and argued over who smoked the last cigarette. She did it. The victim testified that Belen got angry and violent towards her after he discovered the cigarettes were all gone.
"After she was able to escape from Belen, she ran downstairs in nothing but a bed sheet, knocked on her neighbor’s door, and once safe inside her neighbor’s apartment, she called e-911 to report the assault," Kilmartin's office said.
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He was arrested later that day and has been held without bail ever since. On Monday, the Providence County Superior Court jury found him guilty of four counts of first degree sexual assault. The jury returned the verdict after six hours of deliberations over two days. The trial lasted five days.
A date for sentencing has not yet been set by the Court.
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