A New Bedford man who was convicted after a jury trial in the Fall River Superior Court on a charge of Aggravated Rape, was sentenced Friday.
According to court records, 37-year-old Abner Rivera was handed down a sentence of not less than 12 years to not more than 15 years in state prison with 688 days already served.
According to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, on January 15, 2023, the victim, who was 22 years old, spent the evening out with friends. Later in the evening, while in a highly inebriated state, the victim was dropped off at the corner of Acushnet Avenue and Deane Street in New Bedford. The victim has no memory of being dropped at the corner or what happened thereafter. Video surveillance in the area captured Rivera, who is a stranger to the victim. The video then depicts him carrying the victim, who appears to be limp, over his shoulder with the victim’s head bobbing consistent with someone who is unconscious. The video further shows Rivera carry the victim into a nearby garage where he gathers cardboard. The defendant then places the victim on the ground where he then rapes her. The video subsequently shows the victim fall onto her face when she attempts to stand and Rivera dragging her back into the garage where she remained motionless. He then exited the garage and went to a nearby fire station where he reported locating a drunken female. The victim was transported to the hospital for treatment with no memory of what had happened in the garage. A condom was located in a dumpster in the garage where the victim was found. Testing on the condom revealed the DNA of both Rivera and victim. …