Rapist gets 72 to 105 years for series of South End break-ins in 2016 that included another rape

A Suffolk Superior Court judge decided today to send Ronald Brown away for what is effectively a life sentence for a series of residential break-ins targeting women in the South End in 2016.

Judge Katie Rayburn sentenced Brown today to 72 to 105 years in state prison following his conviction by a jury on Friday on 21 charges, including aggravated rape, kidnapping, witness intimidation, photographing an unsuspecting nude person and breaking and entering. He had been held behind bars since his 2016 arrest.

Brown was arrested in October, 2016 after he entered a Clarendon Street apartment, tied up two women and raped one of them - just months after his release from prison from a 25- to 30-year state prison sentence for a similar rape in 1986.

The DA's office recounted Brown's wave of break-ins in 2016:

On the night of September 22, 2016, Brown broke into a woman’s residence on Warren Avenue and stole shoes, handbags, a car key and other items.

On September 23, 2016, Brown staked out a basement apartment on Dwight Street by taking video of the front exterior. On September 27 and 28, Brown recorded a woman through her bedroom window as she came out of the shower and got dressed.

On the night of October 2, Brown broke into an apartment on Milford Street while the woman occupant slept and stole her clothes, purses, shoes, a computer, and cash.

On October 3, Brown broke into the Dwight Street apartment he had previously videotaped and took photos of personal documents belonging to the tenants.
On October 6 he broke into another apartment upstairs in the same Dwight Street building, stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry, shoes and handbags.

In the early morning of October 11, Brown broke into a basement apartment on Clarendon Street, where he blindfolded, bound and gagged the two female occupants, stole their electronic devices and other property and demanded the passwords to the devices. He forcibly raped one woman, forced her to shower to wash away potential evidence, and told her he hated Chinese people, in reference to her heritage. He touched the breasts of the other woman and threatened to kill both if they told anyone.

A prescription pill bottle with Brown’s name was found on the bedroom floor of one victim. The other victim caught a glimpse of red camouflage clothing on the intruder.

Using that information, Boston police detectives on October 12 went to the Pine Street Inn shelter, where Brown was staying. They arrested Brown after learning he had arrived there on October 11 wearing red camouflage shorts. Brown’s backpack contained items stolen from the victims and from the other break-ins, as well as notes in his handwriting with personal information about the women he targeted. Also in the backpack was the defendant's own cellphone, which contained video of a woman in the nude as well as dozens of photos of shoes, handbags, and other personal items. Some of those items were also identified as belonging to victims in the case.

According to the DA's office, Brown refused to attend his trial, instead watching it via Zoom.

He logged off halfway through the reading of the verdicts Friday.

Brown was present in court this morning for sentencing and refused to stand when the judge imposed her sentence. Brown yelled an expletive at the judge and attacked the court officers who tried to bring him out of the courtroom.