SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A judge on Tuesday said an accused Springfield rapist is too dangerous to be released after evidence shown in court indicated that he planned his attack on an 11-year-old girl back in January.
According to evidence presented by an assistant district attorney with the Hampden County DA’s Office, 24-year-old Miguel Rodriguez, after he was read his Miranda rights, allegedly confessed to several crimes while in police custody.
The DA’s Office said Rodriguez admitted to approaching a 15-year-old in an attempt to get her into his car, two days before he kidnapped and raped a younger girl. The 15-year-old girl’s father reported the incident to police and gave a description of the car the suspect was driving.
Additional evidence provided by the DA’s Office also alleges that Rodriguez admitted to sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl three times after he kidnapped her while on her way home from school. DNA found by investigators is consistent with the information that the victim and the suspect told police, according to the DA’s Office.
Judge orders psych evaluation for suspect charged in abduction of 11-year-old girl in Springfield
Several items including rope, gloves, duct tape, and extra license plates were allegedly found in the car Rodriguez was driving. He admitted he threatened to stab the young girl and showed her the knife when she asked him to let her go, the DA’s Office said in court.
The DA’s Office added that Rodriguez admitted to other things, including targeting the victim after seeing her walking alone a day before the abduction. He told police he waited 30 minutes for her to get off the bus and start walking home.
Rodriguez’s previous criminal records include two restraining orders that were filed against him by his sister in July 2018 and his mother in June 2018.
His mother told investigators, “we put the knives away because we do not trust him.”
Rodriguez appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and was found competent to stand trial. He’ll continue to undergo a mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital for the next 30 days.
Latest News:
