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Man’s 30-year sentence in sex abuse case is affirmed
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Posted on Aug 09 2019
The NMI Supreme Court has affirmed the 30-year sentence without the possibility of parole that the lower court had imposed on Alfredo E. Reyes, who was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor.
The CNMI high court issued its opinion in Commonwealth v. Alfredo E. Reyes last Aug 2, 2019.
A jury in 2013 found Reyes guilty of three counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree for sexually abusing the victim on three separate occasions. The trial court sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment, “without the possibility of parole, probation, early release, work or weekend release, or any other similar program.”
On appeal, Reyes claimed: 1) his sentence was not tailored to his individual circumstances; and 2) his parole eligibility was improperly restricted. He therefore asked the Supreme Court to vacate his sentence and return his case to the trial court to be sentenced by a different judge.
The Supreme Court found that while the 30-year sentence may be harsh, a reasonable person would hand down a similar sentence. The trial court gave particular attention to the sentencing goals of deterrence, retribution, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. It also acknowledged Reyes’ ability to learn from his crime, the safety of the community, the multiple times the sexual abuse occurred, the manipulation of the victim, and Reyes’ prior criminal history. All these factors provided reasonable grounds to sentence Reyes to the maximum sentence and restrict his parole eligibility.
The high court’s full opinion is available at http://cnmilaw.org/pdf/supreme/2019-MP-06.pdf. (PR)
