Child rape charge filed against man connected to 13-year-old Chloe Ricard’s death
Carlos Rivera, 47, was arraigned on the new charge Tuesday.
Amid new evidence, prosecutors have filed a child rape charge against the Lawrence man who is allegedly connected to the death of 13-year-old Chloe Ricard.
Carlos Rivera, 47, arraigned in Lawrence District Court Tuesday, remains held without bail, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities allege Rivera gave cocaine to teenage girls, including a 13-year-old from Amesbury — identified by her family as Ricard — he later left at Lawrence General Hospital, where she died on May 20.
He also faces two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, officials say. The latter charge stems from an alleged assault of a 16-year-old girl sometime before May 20, according to prosecutors.
Rivera, arraigned on those charges last week, as well as charges related to allegedly distributing the cocaine, was slated to appear in court Tuesday for a dangerousness hearing, but was instead arraigned for aggravated rape of a child, officials said.
With court documents impounded until next month, authorities have offered little specifics on the allegations against Rivera. Officials have not identified the 13-year-old girl because she was a minor.
But in a statement, the district attorney’s office voiced frustration with the current limits of the law in prosecuting Rivera.
Prosecutors Tuesday filed a motion to hold Rivera in custody, but it was based only on certain, alleged predicate offenses, which in this case are the charges of drug distribution and the assault of a 16-year-old girl.
While officials believe Rivera poses a danger to the community, state law does not allow them to file a motion for a dangerousness hearing based on the charge of aggravated rape of a child, according to the district attorney’s office.
“I am reluctant to use the horrifying facts of this case to illustrate the necessity for immediate action to address the glaring loophole in the dangerousness statute, but I’m concerned about the public’s safety,” District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in the statement. “The law does not allow us to petition the court to hold a man accused of raping a 13-year-old innocent girl but does allow us to file because he allegedly touched a 16 year old girl inappropriately. That is simply astonishing and must be addressed by the Legislature immediately.”
According to officials, preliminary DNA evidence gathered during Ricard’s autopsy linked Rivera to the case. Although the autopsy has been completed, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet made a determination on the cause and manner of death.
Prosecutors have said the 13-year-old girl was brought to the hospital at 4:47 p.m. on May 20 and “pronounced dead shortly after arrival.”
An investigation revealed Rivera, accompanied by another teenage girl, brought Ricard to the hospital, officials said. The two girls were at Rivera’s Lawrence apartment on the evening of May 19 and throughout most of May 20, authorities said.
Shortly after her death, Ricard’s family confirmed her identity to reporters and said they were told Ricard “had no pulse” when she was brought to the emergency room.
Rivera is due back in court for a probable cause hearing on July 2, prosecutors said.
