Man pleads guilty to rape of 1-year-old daughter, sentenced to prison

A Rhode Island man who raped his 1-year-old daughter and recorded it in Taunton will be in prison for the next 20 to 25 years, according to officials. 

Cody Mercure, 25, formerly of Woonsocket, pleaded guilty to the child rape aggravated by age, indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, and possession of child pornography, according to a statement from the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Judge Raffi Yessayan sentenced him to 20 to 25 years in prison and an additional 20 years of supervised probation, according to the statement.

In February 2021, authorities say Mercure brought his daughter to a friend’s house on a day when he had custody of her. The incidents covered in the charges occurred in the bathroom, according to the statement.

“The conduct of the defendant is despicable and difficult to comprehend. He clearly has a demented mind and these sentences will keep him off of the street for a lengthy period of time, which is clearly necessary to protect children,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said. 

Following a cyber tip received by Rhode Island State Police, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit began their investigation and eventually arrested Mercure.

Mercure was also charged federally for the creation of child sexual exploitation and dissemination of child pornography. He was sentenced in that case in April to serve 15 to 25 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release.

His state and federal sentences will run concurrently. 

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