

PROVIDENCE, RI — A Providence has been found guilty in Kent County Superior Court for a Warwick Motel 6 sexual assault in 2021.
Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced the verdict Monday. The news followed a four-day trial before Superior Court Justice Luis M. Matos, after which a jury found Francisco Vasquez, 37, guilty of one count of first-degree sexual assault, delivering the decision July 13.
Vasquez is being held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) pending a sentencing hearing to be scheduled.
In April, his co-defendant, Hector Ramirez, was convicted by jury of first-degree sexual assault stemming from the same incident. Ramirez and Vasquez were indicted on the charges in January 2022.
“While nothing can undo the pain caused to this victim, I commend her bravery throughout this process,” said Warwick Police Chief Bradford E. Connor.
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on March 6, 2021, the defendant, along with a co-defendant, sexually assaulted a female victim at a Motel 6 in Warwick. That night, the defendant invited a friend, the victim, to a house party in Providence. Following the party, the victim’s next memory was waking up in an unknown-to-her location while being sexually assaulted. Later that day, the victim reported the sexual assault to Women and Infant’s Hospital.
An investigation by Warwick Police matched DNA results from the victim’s sexual assault exam with the defendant. The defendant was subsequently arrested by the Warwick Police Department.
“Justice was served in this case, and I thank Detective McGaffigan and our partners at the RI Attorney General’s Office for their investigation and prosecutorial work,” Connor said.
“Sexual assault causes a great deal of physical and emotional trauma for victims, and we know it is chronically underreported for this reason and many others,” said Neronha. “Each time we bring a perpetrator of sexual violence to justice, I hope it helps other victims remember that justice is possible. I also hope that the victim in this case, who bravely testified in two trials, can now find some peace. I’m grateful to the Warwick Police Department for their outstanding work and partnership in this case and so many others.”
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