Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that David Roscoe (age 60), formerly of Westerly, RI, was sentenced today to life in prison for the 1990 murder and sexual assault of Germaine Mouchon of West Warwick. Roscoe was found guilty in September 2016 after a six-day trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Brian Stern. Roscoe was sentenced to life for the charge of felony murder and a second life sentence, to run concurrent, for the charge of first degree sexual assault.
During the trial, the State proved that in the early morning hours of August 4, 1990, David Roscoe sexually assaulted and murdered Germaine Mouchon, who was 85 years old at the time, in her Echo Valley apartment in West Warwick.
Despite a thorough investigation at the time, police were unable to develop a suspect in this horrific crime. During the course of the autopsy, the medical examiner discovered sperm in the body of the victim. Although that evidence was collected and stored, since DNA testing was at it's infancy in 1990, it did not lead to a suspect.
In August 2015, Richard Mouchon, Germaine's grandson, inquired about his grandmother's case with the West Warwick Police. West Warwick Police Detective Thomas Nye pulled the file and requested a DNA test be performed on the forensic evidence collected at the scene. The DNA was run through Combined DNA Index System, commonly known as CODIS. Results came back with Roscoe, who had been previously convicted of child molestation and felony assault, as a match for the DNA.
Roscoe was subsequently arrested and indicted for the murder and sexual assault.
"Germaine Mouchon's family had to wait far too long to see the man who violently took the life of their loving mother and grandmother be brought to justice. It is my hope that today's sentencing brings them a sense of peace knowing that David Roscoe will spend the rest of his natural life in prison for his crimes," said Attorney General Kilmartin.
Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division Jay Sullivan and Special Assistant Attorney General Lauren Iannelli prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.