Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that a Providence County Superior Court jury yesterday found Leopoldo Belen (age 36), of Providence, guilty of four counts of first degree sexual assault. The jury returned the verdict after six hours of deliberations over two days after a five-day trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Daniel A. Procaccini.
During the trial, the State proved that on April 1, 2014, Belen physically and sexually assaulted his then-girlfriend in her apartment in Woonsocket. The victim testified that Belen got angry and violent towards her after they awoke and he discovered she has previously smoked their last cigarette.
After she was able to escape from Belen, she ran downstairs in nothing but a bed sheet, knocked on her neighbor's door, and once safe inside her neighbor's apartment, she called e-911 to report the assault.
Belen was arrested later that day. He has been held without bail since his arrest. A date for sentencing has not yet been set by the Court.
Woonsocket Police Detectives George McMann and Michael Flood led the investigation. Assistant Attorney General John Krollman and Special Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Ahern prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.