sexual assault

Man Accused in Downtown Boston Rape Appears in Court

Edwin Fantauzzi, 33, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, is charged in connection with a sexual assault in downtown Boston

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A registered sex offender with a criminal record in four states appeared in a Boston courtroom Thursday handcuffed to a wheelchair, one day after someone recognized him from a surveillance image that aired on TV and called 911.

Edwin Fantauzzi, 33, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, had two separate arraignments Thursday on unrelated charges — one for a charge of resisting arrest and another for rape and assault charges. He only appeared for the first one; his attorney said he wasn't feeling well enough to attend the second one.

Prosecutors said Fantauzzi struggled with officers when they arrested him in Roxbury on Wednesday. They said he also ingested a white powder, which led to his brief hospitalization.

Prosecutors had wanted him in connection with a sexual assault in downtown Boston days earlier.

They said Fantauzzi asked a woman if he could use the restroom at her apartment building on Harrison Avenue early Saturday morning before forcing his way into the building, knocking the woman to the ground and raping her.

Prosecutors said a stairwell surveillance camera captured the entire sexual assault.

This isn't Fantauzzi’s first run-in with law enforcement. Police had sought him in connection with a sexual assault on a child in 2018.

It wasn't immediately clear what happened with that case.

The investigation into the Harrison Avenue rape continues. Anyone with any information is asked to call detectives at 617-343-4400.

Sex assault resources are available at the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673. Since it was first created in 1994, the National Sexual Assault Hotline has helped more than two million people, according to its website.

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