Cold case rape suspect faces possible 15-year prison sentence, 25 years to the day after the crime
SPRINGFIELD — As she was taking a leisurely walk around her Holland neighborhood on a Sunday summer morning in 2000, the woman heard footfalls behind her. She thought it was a jogger.
It wasn’t. It was a rapist.
The man grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth, and dragged her into the woods.
During a hearing on Tuesday in Hampden Superior Court, a prosecutor laid out the state’s case against Jamie Dodge , 49, formerly a resident of Maine, accused of aggravated rape and kidnapping in connection with the July 23, 2000, attack.
The 25-year-old case is particularly notable, since it was the first to be cracked using genetic testing to attempt to solve cold cases — including unsolved homicides and sexual assaults.
After decades with no leads, investigators linked Dodge through a DNA sample that first came from his father, Assistant Hampden District Attorney Elizabeth Dunphy Farris told a judge.
The victim recounted the harrowing experience to Judge Tracy Duncan, after Farris recommended a sentence of 15 to 18 years; The Republican does not identify survivors of sexual assault.
Defense lawyer Nicholas Raring countered with a recommendation of seven years, arguing that Dodge was never charged with other crimes after the incident in 2000.
In May 2024, Jamie Dodge is led into Superior Court in Springfield to face charges related to alleged crimes committed in 2000. (Don Treeger / The Republican, File)The Republican
“He’s reformed himself. He matured,” he said to Duncan.
Dodge, 49, had a previous history of domestic abuse, racking up seven restraining orders before the attack, when he was 24.
“He had a history of violence against women,” Farris said.
Farris told Duncan that Dodge threatened to “cut her bad” if she didn’t comply with his demands.
“I fully expected to feel a knife in my back,” the victim told the judge.
She added that, to this day, she suffers from panic attacks and avoids many social activities.
The victim limped to the Holland Police Department, about a half-mile away, and alerted an officer to the attack just after noontime that day. The patrolman noted scratches and bruises on her arms and knees.
After weighing the case Wednesday, Duncan recommended a 12-to-15-year sentence. The hearing was a state proceeding in which the judge recommends a sentence, which the defendant can take or leave.
Dodge will make a decision to either plead guilty or go to trial after that.
This story has been updated.
Read the original article on MassLive .
