Somerville Rape Case: Galileo Mondol, 2 Accomplices Used Broomstick To Rape Freshman Camper, Prosecution Says
Somerville High School student Galileo Mondol watched two 16-year-old classmates rape a freshman boy with a broomstick during a preseason soccer camp, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Mondol, 17, was one of three Somerville (Mass.) High School soccer players charged on Monday in the sexual assault of an unnamed 14-year-old boy, Deadspin reports. While the details surrounding the alleged rape were not immediately known, Berkshire Assistant District Attorney Rachel Eramo revealed that the junior varsity soccer players had used a broomstick to carry out the deed.
In an attempt to secure a dangerousness hearing for Mondol, Eramo explained the manner in which the 17-year-old participated in the alleged rape. According to the prosecutor, the broomstick attack took place over the weekend of Aug. 24-25, when approximately 165 students from Somerville, which is just north of Boston, traveled to Camp Lenox in Otis, in western Massachusetts, for a preseason soccer camp, Boston.com reports.
Eramo claims that Mondol and two unnamed 16-year-old accomplices broke into a freshman cabin and announced their intention to target the underage boys. “We’re going to pick someone. It’s going to be you. It’s going to be you,” Mondol and his teammates alleged said to individuals in the cabin, Boston.com reports.
One of the 16-year-old suspects reportedly grabbed a broomstick, knocked an unnamed freshman to the ground, then used the broomstick to rape him, Eramo said in a Central Berkshire courtroom. The prosecution believes that Mondol initially attempted to end the sexual assault, but changed his mind once the attack began.
“I want to have a crack at that,” Mondol allegedly told his accomplices, Boston.com reports. “If you do it again, I will lift up the broomstick.”
In all, Mondol and his accomplices are believed to have targeted three freshmen with the broomstick, but the other two were able to “fight off” the attempted rape, Eramo stated on Tuesday. Police later found evidence of the attacks, including a blood-stained tissue.
When a Somerville High School freshman declared his intention to inform authorities, Mondol is alleged to have attempted to intimidate him into silence. “You better keep your mouth shut,” he allegedly told the student. Eramo claims that he also sent threatening messages on Facebook and Twitter, Boston.com reports.
Meanwhile, Mondol’s defense attorney, William Korman, claims that his client tried to stop the broomstick attack and was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Korman also pointed to Mondol’s “stellar” academic and behavioral record. Nevertheless, his request for a $10,000 cash bail for his client was denied in view of the prosecution’s request for a dangerousness hearing on Friday.
Mondol pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges, including a count of aggravated rape of a minor, two counts of assault with intent to rape a minor, one count of indecent assault and battery, three counts of witness intimidation, and three counts of assault and battery, Boston.com reports. His 16-year-old accomplices face comparable charges, but their names will not be released because they are minors.
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