Spring Valley man convicted of rape and burglary

SPRING VALLEY, NY — Rigoberto Lopez Castro, 26, of Spring Valley, was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 12 ½ years each in state prison for his rape conviction in March.

Lopez Castro was also sentenced to 12 ½ years in a state prison for first-degree burglary, to be served concurrently with the other sentence, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh II announced Wednesday.

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After a two-week jury trial presided over by the Honorable Kevin F. Russo, Lopez Castro was found guilty on all three counts of violent crimes related to crimes committed in Spring Valley.

Prosecutors said that on September 12, 2022, he violently raped a woman he knew by holding a belt to her neck and hitting her multiple times. The following night, he broke into her apartment, locked her bedroom and raped her again. He put his hands around her neck and hit her repeatedly. As a result of these attacks, the victim suffered significant pain and sustained multiple bruises on her body and a strangulation mark on her neck. She was treated at a local hospital following the two incidents.

“This indictment sends a clear message: violence/sexual violence will not be tolerated in Rockland County,” Walsh said. “I want to commend the investigation by our law enforcement partners and the vigorous prosecution by the Assistant District Attorneys. The defendant will be held fully accountable for his actions and will face a lengthy prison sentence.”

The defendant will spend a total of 25 years in a state prison.

The case was investigated by the Spring Valley Police Department with assistance from the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office BCI Unit and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center. Emily McNiff, Senior Assistant District Attorney, and Assistant District Attorney
Tina Guccione was the prosecutor in this case.