Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that Matthew Sheridan (age 49), of Cranston, was found guilty today by a Providence County Superior Court jury of one count of first degree sexual assault. The jury returned the verdict in just about one hour after a week-long trial presided over by Superior Court Justice Daniel A. Procaccini.
During the trial, the State proved that Sheridan sexually assaulted a teenage boy in 2003 whom he befriended. The defendant groomed the young man to look upon him as a father figure only to sexually assault the teen when he was 15 years of age.
Although the victim disclosed the abuse to relatives and friends over the years, the police were not notified until the victim gained the courage to report the abuse himself in 2015 to the Rhode Island State Police.
The Judge continued bail for the defendant pending motion for new trial and sentencing.
Rhode Island State Police Detective Brian Macera led the investigation. Assistant Attorney General and Chief of the Criminal Division Stacey P. Veroni prosecuted the case on behalf of the State.