CANTON — Mason Stone, 22, Winthrop, was convicted in St. Lawrence County Court for first-degree rape and second-degree assault as a sexually motivated felony after a two-week jury trial.
St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua reported that the trial confirmed that on June 21, 2022, Mason physically attacked and sexually assaulted a 78-year-old woman inside her home. The victim was injured during the attack and taken to the hospital, where she underwent an examination to collect biological evidence.
The New York State Police Crime Lab successfully matched DNA found during the examination to the defendant, Mr. Pasqua said.
“This defendant perpetuated a horrific sexual assault upon a vulnerable senior citizen. He then attempted to excuse his actions by claiming he was too intoxicated to commit this crime. The jury quickly saw through his insulting attempt to avoid consequences for his actions,” Mr. Pasqua said in a prepared statement. “Hopefully, this jury’s verdict, and the defendant’s subsequent sentencing, will send a message to anyone in our community who thinks it is ever OK to force themselves onto another person. I commend the bravery and courage of the victim to come forward and testify in this case.”
Mason will be sentenced on July 10. He faces a mandatory prison term with a minimum of 8 years and a maximum of 25 years.
Mr. Paqua commended Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Joshua Haberkornhalm and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Peabody for the prosecution, and the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Forensic Identification Unit, and Crime Lab for their assistance.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.