Donovan sentenced to 23-28 years for rape
By Steve Myrick
Published: May 1, 2008
Last Thursday morning in Dukes County Superior Court, Associate Justice Mary-Lou Rup sentenced convicted rapist Scott Donovan to 23 to 28 years in MCI-Cedar Junction state prison.
Judge Rup denied Mr. Donovan's request for a delay of one week. He must begin serving his sentence immediately.
On April 23, Mr. Donovan pled guilty to charges of rape, home invasion, kidnapping, and assault. He has been jailed since his arrest nearly two years ago.
The charges stem from an attack on a West Tisbury woman in 2006. Mr. Donovan admitted in court Wednesday that he broke into the home, bludgeoned the victim with a rock, recaptured her after she fought him off and temporarily escaped, then bound and raped her.
"I'm very pleased with the result," Cape and Islands assistant district attorney Laura Marshard told The Times following the sentencing. "The victim was spared having to testify in what would have been a very traumatic and draining experience."
Ms. Marshard, who prosecuted several similar cases while working for the Suffolk County district attorney in Boston, offered high praise for local law enforcement agencies for finding and arresting Mr. Donovan, then completing a careful investigation of the evidence.
"It's the way you want it to be," said Ms. Marshard. "What made this case so manageable was the commitment by the West Tisbury Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and all the Island law enforcement. We had an extremely large amount of evidence to organize."
Thomas Mello, attorney for Mr. Donovan, declined comment after the sentencing.
In practical terms, the sentence of 23 to 28 years for the aggravated rape conviction, means Mr. Donovan will likely be eligible for parole in approximately 20 years, after taking into account the time he has already served and the typical reduction in sentence for good behavior while he is incarcerated. Judge Rup also sentenced him to sentences of eight to 10 years each on the kidnapping and assault charges, to be served concurrently with the longer term.
She sentenced him to 25 years of probation on the home invasion conviction. The probation begins once his prison term is finished.
This is the second aggravated rape conviction for Mr. Donovan. In 1998, he was found guilty by a jury of raping a woman in western Massachusetts. He was sentenced to four to six years in prison for that crime.
Once Mr. Donovan's prison term is complete, prosecutors may ask the court to classify him as a dangerous sex offender and have him committed to a state facility for an indefinite term.
