Richard Skrzypczyk gets 5-7 years for 2004 rape

By Steve Myrick - October 25, 2007

A Dukes County Superior Court jury returned a guilty verdict Friday morning, in the trial of Richard Skrzypczyk, on a charge of rape.

In the afternoon, Judge C. Brian McDonald sentenced Mr. Skrzypczyk to a term of five to seven years in state prison. In his remarks, the judge said the sentence fell squarely within sentencing guidelines.

The prosecutor had asked for a term of 8-12 years due to the defendant's "lack of remorse or acceptance of any responsibility."

The defense counsel requested a sentence of two years and one day citing Mr. Skrzypczyk's lack of prior criminal record, age, and military service in Vietnam.

Mr. Skrzypczyk, 59, was charged with the June 2004 rape of a visitor from Maine, then 23 years old, in an Edgartown home.

The woman was a wedding guest here to photograph a friend's wedding at the Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury.

In his courtroom comments, Judge McDonald said, "All crimes against a person are intense experiences. For women, no crime is more intense than rape."

The victim "deserves recognition and respect for pursuing her complaint," said Judge McDonald.

"I've lived through something that has changed my life forever," the victim said, in a witness impact statement read into the record by Assistant District Attorney Laura Marshard. "Nothing would anger or hurt me more than to see this perverted old man walk away with a slap on the wrist."

Mr. Skrzypczyk was taken into custody minutes after the verdict was announced at 10 am. He wiped his eyes and shook his head slightly from side to side. His attorney had no comment on the verdict or the sentence.

In comments outside the courtroom, Ms. Marshard said it was a difficult case, with more complications than most rape cases, and that DNA evidence was significant. "The judge was very thoughtful in his ruling," she said.