FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Hartford, CT) - Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney, today announced that the Honorable Kevin C. Doyle on July 23, 2024 sentenced Angel Cruz, age 59, of Hartford, to 25 years in prison and two years of special parole for sexually assaulting a minor.
A jury in Hartford Superior Court on April 26, 2024 found Cruz guilty of three counts of Sexual Assault in the First Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-70(a)(2), six counts of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-71(a)(1), two counts of Sexual Assault in the Fourth Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-73a(a)(1A), and six counts of Risk of Injury to a Minor in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21(a)(2).
According to evidence introduced at trial, on February 25, 2020, the victim, now an adult, went to the Hartford Police Department to report that when she was between the ages of 5 and 13, she was sexually assaulted by Cruz, her mother’s boyfriend, while her mother was at work. Because of the statute of limitations and delayed disclosure, the charges the defendant faced were for crimes that occurred when the victim was between the ages of 12 and 13.
This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Elena Palermo with the assistance of Supervisory Inspector Emory Hightower and Inspector Thomas Steck.
State’s Attorney Walcott wishes to extend her gratitude to the Statewide Prosecution Bureau in the Office of the Chief State's Attorney for their assistance in bringing this case to trial.