Child Rapist Pleads Guilty

REISTERSTOWN -- A 20-year-old man was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting a ten-year-old boy while another boy held him down.

Assistant State's Attorney Dylan Gerry acknowledged that the plea deal for defendant Erick Carrillo-Arriaza was "in no way commensurate" with the crime.

"The state's recommendation in this case is purely to spare the victim from having to go through a trial," Gerry told Judge Stacy Mayer in Baltimore County Circuit Court.

Carrillo-Arriaza, who was 18 at the time of the incident, was initially charged with first-degree rape. He pleaded guilty to second-degree rape and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with all but five years of active incarceration suspended and five years supervised probation. Upon his release, he must register as a lifetime sex offender and can have no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.

His co-defendant is a juvenile. It is unclear from court records what legal consequences he received.

Police were notified of the incident when the boy's mother took him to a local hospital June 24, 2024.

The police statement of charges provides the following narrative of the incident.

"[The boy] was outside playing with another 15-year-old male juvenile (J.R.) Defendant Carrillo Arriaza then approached J.R. and began talking for a while. Suddenly, both individuals grabbed the victim from behind. J.R. grabbed him by the arms and Defendant Carrillo Arriaza grabbed him by his waist. The victim stated that this occurred in the grassy area in between the homes of Ewing Dr & Fox Run Ct., but he mentioned that no one else was outside when this happened. The victim stated that the defendant pulled both of their pants down, including underwear."

The boy told investigators Carrillo-Arriaza sexually assaulted him via anal penetration.

"The victim stated he felt pain when this was occurring, which eventually went away later on. The victim advised that both individuals were talking about raping him, which he took as an opportunity and ran home after pulling his pants up. He said he yelled for help but no one could hear him since no one else was outside. After the incident, the defendant also threatened the victim that he would kidnap him if he said anything."

The boy, whose family emigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, wrote a victim impact statement which was translated from Spanish and read in court. In the statement, the victim said he was once a happy child but now he deals with the emotional aftermath of the assault

"I came to a new country where I thought my life would be better and I could live happily like other children," he wrote. But now, he said, "I feel very sad and angry and at night I have nightmares."

The boy's mother also wrote a victim statement. She said her family came to the U.S. from Guatemala because they were being extorted.

"We made the decision to come to this country to look for a better future for my children, thinking this country would be safer," she wrote. "I never imagined the damage that could happen to my child."

She said he once was a happy child who loved to play soccer, who was "full of dreams and ideas." Today, she wrote, he is a "sad child full of fears and anguish."

Carrillo-Arriaza's attorney, Robert Frank, said he doesn't believe his client he truly understands what happened that day.

"I tend to think, based on everything the court has heard, that this was a one time, incredibly bad – I can say glaring enough – decision," Frank said. He said Carrillo-Arriaza's heart is broken and he wants to move ahead and admit to what happened.

"I go along with the plea agreement for the sole reason that it spares [the boy] any further pain," Judge Stacy Mayer said. "I hope [the victim] can again find his joy and dreams. He deserves them."