FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - A Massachusetts man linked to at least four violent rapes dating back to the late 1990s has been sentenced to life in prison after he eluded capture for nearly 20 years, Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced Wednesday.
Ivan Keith, 63, formerly of Bridgewater, was convicted Tuesday in Fall River Superior Court of indictments charging him with five counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts of threats, and breaking and entering, failure to register as a sex offender, and failure to provide DNA and perjury, according to Quinn.
“The crimes committed by the defendant are some of the most brutal and chilling cases I have ever seen,” Quinn said.
Keith fled the Bay State 18 years ago to avoid being arrested in connection with sexual assaults that occurred in Taunton and Easton.
After an extensive investigation that included YSTR and familial DNA testing, detectives identified Keith as the man who raped a 36-year-old woman on the track outside Bristol-Plymouth Regional High School in 1997 and a 47-year-old woman at Steve Porter Appraisal Services in Easton in 1998, in addition to two other assaults that occured in 1996.
In August 2019, investigators tracked Keith to Seal Cove, Maine, where he was found living under a different name. During his arrest, Keith was caught smoking a vape pen, which was seized for DNA testing. The DNA on the pen is said to have matched the DNA profile from the four unsolved rapes.
At the sentencing hearing, one of the victims told the court that Keith “took away my joy, my laughter and my peace of mind.” Another victim added, “I longed for the internal pain to stop. I still carry the scars of what happened to me. What I experienced was nothing short of pure evil.”
In total, Keith will serve 44 to 50 years in prison, a sentence that amounts to life in prison due to his age.
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