NORTHAMPTON — The third trial for a former Easthampton man charged with rape ended in a mistrial after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict following more than two days of deliberation.
The 12-member jury ended its deliberations in Hampshire Superior Court shortly before 4 p.m. Friday. The four women and eight men of the jury had been deliberating since Wednesday afternoon in the case Kevin DiRocco, 44.
DiRocco, who now lives in Springfield, had pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated rape and abuse of a child, two counts of rape and abuse of a child, and seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.
He is accused of sexually assaulting two girls he knew in Easthampton between 1998 and 2009. The assaults took place when the alleged victims were between 3 or 4 years old and ended when they were 13 or 14, according to court documents. The Gazette generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault. DiRocco and the alleged victims were known to each other. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
DiRocco’s first trial in May 2017 ended in a mistrial on 10 of the 11 counts he faced. At that time, a jury found him not guilty of an additional charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. A second trial on the charges in April 2018 ended in a mistrial shortly after it began following the dismissal of multiple jurors after opening statements.
His third trial began on June 22 after four days of jury selection and the case was handed to the jury for deliberations Wednesday afternoon. Throughout the course of the trial, jurors heard testimony from both of the women, who are now in their 20s, as well as DiRocco and his father. The prosecution called so-called expert witnesses, which included a doctor who conducts and evaluates forensic exams of children and an assistant professor of psychology who studies children’s memories for traumatic and emotional events.
As Judge John Agostini declared the mistrial Friday, one of the jurors was on the verge of tears. A hearing date is set for July 25 to determine what happens next in the case. It was not immediately known if the prosecutor will pursue another trial.
Emily Cutts can be reached at ecutts@gazettenet.com.