Jaffrey man sentenced to serve 8-20 years for sexual assault

MANCHESTER, NH – During a two-day trial in the Hillsborough County Superior Court – North, testimony established that  Matthew Rinaldi of Jaffrey, sexually assaulted an 18-year-old girl who was on a family camping trip in the Greenfield State Park in 2021; threatening to break her fingers if she reported the sexual assaults. Rinaldi has previous convictions for Domestic Violence, including one for breaking his wife’s fingers. He was convicted of Aggravated Felonious Sexual Assault in late February.

The sentencing hearing, announced Tuesday by  Hillsborough County Attorney John Coughlin, was held May 6, 2024. In sentencing Rinaldi to serve 8 to 20 years in the  NH State Prison, Judge William Delker noted the palpable pain in the victim’s voice and tension in the room as she testified at trial. When explaining the reasoning behind the sentence, Judge Delker also pointed to Rinaldi’s attempt to shift blame for the sexual assaults to the victim.

“Our office is dedicated to eradicating violence against children, the most vulnerable victims in our  community,” said Coughlin.  “This  prosecution is an example once again of the exemplary work of the attorneys of the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Special Victims Unit in coordination with our law enforcement partners, in an ongoing effort  to bring sexual predators to justice and protect our community from predatory violence.”

Ryan C. Dill from the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Special Victims Unit represented the State. Attorney Dill commended the investigative work of the Jaffrey Police Department.

The verdict would not have been possible without the dedicated work of Detective Jeremy LeBlanc of the Jaffrey Police Department, as well as Victim Advocate Merrill Beauchamp of the County Attorney’s  Office.