A Suffolk Superior Court judge today sentenced Charlise Horton, 47, to 25 to 35 years in state prison following his conviction earlier this week on charges that included two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of indecent assault and battery and a variety of gun offenses for incidents in 2019 and 2020 that involved a 14-year-old boy.
Charlise Horton was already in the state sexual-offender registry for convictions in 2000, under the name Charles Horton, for kidnapping and sexually attacking a child under 14. Charles “Ebony” Horton was prosecuted for and admitted guilt to charges of kidnapping, assault with intent to commit rape against a minor under 16, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, assault and battery, and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Horton, disguised as a woman, employed a deception to lure an 11-year-old kid to an abandoned warehouse, where he compelled the child to perform sexual acts while threatening him with a screwdriver at his neck. During the sentencing phase of the trial, Suffolk County District Attorney David Deakin, who had requested an eight-to-ten-year incarceration for Horton, attempted to contest her decision to impose house arrest and five years of probation instead. Judge Lopez, incensed by the media’s presence, proceeded to reprimand the prosecution, suspecting he had notified the press. In her outburst, she provoked ire among the victim’s family by characterising the case as a “low-level” offence. Judge Lopez’s ruling also incited ire among residents of the Mary Ellen McCormack housing neighbourhood in South Boston, where Horton would undergo house arrest. Horton was then expelled from the housing development due to the conviction.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office:
In October 2019, Charlise Horton kidnapped a 14-year-old boy at gunpoint. He kidnapped him again, also at gunpoint, in February 2020. The victim described the kidnapper as wearing a distinctive hat with a marijuana leaf on the front, among other identifying details. During a police interview Charlise Horton was shown surveillance images of a person wearing a marijuana-leaf hat and clothing matching the description provided by the victim. Charlise Horton admitted that he was the person in the photographs. Police later found the clothing seen in the images inside his apartment. Charlise Horton also told officers he had two guns stored in a closet in her apartment. The victim had previously described the firearms used during the kidnappings, and the guns recovered from Charlise Horton’s residence matched that description.
Following her 2020 arrest, Boston Police said Charlise Horton first befriended the teen on Facebook – and then began demanding the teen unfriend other friends:
The victim stated he began ignoring the suspect who responded that the suspect knew where the victim lived and that the suspect would send someone to hurt the victim. The victim stated the suspect told the victim to meet at a restaurant in the area of Seaver Street and Humboldt Avenue to which the victim complied out of fear. The victim stated when he arrived at the location, the suspect called the victim and instructed him to meet the suspect in the area of 100 Seaver Street. The victim was guided into the rear of the building where he and the suspect entered the building. The victim stated the suspect removed a firearm from a green shopping bag before forcing the victim to access his Facebook account. The victim stated the suspect took the victim’s phone and began sending messages to the victim’s friends and family. The victim stated a police cruiser passed by the area, causing the suspect to flee in an unknown direction. The suspect was described as wearing a distinctive hat with a marijuana leaf on the front.
In addition to the kidnapping charges, the jury also found Charlise Horton guilty on several gun counts, including unlawful possession of a large-capacity firearm and improper storage of a firearm, court records show.
Judge Debra Squires-Lee imposed the sentence specifically for one of the kidnapping convictions. She imposed lesser sentences on the other counts, to run concurrently with the kidnapping sentence.
The judge also ordered him to serve probation for five years after he completes his prison time, with conditions that include re-registering as a sex offender, enrollment in a sex-offender treatment program and not getting a job that would bring him into contact with anyone under 18.
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