Edward Brown, a 27-year-old school security official at Boston Latin Academy, has been charged with the rape of a woman from Ireland following an alleged attack at the Massachusetts State Police barracks on Martha's Vineyard. Brown pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Oct. 13, denying the allegations surrounding the incident that prosecutors say occurred on Aug. 15.
Assistant District Attorney Courtney Scalice presented the case in court, stating that the victim met the suspect at The Ritz, a bar in Oak Bluffs, before blacking out. According to Scalice, the victim told investigators she was followed by a man in a white hat and later woke face down and naked. She reported that the attacker held her down despite her resistance and that she ran out of the building when he left. Police officers who responded to two 911 calls around 1 a.m. found the woman in distress on the side of the road, noting bruises on her legs and a red mark on her neck.
Brown was staying at the barracks as a guest of Ryan Costello, a state trooper stationed there for the summer. Prosecutors said investigators identified Brown with help from a bouncer at The Ritz, who recognized him as a friend of local troopers. On Aug. 29, Costello identified a photo sent by police as Brown, confirming they had been friends since college. Two weeks later, on Sept. 11, Costello's attorney provided screenshots of text messages between the two men that had not previously been shared with law enforcement.
Scalice told the judge that Brown gave shifting accounts of the night to Costello, initially denying he brought a woman to the barracks, then claiming she left on her own, and finally stating he left her in an Uber. Text messages revealed Brown asking Costello if it was okay to have a female guest at the barracks and where to find condoms. Detectives also obtained a search warrant for Brown's Uber account, which showed a ride to the barracks approximately 30 minutes before the 911 calls. An Uber driver confirmed picking up a Black male matching Brown's description and a young White female who appeared intoxicated.
Boston police records indicated that Brown had been the subject of four police reports from two ex-girlfriends alleging harassment between March and August of this year. Oak Bluffs police, working with the Boston Police Department's anti-corruption division, arrested Brown at his workplace on Oct. 9, finding suspected cocaine in his wallet during the search.
The Massachusetts State Police stated they had no involvement in the initial investigation but are conducting an internal review of visitor authorization procedures. As a result of the case, state police no longer allow guests to stay at police housing on Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. Col. Geoffrey Noble called the allegations "deeply troubling" and committed to addressing any identified deficiencies in facility safety and security.
Brown was released on $10,000 cash bail after prosecutors requested $50,000. The judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and any witnesses. He is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 11. If convicted, Brown faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and mandatory sex offender registration.