Boston man sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping then-girlfriend
BOSTON, May 18, 2026 – A Boston man was sentenced to up to 20 years in state prison today after a jury found him guilty on multiple charges related to drugging for sex and rape, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
A jury on Friday convicted RINNYERS PENA, 47, of one count of drugging for sexual intercourse, one count of strangulation, two counts of rape, and two counts of photographing an unsuspecting nude person.
Judge James Lang sentenced Pena to 17 to 20 years in state prison with five years of probation to follow including GPS monitoring and sex offender registration.
As part of a missing persons investigation, the Boston Police Department reviewed Pena's cellphone. Investigators identified a series of photographs taken on February 14, 2020, depicting Pena with a 21-year-old victim at a Norton Street address in Dorchester. In several of these images, the victim appears unclothed and unresponsive or incapacitated on Pena's bed. Additional images depict Pena engaging in inappropriate physical contact with the victim. The investigation further revealed that while residing in a rooming house at a Notre Dame Street address in Roxbury, Pena strangled the victim. During the course of their relationship, Pena provided the victim with opioids with the intent to incapacitate her and facilitate sexual assault. On two occasions, the victim reportedly overdosed and required emergency intervention.
A review of a second cellular device belonging to Pena revealed additional photographs depicting another unidentified individual in a similarly incapacitated and vulnerable state. Despite investigative efforts, including BRIC ID Wanted flyers and facial recognition analysis, that individual remains unidentified.
In a statement at today’s sentencing, the victim said: “When I first met Mr. Pena, he was different. He led me to believe that he was loving and caring, and for a while he was. But as time went on, he became very isolating, and mean, angry, to a point where I felt like every single day was just dark, it was dark every single day.”
Lang commended the victim’s courage throughout the trial after delivering Pena’s sentence. Lang said, “I have tremendous admiration for you, and I wish you healing and continued success.”
“This victim deserves enormous credit for recounting to jurors an extremely distressing and vulnerable event in her life. Her courageous testimony was instrumental in securing this conviction and sentence,” Hayden said.
Pena is also charged with one count of disinterring a body in connection with the death of 38-year-old Alenny Matos. A missing person investigation for Matos was initiated on January 27, 2020. On May 9, 2020, a woman walking her dog observed a body inside of a trash bag in the area of Enneking Parkway in Hyde Park. Due to advance stages of decomposition, identification was made via dental records. Pena is expected to return to court in that case at a later date.
The victims of any crime, including domestic or sexual violence, should call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24/7 in English, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages. RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country, can be reached at 800-656-4673.
Help is also available for members of our LGBTQ+ community experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence through The Network/La Red by calling 617-742-4911 or 800-832-1901.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications