Pair Indicted in Rape, Killing of Infant They Said Was Kidnaped

PROVIDENCE, R. I. —  A couple who had pleaded tearfully on television for the life of their missing 4-month-old daughter were indicted Friday on charges that the father sexually abused the infant and the mother beat her to death.

In addition, the six-count indictment returned by the Providence County grand jury charged Ralph G. and Donna J. Richard with lying to police officers investigating the November slaying of their only child, Jerri Ann.

Donna Richard, 33, was charged with first-degree murder. Her 34-year-old husband was indicted on charges of sexual assault of a child under 13.

Both were charged with filing false police statements, two counts of conspiring to obstruct justice and obstructing justice.

Arraignment was scheduled for July 24 in Superior Court. The murder and sexual assault charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Richards had reported their baby daughter kidnaped on Nov. 11, telling police that she was taken from her crib by an intruder who apparently entered their apartment through a window as they slept nearby.

Four days later, hours after the tearful couple had made television appearances to plead for the baby’s safe return, Jerri Ann’s beaten and raped body was discovered in an alley a block from the family’s apartment. An autopsy showed that the infant had been a victim of chronic sexual abuse.

The case attracted national attention, and Pawtucket police held daily news conferences early in their investigation. They refused to rule out the parents as suspects but suspended the briefings Nov. 27, saying no arrests were imminent.

However, an affidavit filed to obtain a warrant for the mother’s May 10 arrest on murder charges said that Richard had implicated his wife in the killing. Richard had not been charged prior to the grand jury proceedings.