Convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman was expected to be released from prison soon, but that action was postponed as he faces new charges of indecent exposure and lewd acts.
Chapman, 70, was ordered held without bail on Wednesday after pleading not guilty at his arraignment in Ayer District Court.
Chapman was arrested Wednesday and charged with indecent exposure, lewd, wanton and lascivious acts and open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior stemming from two incidents inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institute — Shirley, where he has been held since 1977.
Chapman was set to be released from the medium-security prison, where he was sentenced to serve 30 years for the rapes of two boys. When that sentence was finished in 2017, prosecutors fought to keep him behind bars as a “sexually dangerous person,” CBS reported, as court filings show he has admitted to molesting as many as 100 boys.
When Chapman petitioned for review this year, two psychologists ruled that he is no longer a danger.
Just now: Chapman wheeled back out of Ayer Court after facing new charges for indecent exposure and gross lewdness. pic.twitter.com/jbwY4LOUMk
— Kim Lucey (@KimLucey) June 6, 2018
But his release is no longer imminent after his latest arrest. The charges stem from incidents at Shirley from June 3 and 4, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office, during which Chapman was witnessed by staff and nurses “with his genitals exposed and masturbating in his cell.”
When Chapman’s impending release was initially announced, Gov. Charlie Baker said that he planned to introduce legislation to increase penalties for serial sex offenders.
Wendy Murphy, an attorney for Chapman’s victims, opposed the release. After the news of his latest arrest on Wednesday, she spoke with those victims.
“We are very pleased that Wayne Chapman will not be released,” she said in a statement. “I spoke with victims this morning. They were relieved and very emotional. One was sobbing.”
“It boggles the mind that not one but two qualified examiners could find this man not sexually dangerous. The absurdity of their decisions is why we have been fighting so hard to prevent his release,” she added, according to CBS. “This is not a frail man with a walker. This is a dangerous man with no conscience – who used knives, rope and duct tape on his child victims, and boasted about feeling pleasure in their pain.”
Chapman is due back in court on June 27.
