Contact: Nathan Lederman 508-584-8120
PLYMOUTH – A man on the run since 2021 has been arrested and arraigned on several violent offenses — including rape, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
Werlen Luiz, 48, pleaded not guilty today in Plymouth District Court to two counts of Aggravated Rape of a Child with Force, and one count each of Assault and Battery, and Strangulation or Suffocation. The Commonwealth moved for a dangerousness hearing to be held that was scheduled for December 12. Luiz is currently being held without bail. The defendant was previously indicted on five counts of Child Rape in Plymouth Superior Court and will be arraigned on those charges in the future.
The alleged rapes occurred in multiple locations across Plymouth County from September 2019 to June 2021.
Luiz, who is originally from Brazil, was thought to have fled the United States following the victim’s disclosure to law enforcement. However, detectives with the Plymouth Police Department were made aware the defendant was still in the country and he was located in Statesville, North Carolina. U.S. Marshals apprehended Luiz on November 15, and he was subsequently transported to Plymouth County to face the charges.
The PCDAO would like to thank the Plymouth Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service for their diligent work locating Luiz and returning him to Massachusetts to answer for the charges against him.