A D.C. man will serve two consecutive life sentences for breaking into women’s homes and sexually assaulting them in 2007 and 2010, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced Friday.
Ronald P. Berton, Jr., 48, of D.C., was sentenced Friday in two sexual assaults that happened in Adams Morgan in D.C.
Berton was sentenced to life plus 27 years for the June 2010 home invasion and sexual assault and to life without release for the October 2007 home invasion and sexual assault. The terms are to be served consecutively.
He attacked a 30-year-old woman in the 2010 invasion and a 27-year-old woman in the 2007 invasion, according to Graves.
“This sentence helps to ensure that a very dangerous sexual predator will not roam our streets,” Graves said. “This office truly appreciates the courage it took for each survivor to come forward and testify about their ordeal in a courtroom full of strangers, particularly after so many years had passed. Their strength has undoubtedly saved others from falling prey to this serial offender. The people in this office will do everything possible to get justice for victims of sexual assault.”
In the 2010 attack, a woman was sleeping in her ground level apartment when Berton entered her home and then her bedroom, according to the prosecutor. Berton then restrained the woman and sexually assaulted her and then stole her phone and fled the scene, Graves said.
In the 2007 case, prosecutors said Berton had entered the ground level Adams Morgan apartment of a woman while she was sleeping, restrained and sexually assaulted her and then stole her phone and fled. He was convicted of kidnapping and first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances in the 2007 case during a trial in 2020.
In 2017, detectives were able to link Berton to the 2007 case from the 2010 case through Berton’s DNA found underneath the victim’s fingernails, prosecutors said.
Berton also has a 2014 rape conviction in Arlington County after DNA evidence from other cases was used to link Berton to the crime in 2010. Prosecutors said in that case, he entered the ground level apartment of a woman who was sleeping and sexually assaulted her, then stole two cellphones and a laptop and fled.
