A Northeastern University student living in Mission Hill was charged with two violent sexual assaults June 15 that left two women with knife wounds and terrorized the neighborhood.
Patrick Barry, 21, a Medford resident recently living at 878 Huntington Ave., was arrested June 17 after an intense investigation into the early-morning attacks elsewhere on Huntington. Barry was identified as a suspect after claiming that mysterious cuts on his face came from a knife fight, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Barry’s attorney, Carlton Williams, declined to comment to the Gazette.
The first attack occurred around 2 a.m. June 15 in the area of Vancouver Street and Huntington Avenue. The victim said the suspect attacked her from behind with a knife, stole her purse and cell phone, and then dragged her to the area of 15 Vancouver, where he attempted to sexually assault her, according to the Boston Police Department (BPD) and the DA’s Office. The victim escaped, but suffered cuts to her face, arms and hands before getting help from Wentworth Institute of Technology campus police, according to the DA’s Office. Her injuries were reportedly “non-life-threatening,” according to BPD.
A second, similar attack on a woman was reported less than an hour later in the area of Parker Hill Street and Huntington Avenue, about a block from Barry’s Mission Hill apartment. In that incident, a woman was grabbed from behind by a knife-wielding attacker, who dragged her onto a side street. She also escaped and also suffered non-life-threatening wounds, according to BPD.
The attacks prompted BPD to warn the community and to release security video images of a suspect that led to Barry’s arrest.
Barry faces multiple charges of armed robbery, assault with intent to rape and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He was being held on $50,000 bail. A judge also ordered Barry to stay away from Mission Hill, NU, his Huntington Avenue apartment and any witnesses or victims in the case, as well as to abide by a 9 p.m. curfew.
“We can confirm that Patrick is a student here, but nothing further,” said NU spokesperson Lauren Dibble in an email to the Gazette.
Dibble also provided the Gazette with a written statement from NU that reads: “Northeastern applauds the speed and diligence of the Boston Police Department in responding to the recent assaults. The university is dedicated to the safety of all Boston residents, including our Northeastern community. We are pursuing appropriate action in close coordination with Boston law enforcement authorities. Consistent with federal law, we cannot comment further on an individual student’s situation.”
The Boston Police booking photo of The police booking photo of Patrick Barry, 21, of Mission Hill (Photo Courtesy Boston Police Department)