Jesriel Morales

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A Western Massachusetts man who admitted to violently beating a 6-year-old child has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison, authorities said. 

Jesriel Morales, 36, of North Adams, pleaded on Thursday, June 5, to a string of disturbing crimes involving a 6-year-old child. The assaults happened in 2022 and included slamming the child into a wall and window, hitting them with a belt, slapping them, and forcing them to kneel on dried rice, the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office said.

The abuse led to three convictions for aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon on a child and two additional charges of assault and battery.

The prosecutor requested that he spend three to five years in prison, and Morales' lawyers wanted probation. The judge split the difference with his ruling. Morales must serve two years probation once he's released. 

Morales was ordered to have no contact with the victim, and he must complete a fatherhood program as part of his sentence. 

“I am pleased with the guilty plea," Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said. "Jesriel Morales preyed on the most innocent member of society. Today, my thoughts are with the very young victim. I hope this conclusion provides them some peace and feeling of safety and security.”