A private school teacher nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful” has been charged with raping two former students — who turned up to stare him down in a Massachusetts courtroom.
Matthew Rutledge, 64, sat stony-faced as he was arraigned on Wednesday on charges of grooming and raping two teens during his more than 30 years teaching at the exclusive Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Mass., WCVB reported.
His two now-adult accusers — Melissa Fares, 33, and Hilary Simon, 39 — were willingly identified as they showed up in court to see their former teacher enter not guilty pleas on three counts of rape.
The accusations emerged in 2024 when Fares reached out to Simon to share identical allegations of being groomed, manipulated and sexually abused by the history teacher.
“He began grooming me at 15 years old … and his abuse of me continued for years after I left that campus,” Simon said this week of the alleged abuse between 2001 and 2005. “After more than two decades, this case is finally in the hands of the criminal justice system.”
Fares, meanwhile, alleged that Rutledge preyed on her from 2007 to 2010, also starting when she was 16.
Rutledge resigned in April 2024, soon after the allegations were brought to the school.
But prosecutors initially turned down charges because both girls were 16 at the time, and state laws did not forbid teachers from having sex with students above the age of consent.
“Massachusetts law defines the age of consent as 16,” Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue said in October 2024 when initially announcing there would be no charges. “While the alleged behavior is profoundly troubling, it is not illegal.”
However, both accusers pressed on to overturn laws allowing such behavior by teachers, and also filed separate lawsuits.
The DA praised their bravery as he announced the rape charges against Rutledge in March, saying, “They have waited far too long for justice.”
The school, meanwhile, also hired a law firm to investigate the allegations — which suggested Rutledge had abused at least five students over 20 years — as well as a pattern of sexul misconduct by other staff going back to the 1940s, according to NBC News.
It also showed that Rutledge was a “larger than life” figure who was greeted with calls of, “Make way for Mr. Wonderful” as he marched through the hallways.
The two former students have advocated for a state bill to close the loophole and make it a crime for a teacher to have sex with a student.
“To every survivor, and I promise you this, there is a way out of survival mode,” Fares said at a press conference.
“But please don’t carry shame that was never yours to begin with. You are not to blame. You are not damaged, the systems around you are,” she added.
The pair also criticized their former school for what they described as enabling Rutledge’s behavior.
“Miss Hall’s School knew. This whole school knew. They enabled a culture of abuse for decades. They failed us, our families, and every girl trusted them to protect her. They must also be held accountable,” Fares said.
In a statement, the school called the arraignment an “important and painful moment for our community,” adding that it was continuing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Rutledge was released on personal recognizance and ordered to stay away from his victims. He is next due in court on June 18 for a pre-trial hearing.
