Current:Home > FinanceFormer Boston attorney once named ‘most eligible bachelor’ convicted of rape-LoTradeCoin
Former Boston attorney once named ‘most eligible bachelor’ convicted of rape
View Date:2024-12-23 21:23:23
BOSTON (AP) — A former Boston attorney who was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors was found guilty of rape on Wednesday after a jury deliberated for five hours, prosecutors said.
Gary Zerola, 52, was acquitted of the greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary, according to the office of the Suffolk County district attorney.
The former prosecutor and defense attorney was arrested in January 2021. Investigators said at the time that Zerola had been wanted on a warrant issued out of Boston Municipal Court for rape and breaking and entering. He pleaded not guilty.
Zerola has faced previous charges of rape and sexual assault. He previously faced two rape charges in Suffolk County and was acquitted in 2023, according to the district’s attorney’s office. He also was charged in three sexual assault cases between 2006 and 2007, but was never convicted.
Prosecutors said in January 2021 he had paid for a night of drinking with a woman he was dating and her 21-year-old friend. The friend became intoxicated and had to be helped back to her Beacon Hill apartment. Zerola later entered the apartment without permission and sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping, prosecutors said.
“These cases are always difficult, and this victim deserves enormous credit for taking the stand and telling the jury what happened to her that night,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “I thank the jurors for considering all of the information presented to them and for returning a just verdict.”
An attorney for Zerola did not immediately return an email or phone message seeking comment.
Zerola will be sentenced on July 15. The judge revoked his bail on Wednesday and he was ordered held pending sentencing.
Zerola worked as an assistant district attorney in Essex County for one year, and in Suffolk County for two months in 2000, according to former District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office.
veryGood! (28411)
Related
- Ben Affleck and His Son Samuel, 12, Enjoy a Rare Night Out Together
- Get 50% Off a Murad Mattifier That Minimizes Pores and Shine for 10 Hours, Plus $8.25 Ulta Deals
- GameStop turns select locations into retro stores selling classic consoles
- Alaska governor vetoes bill requiring insurance cover a year of birth control at a time
- Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines
- California settles lawsuit with Sacramento suburb over affordable housing project
- Ultra swimmer abandons attempt to cross Lake Michigan again
- Terrence Howard Shares How He’s Helping Daughters Launch Hollywood Careers
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- As Columbus, Ohio, welcomes an economic boom, we need to continue to welcome refugees
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Take the Day Off
- Led by Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever clinch first playoff berth since 2016
- A utility investigated but didn’t find a gas leak before a fatal Maryland house explosion
- Americans who have a job are feeling secure. Not so for many who are looking for one
- Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
- Orlando Bloom Has the Perfect Response to Katy Perry's NSFW Comments About Sex and Housework
- DirecTV subscribers can get a $20 credit for the Disney/ESPN blackout: How to apply
- Mark Meadows asks judge to move Arizona’s fake elector case to federal court
Recommendation
-
Avril Lavigne’s Ex Mod Sun Is Dating Love Is Blind Star Brittany Wisniewski, Debuts Romance With a Kiss
-
Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Show Sweet PDA on Yacht in Italy
-
Election 2024 Latest: Trump and Harris focus on tax policy ahead of next week’s debate
-
Save Up to 74% on Pants at Old Navy: $8 Shorts, $9 Leggings & More Bestsellers on Sale for a Limited Time
-
CFP bracket prediction: SEC adds a fifth team to field while a Big Ten unbeaten falls out
-
How past three-peat Super Bowl bids have fared: Rundown of teams that tried and failed
-
Teen arraigned on attempted murder in shooting of San Francisco 49ers rookie says he is very sorry
-
The Sweet Way Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey Stay Connected During the NFL Season