BOSTON (TCN) — A 52-year-old attorney once touted as one of People magazine’s “most eligible bachelors” was sentenced to prison for sexually assaulting a woman in 2021 after a night out.
WBZ-TV reports a judge sentenced Gary Zerola on Monday, July 15, to five to 10 years behind bars after he was convicted last month of rape. At his trial in June, a jury acquitted him of aggravated rape and burglary.
Zerola has been charged with sexual assault several times dating back to 1996, though he was never previously convicted.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Zerola and the victim met at a party on Jan. 11, 2021. Zerola, the victim, and a mutual friend went back to the victim’s apartment. Zerola reportedly broke into her apartment, and the victim reportedly woke up in the middle of the night to Zerola raping her.
The victim provided an impact statement at Zerola’s sentencing, which a judge read. WBZ reports the victim wrote in her letter that she has “experienced an extreme sense of paranoia” and she lives “in constant fear that someone will enter without my permission and hurt me again.”
According to WBTS-TV, she said, “As much as I try to be strong and continue to work hard to prove this incident has little effect on my life, I fear that I will be impacted by this for the rest of my life.”
Zerola’s attorney told WBTS that they are appealing his conviction.
Zerola practiced as a criminal defense attorney, but he previously worked as an Essex County assistant district attorney for one year and the same role in Suffolk County for two months in 2000.
WBTS reports prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to nine to 13 years in prison, and his defense sought two to three years.
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