BOSTON – Former Boston prosecutor Gary Zerola was found guilty of rape a year later acquitted of similar charges.
Jurors deliberated for five hours over two days in Suffolk Superior Court before reaching the verdict Wednesday.
The jury acquitted Zerola of the more serious charges of aggravated rape and burglary.
Gary Zerola’s bail has been revoked
The judge in the case revoked Zerola’s bail until he can be sentenced on July 15.
Zerola is a former assistant district attorney in Suffolk County. He was named one of People Magazine’s Most Eligible Bachelors in 2001.
Prosecutors said Zerola paid for a night of drinking in 2021 for a woman he was dating and her 21-year-old girlfriend. The girlfriend, who was drunk, had to be taken back to her apartment in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Police said Zerola later entered the apartment uninvited and raped the woman while she slept.
“These cases are always difficult, and this victim deserves tremendous credit for taking the stand and telling the jury what happened to her that night. I thank the jurors for considering all the information presented to them and for rendering a fair verdict,” Suffolk said, according to prosecutor Kevin Hayden.
Previous allegations against Gary Zerola
Zerola has a history of accusations of rape dating from 1996. In total, he has been acquitted of rape three times.
In the most recent acquittal, Zerola was found not guilty of the rape of a 23-year-old woman in 2023. Prosecutors alleged Zerola raped the woman in that case after a night of partying in 2016.
