Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Top News
Top News

Former Boston Lawyer Sentenced To Prison For Rape

Gary Zerola, of Boston, stands Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008, while on trial at Suffolk Superior Court, in Boston. Zerola, a former Boston lawyer and prosecutor who was once named one of People magazin

A former Boston lawyer and prosecutor, who was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors, has been sentenced to between five and 10 years in state prison for rape. The 52-year-old man was found guilty last month after a jury deliberated for five hours and has been incarcerated since then. He was acquitted of a greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary.

Prosecutors revealed that in January 2021, the man paid over $2,000 for a night of drinking with a woman he was dating and her 21-year-old friend who had just graduated from college. The friend became intoxicated and had to be assisted back to her Beacon Hill apartment. Subsequently, the man entered the apartment without permission and sexually assaulted the woman around 2 a.m. while she was sleeping.

In a victim impact statement read in court, the woman shared the profound impact the incident had on her life. She described experiencing recurring nightmares reliving the assault for months after the incident and still having nightmares today.

Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden commended the victim for her courage in testifying and sharing her story with the jury. The man's attorney mentioned that his client is appealing the conviction and expressed that the sentence, though not ideal, was within or close to the recommended guideline range for someone without a prior criminal record. He highlighted that the man had been acquitted on two of the three original charges.

The attorney stated that his client was coping as well as possible under the circumstances and intended to utilize his time in prison productively to emerge from the experience positively. The man had faced previous accusations of sexual assault but was not convicted in those cases. He had been acquitted of two rape charges in Suffolk County in 2023 and faced three sexual assault cases between 2006 and 2007 without being convicted.

Formerly employed as an assistant district attorney in Essex County for a year and in Suffolk County for two months in 2000, the man was arrested in January 2021.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.