Lawyer once named most eligible bachelor sentenced to at least 5 years in prison for rape
Gary Zerola watches the proceedings at his rape trial at Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston. (Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
A Boston lawyer who was once named one of People magazine’s most eligible bachelors was sentenced Monday to between five and 10 years in prison for raping a 21-year-old woman.
Gary Zerola, 52, a criminal defense attorney, was found guilty of rape in June. According to prosecutors, he helped a friend of a woman he was dating back to her apartment after a night of drinking in January 2021. He then reentered the apartment without permission and sexually assaulted her while she was sleeping.
The Associated Press, Boston Globe, Boston Herald and MassLive.com have coverage.
“For months after the incident, I experienced nightly recurring nightmares reliving the assault,” the woman wrote in a victim impact statement that was published by the Associated Press. “Even today, I still have nightmares of someone breaking into my apartment and trying to assault me.”
Joseph Krowski Jr., Zerola’s attorney, said his client will appeal the conviction. According to the Associated Press, he noted that Zerola was acquitted of a greater charge of aggravated rape and burglary in the case.
This wasn’t the first time Zerola was accused of sexual assault.
He faced two counts of rape in an alleged 2016 assault but was acquitted in 2023. He also was charged in three earlier sexual assault cases but was not convicted.
Before his work in criminal defense, Zerola was an assistant district attorney in Essex County and in Suffolk County in Massachusetts. He was named to People magazine’s list of eligible bachelors in 2001.
