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Accused serial rapist, former prosecutor Gary Zerola found guilty of rape

Gary Zerola, a former prosecutor and accused serial rapist, has been previously acquitted in three separate trials in Boston.

Gary Zerola on trial in 2023. (David L Ryan/Globe Staff)

June 26, 2024

A former Suffolk County prosecutor who has been accused of rape multiple times and acquitted in three separate rape trials was found guilty of rape Wednesday.

Gary Zerola, 52, was found guilty of rape by a jury in Suffolk Superior Court. He was acquitted on a charge of aggravated rape and burglary, which is a greater charge, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

According to the DA, Zerola and a woman he was dating helped her intoxicated, 21-year-old friend get back to her Beacon Hill apartment in 2021. Zerola later returned to her apartment without permission and raped her while she was asleep, the DA 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,” DA Kevin Hayden said. “I thank the jurors for considering all of the information presented to them and for returning a just verdict.”

Zerola — once named one of “People” magazine’s most eligible bachelors — worked as a prosecutor with the Essex and Suffolk County District Attorney’s offices and started a nonprofit to support foster children, according to a 2008 Boston article.

The former prosecutor has faced multiple rape accusations since 2004. Zerola was acquitted in 2008 of two separate sexual assault allegations in Boston. Similar charges were dropped against Zerola in Louisiana and Florida, The Boston Globe reported.

Last year, Zerola was acquitted again on two counts of rape in connection to an incident in 2016. A woman testified in court that she awoke to Zerola undressing and assaulting her, while her friend who was dating him slept nearby. His defense team pointed to his past relationship with the alleged victim including Snapchat messages, dinners and drinks, and a motorcycle ride.

Zerola will be sentenced July 15.