Gary Zerola, One Of People's Top Bachelors Of 2001, Accused Of Rapes
Gary Zerola's dark, brooding looks and his work on behalf of foster children helped earn him a spot on People magazine's list of America's "Most Eligible Bachelors" and a tryout for the TV reality show "The Bachelor."
But authorities now say Zerola had another, darker sideline -- as a rapist who preys on young women.
He awaits back-to-back trials beginning Tuesday in Boston on charges he attacked two 19-year-olds in 2004 and 2006. He also faces charges in Florida, where authorities say he force-fed drugs to an 18-year-old woman, then raped her in a Miami Beach hotel in October while free on bail in the Massachusetts assaults.
Prosecutors say Zerola met all three women in bars, charmed them, then attacked them when they refused to have sex. In the 2006 case, he allegedly took the woman shopping at Neiman Marcus, where he bought her a $700 dress and $250 shoes before trying to rape her in his Boston apartment.
"He spent some time grooming these girls," prosecutor Suzanne Kontz said during a hearing in November.
See Gary Zerola's law firm's official website, which includes a biography.
See a photo gallery of Zerola in a Massachusetts courtroom.
The trial starts tomorrow. Read more about Zerola's arrests and previous court appearances here, here, and here.
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AP | Denise Lavoie | January 7, 2008 05:58 PM