Jurors find Scottdale man guilty of raping girl

A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday rejected a Scottdale man’s claims that his physical limitations prevented him from having sexual activity and rendered him unable to have repeatedly raped a young girl.

Dylan Chiaramonte, 27, was convicted of rape of a child, two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and corruption of a minor.

Jurors heard two days of testimony and deliberated nearly four hours before returning the guilty verdicts.

“The verdict speaks for itself,” said Assistant District Attorney Christina Gongaware.

Gongaware said Chiaramonte faces up to 60 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months.

Chiaramonte showed no emotion as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs after Common Pleas Court Judge Rita Hathaway revoked his bond. Chiaramonte had been free on a non-monetary bond since his arrest in April 2018.

Prosecutors contended Chiaramonte repeatedly molested and had sexual contact with a now 13-year-old girl who testified she was subjected to sometimes daily contact with him in his Scottdale home. She said the sexual abuse started when she was just 4 years old and persisted for five years.

Chiaramonte, the last witness to testify during the trial, denied the allegations. He told jurors that he weighed 625 pounds and as a result was unable to perform sexually.

“Do you believe it was physically possible for the alleged events to take place over a period of five years?” said defense attorney Timothy Kidd during his closing argument.

Gongaware said evidence revealed that the accuser’s testimony detailing the sexual abuses were substantially the same versions of events she gave to forensic investigators when she first disclosed the allegations at age 9.

“This is a defendant who has avoided taking responsibility for anything in his entire life,” Gongaware told jurors.