Summary: A Montgomery County defense lawyer is on trial for raping his client nearly two years ago when he was supposed to be representing her in a criminal case.
Despite being the son of the late Superior Court Judge Vincent A. Cirillo, Vincent Cirillo Jr., fell far from the tree. A longtime defense attorney, Cirillo Jr. is undergoing trial for allegedly raping a woman who was his 22-year-old client at the time.
The Montgomery County woman hired Cirillo two years ago to represent her in a criminal case. Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan described to jurors how in August 2015, when she was “highly intoxicated and semi-conscious” he performed sexual acts on her and then took photos of her.
Cirillo is facing five felony-level charges for rape, sexual assault, and other crimes. He pleaded guilty to the charges but withdrew them one the day he was set to be sentenced in December. He contends that the sexual contact was consensual. He described her as a stripper and exotic dancer that invited him into her bedroom after drinking together at her home. His attorney Nino Tinari said, “It’s not an unconscious young lady, but one who consented to have contact with Mr. Cirillo.
The woman’s boyfriend at the time, Paul Buckwalter, testified that he found her later that night after Cirillo left unresponsive in her bed. He began crying on the stand when looking at the photos he took to document her unresponsive state. He said, “She’s never, ever, been in the condition she was in.”
The jury of six men and six women were shown more images that Buckwalter took of her unclothed and unresponsive as he tried to wake her up with a shower. He testified that he ended up taking her to the hospital. She did not consent to a rape-kit or drug testing because she did want the police involved when she was in the midst of fighting for custody of her children. Buckwalter admitted to helping convince her to go to the police.
Tinari argued during his opening argument that she only went to police to cover her sexual contact with Cirillo because Buckwalter was “enraged.” With the aid of detective surveillance, she approached Cirillo five days later to ask him about the incident. He admitted to having sexual contact with her.
During the course of the trial, which is set to last all week, jurors will see the photos Cirillo took of the woman as he performed sexual acts on her. Ryan explained to the jury that “these photographs, taken over the period of the sexual assault, demonstrate a visibly unconscious victim that that man was talking about performing sex acts on.”
Cirillo is also facing charges in other related case of impersonating her lawyer to obtain confidential records while he was awaiting trial. He has been kept in the Montgomery County prison since his arrest several months ago. His law license was revoked in November.
Do you think a drunk person can consent to sexual contact? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about other attorneys accused of rape, read these articles:
- Prominent Lawyer Sanford Rubenstein Suspect in Rape Case
- India: Four Lawyers Accused of Rape, One Detained
- Attorney Charged with Sexual Assault for the Fourth Time
Photo: nbcphiladelphia.com