Collegeville man sent to jail for raping drunk, unconscious woman in Skippack

Zachary Brandt of Collegeville is escorted by sheriff’s deputies from a Montgomery County courtroom on July 18, 2024, to begin his prison sentence for raping an unconscious woman. (Photo by Carl Hessler Jr. – MediaNews Group)

NORRISTOWN – A Collegeville man faces up to 10 years in prison on charges he raped a drunken and unconscious woman after a night of drinking with friends at a Skippack Township dormitory.

Zachary Thomas Brandt, 25, of the 400 block of Bridge Street, was sentenced in Montgomery District Court to 4½ to 10 years in a state reformatory on a charge of rape of an unconscious or unsuspecting person in connection with the July 22, 2020, incident at a residence in the 1000 block of Collegeville Road in Skippack.

Judge Steven T. O’Neill also ordered that Brandt serve three years of probation following his parole release. This means Brandt will be under court supervision for 13 years.

Brandt is also subject to a lifetime obligation to provide his address to state police in order to comply with the State of Pennsylvania’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (formerly known as Megan’s Law).

In a two-day trial in April, a jury convicted Brandt of rape, sexual assault, aggravated assault and sexual battery.

When Brandt, who continues to maintain his innocence, was given the opportunity to address the judge before learning his fate, he offered no apology at the defense table, telling the judge only, “I will not sit on this side of the table again in any capacity.”

Brandt showed no emotion as the judge announced the verdict and said nothing as he was escorted out of the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies to begin serving his sentence.

Assistant District Attorney Meghan Bernadette Carney argued for a prison sentence of five to 10 years for Brandt, a sentence that is within the usual range of state sentencing guidelines.

During the trial, Carney argued that the victim was unconscious, did not know what was going on, and did not consent to sex with Brandt because she was unconscious.

“This was a predator. She was unconscious and unconscious. He was fully aware that she was not consenting. He preyed on a friend, someone he knew, which makes him incredibly dangerous. This is a human being who preyed on an unconscious girl. It was a complete violation of the victim’s personhood, her safety and her protection,” Carney said, arguing that Brandt showed no remorse during the trial, failed to accept responsibility and engaged in “victim blaming.”

“He preyed on a vulnerable person who trusted him and he took advantage of that. The defendant’s actions have left lasting scars,” Carney added.

The victim stated that she no longer felt safe with anyone and that her sense of security had been destroyed.

“I’m not sleeping, I’ve hardly slept since the trial. I’m just glad that you’re being punished, because I’ll have to live with this for the rest of my life,” the woman said, addressing Brandt directly, her voice trembling with excitement.

During the trial, Brandt testified that the sexual contact with the 19-year-old woman was consensual.

Defense attorney Thomas C. Egan III asked for a lighter sentence for Brandt, essentially asking the judge to deviate from standard sentencing guidelines. Egan suggested a minimum sentence of no more than three years in prison.

During the trial, Egan argued that Brandt and the woman had been drinking heavily, that “both made alcohol-related decisions” and that the prosecution had not presented enough evidence to support the rape charge.

Egan argued that “we cannot reverse the jury’s verdict,” but asked the judge not to ignore that everyone involved was drunk at the time of the incident and that character witnesses had testified that Brandt was a good person.

“He was not a sex offender when he entered the house. He is not a serial sex offender. He was an intoxicated young man who, according to the jury, made a blatant mistake,” Egan argued.

Egan said Brandt did not express any remorse in his speech to the judge “because he remains firmly convinced that he was not involved in any illegal activity in this case.”

“He testified to this at trial and stands by his sworn testimony,” Egan said, adding that Brandt and his family intend to appeal the conviction and sentence.

Judge O’Neill’s sentence was within the usual sentencing guidelines. O’Neill pointed out that the jury had heard testimony from defense witnesses who attested to Brandt’s good character.

“None of the character witnesses were present that night. When a jury of 12 heard the facts of this case, … they unanimously said the defendant was guilty of raping an unconscious victim,” O’Neill said. “The jury said it happened. They believed her (the victim). This jury has spoken.”

O’Neill said any lesser sentence than the one he imposed would diminish the seriousness of the crime.

The investigation began on July 22, 2020, at approximately 6:24 a.m., when the 19-year-old victim and her 20-year-old friend went to the State Police in Skippack to report that the victim had been sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint filed by State Police Trooper Brandon Sheehan.

Witness statements indicated that Brandt, the victim and another person visited the 20-year-old friend’s apartment on Collegeville Road and drank heavily on the evening of July 21 and into the early hours of July 22.

At some point during the evening, the drunken victim went into a bedroom where she passed out, prosecutors claimed.

The 20-year-old girlfriend told police that when she entered the bedroom around 5 a.m., she observed Brandt having sex with the naked victim, who appeared to be unconscious and unaware of the sexual act. The girlfriend confronted Brandt, who then stopped the sexual act and allegedly said it “wasn’t what it looked like,” the affidavit states.

“After the confrontation, the defendant left the apartment,” Sheehan wrote in his affidavit.

The victim told police that she had consumed alcohol and marijuana and was so drunk that she felt sick, court documents show.

“From that point on, the victim had no recollection of what had happened until she was awakened by a disturbance in the apartment,” Sheehan wrote in the criminal complaint. “In addition, the victim insisted that she had not consented to have sex with the defendant.”

The victim recalled waking up to his girlfriend’s screams and realizing that Brandt was no longer home. The victim told police that her 20-year-old friend informed her of what had happened.

Witness testimony indicated that the victim had undergone an examination for sexual assault at Abington Hospital. DNA analysis of the evidence implicated Brandt in sexual contact with the victim.

Carney described the woman as “a strong, smart, brave young woman” for coming forward to police and testifying during the trial.

“I think brave and courageous are the only words I can use to describe her, given what she’s been through and how she’s handled herself,” Carney said.