Falls Township man convicted of raping young girl

A 33-year-old man was found guilty by a Bucks County jury on Friday of repeatedly raping a girl in Falls Township.

Cory Hegelein, of Morrisville, Falls Township, was found guilty of rape of a child, sexual assault of a minor, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent touching of a person under 13, indecent touching of a person under 13 and enticement of a minor.

The trial before Judge Gary B. Gilman began Monday. Sentencing was postponed for 120 days because Hegelein must undergo a pre-sentence evaluation and an evaluation by the Sex Offender Assessment Board.

In his closing argument Friday morning, Assistant District Attorney Jovin Jose said Hegelein used his access to the victim for years to rape her. Hegelein had previously had a relationship with the girl’s mother.

While most girls her age were enjoying the end of the school year, Jose said, the victim testified in court about the worst moments of her life. On Tuesday, the young girl, now 12, bravely testified that Hegelein raped her repeatedly in different rooms of the apartment and described in detail the atrocities he inflicted on her.

“This is the second time this week that I have the honor of commending the strength of a young victim who stood up to the perpetrator who preyed on her,” said District Attorney Jennifer Schorn. “Thanks to her strength and the outstanding work of the prosecution team, this defendant was found guilty of these heinous crimes.”

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said the investigation began in November 2022 when Falls Township police received a report that a child had “possibly had inappropriate sexual contact with an adult.”

In a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center that was played in court, the victim, who was 10 at the time, said Hegelein raped her several times, most recently a week before the report was made to police. She said she was 8 when he first raped her. The girl also told police that Hegelein showed her pornography on his cell phone. The victim’s brother, who testified in court, confirmed some of the details.

During their investigation, Falls Township detectives executed a search warrant on Hegelein’s residence and seized three cell phones belonging to Hegelein.

Police also collected clothing, towels and bedding from the apartment. Tests at the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab found semen traces on a red blanket that matched Hegelein. Tests also found DNA traces on the red blanket that were linked to the victim.

An analysis of Hegelein’s mobile phones revealed pornographic documents, including some he had recorded at home.

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