Chester man gets 28-66 years in prison for child sex assaults

Repeatedly forced victim to commit heinous acts

A 31-yearold Chester man was sentenced Monday to 28 to 66 years in state prison for repeated sexual assaults against a young girl.

Edward Ross was convicted by a jury earlier this year on rape of a child, five counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault on a person less than 13 years old, aggravated indecent assault with a child, attempted aggravated indecent assault, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor.

The jury heard from the 12-year-old victim and watched a video of an interview conducted with the girl when she was 10 years old, after she disclosed years of assaults perpetrated by Ross to a cousin.

The girl said she would often try to hide from Ross in her closet, pulling a Teddy bear close and sometimes falling asleep. The girl said that she was afraid of Ross because he would yell at her and flick her in the forehead. The girl also testified that Ross told her not tell anyone about their “secret” or she would be in trouble.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I just didn’t want to get in trouble,” she said. “I was afraid (of) the consequences.”

The victim nonetheless said she did try to tell her mother about the abuse, but was unable to because Ross was always around. She said she had tried to write her mother a note but did not know how to get it to her, so threw it away. Another family member said the girl had told her Ross snatched one of these notes away from her mother and tore it up.

The victim said the abuse stopped when she was about 10, after she refused Ross. She told a cousin about the abuse in March 2019, which triggered a criminal investigation.

Deputy District Attorney Kristen Kemp had sought a sentence of 35 to 70 years, arguing Ross had inflicted lifelong trauma on the child with his repeated abuse and that his punishment should be comparable.

“This is not something that happened once, this was abuse that happened over and over again, all before her 10th birthday,” Kemp said. “And but for her bravery, your honor, the defendant would have continued to get away with it.”

The victim also gave a brief statement in which she said she cannot now even be hugged by friends because she is afraid of people touching her. She told Ross: “I really hope you do well inside that jail cell.”

Defense attorney Stephen Deavor asked for a sentence of 10 to 20 years with a probationary detail. He said Ross has no prior convictions and has held steady employment at various jobs despite never finishing high school.

Deavor said his client has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but has been a “model prisoner” since his arrest, earning his GED while incarcerated and being a “block runner” for corrections officers. Deavor added that Ross is not a high risk for re-offending and that a 35 to 70 year sentence would be a “de facto life sentence” that offers no incentive for Ross to improve himself.

Ross also addressed Court of Common Pleas Judge Richard Cappelli briefly, asking for leniency and saying he plans to take full advantage of programs available to him.

The judge imposed the mandatory minimum of 10 to 20 years on the child rape charge and ran three IDSI charges consecutively at 6 to 12 years each. Ross will also serve eight years of probation and cannot have any contact with the victims or minors upon release. He must also register as a sex offender for life under Megan’s Law.