Man convicted of raping girl
Victim, now 14, testified against Limerick defendant
NORRISTOWN » A Limerick man bowed his head and sat silently as a judge convicted him of charges he sexually assaulted an underage girl on multiple occasions and later engaged police in a sevenhour standoff after the allegations came to light.
Bryan M. Monica, 30, who listed former addresses in Limerick and Philadelphia, was convicted in Montgomery County Court on Friday of charges of rape, attempted rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault of a child, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person and possessing a firearm without a license in connection with incidents that occurred between 2013 and 2017 in Limerick, Upper Providence and Philadelphia.
Judge Thomas C. Branca rendered the verdict after hearing testimony during a three-day non-jury trial. Branca deferred sentencing so that court officials can complete a background investigation report about Monica, including drug and alcohol evaluations.
Monica, who will remain in jail without bail pending sentencing, potentially faces decades in prison on the charges.
Assistant District Attorney Erika Wevodau vowed to seek a lengthy prison term against Monica.
During the trial, Wevodau alleged Monica, who knew the girl’s family, sexually assaulted the girl on numerous occasions when she was in his company and between the ages of 9 and 13.
“When asked how many times she said ‘too many to count.’ One time is one time too many,” Wevodau
argued during her closing statement to the judge. “She just wanted it to end.”
Monica, who was represented by defense lawyer Julia Lucas, did not testify during the trial. However, his father, Stephen Monica Jr. testified that his son had a reputation in the community for being “peaceful and law abiding.”
The girl, now 14, testifying over the course of several hours, recalled multiple assaults that included various sexual acts when Monica was alone with the girl at various times in various locations in Limerick and Upper Providence townships
and Philadelphia over the course of the four-year period.
“Emotionally, I was scared, disgusted,” the girl, tears welling in her eyes at times, testified.
The investigation began when the victim confided in a friend who advised her to tell a school counselor on Jan. 5, 2017. When the girl reported the incidents to the counselor, authorities were contacted immediately.
“I was scared. It was getting worse,” the girl said as she explained her decision to finally tell a friend and then a school counselor about the assaults. “At that
point, I just wanted it to end. I felt so disgusted. It felt good to tell somebody but I was still scared.”
The girl implied that she didn’t tell anyone about the assaults earlier because she feared Monica would harm someone in her family.
The following day, Jan. 6, after the allegations came to light, Monica drove to the Limerick house where the victim and the girl’s mother lived and parked outside, armed with a .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun, according to court papers filed by Limerick Detective Ernie Morris and now retired Upper
Providence Detective Sgt. Raymond Bechtel III.
Officers responded to the scene on Masters Drive but Monica refused to exit the car and displayed the weapon, including threatening to commit suicide by pointing the gun at his chin, chest and head, according to a prosecutors.
“Monica’s actions kept residents and officers at bay for almost seven hours,” Morris and Bechtel alleged in the arrest affidavit.
Police and tactical units from several area departments took up posts on Masters Drive in Limerick. Two SWAT teams surrounded the vehicle, and, after speaking with negotiators, Monica surrendered peacefully.
During the standoff, police asked residents in the neighborhood to shelter in place, while school buses and those trying to return home were directed to a warming place at the Limerick Township Building.
Wevodau argued Monica not only put himself in danger, but also risked the lives of others that lived in the area.
“The homes in that area are very close to each other. We had a crossfire situation,” Wevodau argued.