Lower Providence man convicted of child sex assaults
NORRISTOWN >> A jury deliberated about two hours before convicting a Lower Providence man of having sexual and indecent contact with two underage girls while they were in his company at several locations, including Horsham Township.
John Andrew Anzalone, 39, of the 700 block of Sunnyside Avenue, was convicted in Montgomery County Court of 31 separate charges including rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, indecent assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact or communication with minors in connection with incidents that occurred between 2014 and 2018.
At the time of the assaults, the girls were between the ages of 9 and 14, according to testimony.
Anzalone knew the girls’ family members and the assaults occurred at times when Anzalone was alone with each of the girls.
In addition to occurring in Horsham Township, some of the inappropriate contact occurred when the girls were in Anzalone’s company in other areas of Pennsylvania, including Waymart, Wayne County, and Forest City, Susquehanna County, according to court papers and testimony.
The jury reached the verdict after hearing two days of testimony at the trial presided over by Judge William R. Carpenter. Both victims testified during the trial.
Carpenter remanded Anzalone to the county jail without bail to await a sentencing hearing later this year. The judge said Anzalone will undergo a psychosexual evaluation prior to the sentencing hearing.
Anzalone potentially faces decades in prison on the charges.
“That man is the embodiment of evil to (the victims),” Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Beeson argued to the jury during his closing statement, characterizing the girls as “courageous” for confronting their abuser in court. “They had the courage to come in and do it. That is no small task for a person of their age.”
Beeson said one of the girls was “disgusted” to see Anzalone in the courtroom and attempted to avoid eye contact with him during her testimony.
Anzalone did not testify during the trial.
“He denies it,” defense lawyer Geoffrey Hood argued to jurors, pointing out that throughout the investigation and during interviews by detectives Anzalone denied being involved in any inappropriate conduct with the victims.
Hood suggested the girls were not telling the truth and fabricated the allegations because they had animosity toward Anzalone. Hood argued the girls gave inconsistent statements during the investigation and that their trial testimony differed from those statements.
“When you look at the details, that’s where things fall apart. They don’t hold up under scrutiny,” Hood argued during his closing statement to jurors. “Credibility is going to be the key in this case.”
The investigation began in July 2017, when Horsham Police Officer Lawrence Bozzomo received a report that Anzalone had sexually assaulted two girls. The girls subsequently told detectives and child social workers that Anzalone touched them in an inappropriate manner and had various sexual or indecent contact with them.