A Union County jury has returned a guilty verdict against a man who sexually assaulted a Union Township woman in her home in July of 2020, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced today.
Richard Darby, 37, of The Bronx was found guilty this past Friday on one count each of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, second-degree burglary and third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact following a three week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge Regina Caulfield. The jury deliberated for just hours before returning its verdict.
In July of 2020, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit received a referral from the Union Township Police Department regarding the sexual assault an elderly victim. The joint investigation led by the Special Victims Unit and the Union Police Department that followed quickly identified Darby as the suspect. After a two-day manhunt, Darby was arrested in Jersey City.
Testimony offered at trial revealed that on the day of the crime, the victim was at her home at approximately 5:00 a.m. and went outside to dispose of her trash, leaving her door propped open. When she re-entered the home, she was attacked and sexually assaulted by Darby who had somehow slipped into the home as she was placing her garbage outside, according to Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Dillon, who prosecuted the case. During the attack, the victim was able to escape the house and call 9-1-1 with her neighbor’s assistance, causing Darby to flee the scene, Dillon added.
Sentencing has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 10, 2023 before Judge Caulfield, at which time Darby can face a sentence of up to twenty years state prison, subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), under which defendants convicted of certain violent crimes must serve 85% of their term before being eligible for parole.