Man Found Guilty In Sexual Assault Of Elderly Union Woman

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A New York man was found guilty in the sexual assault of a Union Township woman in her home in July of 2020, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced Thursday.

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.

In July of 2020, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit received a report from the Union Township Police Department regarding the sexual assault an elderly woman.

Read more: Man Charged With Aggravated Sexual Assault of Elderly Union Woman

A joint investigation led by the Special Victims Unit and the Union Police Department that followed identified Darby as the suspect. After a two-day manhunt, Darby was arrested in Jersey City, prosecutors said.

Testimony at trial revealed that on the day of the assault — July 6, 2020 — the woman was at her home at around 5 a.m. and went outside to dispose of her trash, leaving her door propped open, prosecutors said.

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.

During the attack, the woman was able to escape the house and call 9-11 with her neighbor's assistant, causing Darby to flee the scene, according to Dillon.

Sentencing has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 10 before Judge Caulfield, at which time Darby can face a sentence of up to 20 years in state prison.

This is subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), under which defendants convicted of certain violent crimes must serve 85 percent of their term before being eligible for parole.