Bucks Co. Man Raped 10-Year-Old Stepdaughter: Police

FALLS TOWNSHIP, PA —A Bucks County man has been charged with the rape of his 10-year-old stepdaughter, the Falls Township Police Department said Monday.

Cory Hegelein, 32, of Falls Township, is charged with aggravated and indecent assault of a minor under the age of 13, statutory assault, indecent assault, and other offenses.

He had a preliminary arraignment before District Judge Vislosky Monday afternoon and was sent to Bucks County Prison on $975,000 bail with 10 percent with the non-monetary conditions of no victim contact and following the CPS safety plan in place regarding his biological children, authorities said.

According to an affidavit, Falls Township Police Officer Ronald MacPherson met with the victim on Nov. 18, 2022, due to a disclosure of possible inappropriate sexual contact with an adult.

During this interview, the victim said she had been raped by her stepfather, Cory Hegelein, and the most recent time was a week before the interview.

The victim told police that on some days she stays with her mother and Hegelein at their residence.

The victim told police that Hegelein called her into their room and began having sex with her. She said it happened more than once. She said her stepfather would tell her to come in and snuggle and threatened her with turning off Wifi if she didn't.

In a separate interview, the victim's older brother stated Hegelein would call her into his bedroom by yelling, "Come in here so we can snuggle."

He was also asked if anyone else was in the room with them while they are snuggling and he explained no. He said the victim would come back to their room in the morning or in the middle of the night while he was sleeping.

The mother worked overnight and was not at home at the time of the incidents, the affidavit said.

The girl said the first time it happened was when she was 8 years old.

The victim said Hegelein also showed her pornography using his phone one time while he was having sex with her. She said the faces of the people in the pornography were blurry, but they were grown-ups.

When first confronted by police, Hegelein denied the allegations, saying his stepdaughter had a "really strong imagination."

After the interview, the apartment was searched and police confiscated three cell phones. A red blanket was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police Bethlehem Regional Laboratory for analysis.

On March 14, swabs were taken of Hegelein during a search warrant.

Results indicated Hegelein's DNA profile matches the DNA profile obtained from the sperm fraction of the cuttings from the blanket. The report also stated that a partial DNA profile, consistent with a mixture of three contributors, was obtained from the non-sperm fraction of the cutting from the blanket.