Man Faces Up To 40 Years For Repeatedly Raping Lower Bucks Girl

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —A Falls Township man faces up to 40 years in prison for repeatedly raping the daughter of the woman he was having a relationship with, starting when the girl was 8, authorities said.

Cory Hegelein,33, of the township's Morrisville section, was sentenced on Wednesday after being found guilty in June to the rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, aggravated indecent assault on a person less than 13 years old, indecent assault on a person less than 13 years of age, and corruption of minors., the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said.

Common Pleas Judge Gary B. Gilman sentenced Hegelein to 18 to 40 years in state prison with a consecutive term of 10 years of probation.

Gilman also ordered that he undergo sex offender treatment, and mental health treatment and have no contact with the victim or her family.

The victim and her relatives provided impact statements at Wednesday’s sentencing.

The victim, in her statement read by a victim advocate, said she wanted to see Hegelein go to prison for the maximum sentence allowed by law, “so he can’t hurt anyone else.”

Deputy District Attorney Jovin Jose also called for a lengthy prison sentence, calling Hegelein “a danger to the community.”

The Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board also determined that Hegelein met the criteria to be declared a sexually violent predator and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

During the weeklong trial in June, Deputy District Attorney Jovin Jose said Hegelein used his access to the victim, who is now 12, to rape her for years.

Hegelein had previously been in a relationship with the girl’s mother.

The victim testified during the trial about Hegelein repeatedly raping her in different rooms in the apartment, describing in detail the horrors he inflicted. She was 8 when he first raped her, she testified.