Jury convicts 78-year-old Warren man as child rapist

A 78-year-old Warren man was convicted Tuesday by a Trumbull County jury on felony charges connected to an assault of a 10-year-old female relative.

After the verdict was read, Jose Gaetan was taken away in handcuffs. He will be sentenced by Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice at 11 a.m. Feb. 8.

Gaetan, who was convicted of two counts of rape and five counts of gross sexual imposition, faces a life-in-prison sentence. The jury, after two hours of deliberations, came back with a not guilty verdict on a single charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

How did the prosecution react?

Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Gabe Wildman said he was pleased with the jurors’ decision, saying it was the young victim’s testimony that was especially convincing.

“Ultimately, the victim in this case is the reason we were able to obtain a conviction, she showed incredible courage taking the stand to tell the truth about what this man did to her,” Wildman said.

In closing, Wildman told of how the defendant had groomed the victim that began with him showering with the girl at an age as young as 5.

Others who testified for the state during the two-day trial were the girl’s parents and Warren police detective Nick Carney who had interviewed the defendant via video which was played to jurors.

Wildman, in praising the investigative efforts of the Warren police and the Child Assault Unit at Akron Children’s Hospital’s Boardman campus, said his office will continue to stand up for victims of sexual abuse, aggressively prosecuting the perpetrators.