Trial of youth center worker accused of holding down boy while he was raped turns acrimonious

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The cross-examination of a man who says he was raped as a teenager by youth center workers in New Hampshire turned acrimonious Wednesday, with the accuser at one point calling an opposing lawyer a "sick man” following a heated exchange.

It was the second day in the trial of Bradley Asbury, who is accused of holding down 14-year-old Michael Gilpatrick on a staircase in 1997 with help from a colleague, while a third staffer raped the teen and a fourth forced him to perform a sex act.

It’s the second criminal trial to stem from a broad 2019 investigation into historic abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. Asbury, now 70, is among 11 men who worked there or at an associated facility in Concord who were arrested.

Gilpatrick, now 41, took the stand for a second day and was questioned by defense lawyer David Rothstein, who pointed out inconsistencies in his recollection of the events leading up to the alleged attack, including how many times he’d been released home in the months beforehand, what time of day the incident occurred, and whether there were other children around.

Gilpatrick said his recollection of details before and after the attack were hazy.

“What I won’t forget, do you want me to continue to tell you?” Gilpatrick said during one of several fiery exchanges with the lawyer. “That your client held me down while another man raped me."

“Go ahead and say it again, in case they didn’t hear it,” the lawyer responded. “Say it again.”

“He held me down and raped me,” Gilpatrick said loudly, as he leaned into the microphone.

“Say it again,” the lawyer responded.

“You want me to keep saying it? You’re a sick man,” Gilpatrick said, before asking the judge for a break and storming off the stand.

Rothstein said the attack never happened and Gilpatrick is motivated by money. He pointed out Gilpatrick has received more than $146,000 against an anticipated payout from a related civil case.

“You're trying to establish that this is about money, and it's got nothing to do with money,” Gilpatrick testified.

Prosecutor Audriana Mekula said the rape occurred after Gilpatrick made a smart-aleck comment to Asbury and his colleagues and was then dropped onto the floor from behind, picked up by his arms and legs, and dragged onto a staircase at the juvenile lockup.

Asbury had been fired from the Concord facility three years before over allegations of physical and psychological abuse. But he was later rehired and transferred to Manchester, where he worked until 2001.

He is charged with two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault. If found guilty, he faces a maximum prison term of 20 years on each count. The trial is expected to conclude either Thursday or Friday.

An earlier case against Victor Malavet ended in a mistrial in September after jurors deadlocked on whether he raped a girl at the Concord facility. A new trial in that case has yet to be scheduled.

The investigation has also led to extensive civil litigation. More than 1,100 former residents have filed lawsuits alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse spanning six decades. In the only civil case to go to trial so far, a jury awarded David Meehan $38 million in May for abuse he says he suffered in the 1990s, though that verdict remains in dispute as the state seeks to reduce it to $475,000.

The Associated Press generally does not identify those who say they were victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as Meehan and Gilpatrick have done.

FILE - Bradley Asbury is arraigned via video as Judge William Lyons presides, at right, at Manchester, N.H., April 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool, File)

Defendant Bradley Asbury, left, accused of holding down a teenage boy so colleagues could rape him at a New Hampshire youth center in the 1990s, confers with his attorney David Rothstein during opening statements for his trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H.,, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)

Assistant Attorney General Audriana Mekula holds a picture of alleged victim Michael Gilpatrick when he was 14 that she showed the jury during opening statements in the trial of Bradley Asbury at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H.,, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)

FILE - The Sununu Youth Services Center is seen amongst the trees on Jan. 28, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Defense attorney David Rothstein, representing defendant Bradley Asbury who is accused of holding down a teenage boy so colleagues could rape him at a New Hampshire youth center in the 1990s, makes his opening statement in Asbury's trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H.,, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)

FILE - Michael Gilpatrick, a former youth detention center resident, fights back tears as testifies during a civil trial seeking to hold the state accountable for alleged abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly called the Youth Development Center, April 17, 2024, at Rockingham County Superior Court in Brentwood, N.H. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool, File)

Defendant Bradley Asbury, accused of holding down a teenage boy so colleagues could rape him at a New Hampshire youth center in the 1990s, looks behind him while seated at the defendant's table during opening statements for his trial at Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H.,, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (David Lane/Union Leader via AP, Pool)

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 21, 2024--

Sammons Institutional Group (SIG), a member company of Sammons® Financial Group, Inc., welcomes Piera Valle into a new role as Vice President, Financial Institutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121227982/en/

Sammons Institutional Group is focused on building product sales and relationships with the nation’s leading banks. This new role is clearly focused on further developing a proactive bank and financial institution sales outreach strategy. To that end, Valle will lead efforts to refine SIG sales strategy, grow shelf space among retail banks, and add new distribution partners within an increasingly important financial services channel.

“Throughout 2024, we have seen fantastic sales growth with our leading-edge products, broad distribution and technological and operational capabilities. We are poised to see further growth in financial institutions,” said Bill Lowe, President, Sammons Institutional Group. “Piera’s scope will expand beyond banks to also include credit unions and full-service brokerage firms. She will also serve as one of our leaders in refining and driving our overall financial institution strategy.”

Valle spent the past 16 years leading strategic accounts development with a leading annuity carrier. In this prior role, she was responsible for maximizing profitable revenue growth through the development, implementation, and maintenance of partner relationship sales efforts in a variety of products including annuities and mutual funds.

She has also led product management at a large national bank, developing her firm’s financial product line up. Valle has deep experience in building bank and financial services partner relationships across a diverse array of annuity and offshore products offered to clients through financial advisors.

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About Sammons® Financial Group, Inc.

The companies of Sammons Financial Group® help families and businesses by empowering futures and changing lives. Sammons Financial Group is employee owned with member companies that are among the most enduring and stable in the financial services industry. Sammons Financial Group is Midwest-based, with offices in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota.

Piera Valle, Vice President, Financial Institutions at Sammons Institutional Group. (Photo: Business Wire)