Apr 21, 2015 3 min read

A Monongahela man found guilty of raping and beating his former girlfriend in December 2012 after luring her into the apartment they sometimes shared was sentenced Tuesday to 18 to 36 years in prison.

John D. Yocolano II, 34, stared straight ahead as Washington County Judge John F. DiSalle announced his sentence. On Jan. 16, Yocolano sobbed as a Washington County jury found him guilty on 13 charges, including rape and kidnapping.

During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, five deputies were present. Extra deputies were needed when the guilty verdicts were returned in January to restore order after Yocolano’s family shouted, cursed and screamed.

This time, his family and friends sat silently and shed tears.

The woman, who was present, declined to make a statement in court. During the trial, the Monongahela woman testified on the evening of Dec. 6, 2012, Yocolano lured her to the apartment they shared with her son, tricked her into coming upstairs, locked her inside a room and assaulted and raped her. She said she escaped when a friend came to the door looking for her.

The woman also testified Yocolano abused and manipulated her in the past. The pair were briefly engaged and filed for a marriage license before their relationship ended in summer 2011. They were involved in a custody dispute, and the woman filed for a protection-from-abuse order prior to the Dec. 6, 2012, incident. They had briefly reconciled before the incident, and the woman filed a petition to withdraw the PFA the morning of Dec. 6.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kristin Clingerman revealed Yocolano had a lengthy past of domestic violence. She said five other women filed for PFAs against Yocolano between 2001 and 2010. She said Yocolano had several personas, and one of them was a monster.

Family and friends of Yocolano painted a different picture. His father, John Yocolano, said his son was a kind, compassionate man who cared about others and his two children. He asked DiSalle for leniency.

DiSalle said Yocolano’s past record of domestic violence and the fact he used his child as bait portrayed a different scenario.

DiSalle ordered Yocolano also undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow through with any recommendations. He must also undergo anger management and domestic violence counseling and is to have no contact with the woman or her family.

Clingerman declined to comment following Tuesday’s hearing. Yocolano’s attorney, Neil Marcus, was not present. Attorney Steve Toprani attended in his place and declined to comment.

Yocolano will remain in Washington County jail until he is transferred to a state prison.