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Angelo “Ken” Wedra, an ex-con who has served time for murder and sexually assaulting a disabled teenaged girl, had his bail revoked by Presiding Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi after pleading guilty to the lesser charge this afternoon.
In a separate proceeding that followed, Wedra pleaded guilty to a contempt of court charge for trying to contact the victim even though she had an order of protection against him.
The woman — who testified during the trial and sat on the prosecutors’ side of the courtroom today — appeared relieved that the ordeal was over.
As part of the plea agreement, another indictment against Wedra charging him with sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl was dismissed.
Wedra waiting for the proceeding to begin this afternoon (STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter)
Questioned by his attorney, Dennis Calo, Wedra admitted knowing that the then-35-year-old woman was under sedation following a car crash earlier that day when he entered her home Rochelle Park home in March 2001 using a set of keys he had for emergencies.
He then admitted getting into bed with her and touching her breasts and thighs “to physically satisfy” himself.
Calo didn’t ask whether Wedra raped the woman, given the nature of the plea.
Wedra – who never spoke during the month-long trial last spring — answered questions today in a clear voice, saying “yes” to each one that Calo posed.
Wedra at first rejected a deal with prosecutors after jurors failed to reach a verdict in June. A retrial was supposed to begin next Monday.
As CLIFFVIEW PILOT reported earlier today, he changed his mind and agreed to serve an additional six months in the Bergen County Jail, atop three he’d already spent behind bars before posting $300,000 bail in August 2009.
DeAvila-Silbebi said she will sentence Wedra to time served upon his release April 28.
Wedra, who has been in ill health, walked with a cane, and received permission to remain seated during today’s plea because of sciatica.
During deliberations in the first trial, Wedra was taken from the county courthouse in Hackensack to Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck after complaining of “angina-like” symptoms.
The judge told him today that he must register as a Megan’s Law offender once he is released and remain on supervised parole for life.
He will also be evaluated at the jail by doctors from the Adult Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Avenel, and is subject to civil commitment at any time if he’s determined to be a persistent sex offender and a danger to the community.
Wedra’s wife, who testified at length on his behalf during the trial, sat behind her husband, while the victim sat on the opposite side.
The woman testified during the trial that she didn’t scream because she was afraid that her children would hear.
Even afterward, she said nothing about the incident for eight years, choosing to go on with her life as before “to maintain a relationship with her family,” Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor David Calviello told jurors during the month-long trial last spring.
STORY / PHOTOS: Mary K. Miraglia, CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter
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