Child Sex Conviction For Bloomfield Man Serving Time For Murder – Bloomfield, NJ Patch

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An Essex County jury has convicted a Bloomfield man accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl over a period of several years, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Roberto Grillo, 40, of Bloomfield, was convicted of six counts of endangering the welfare of a child, four counts of aggravated sexual assault and two counts of sex assault, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

According to prosecutors, Grillo sexually assaulted the girl from the age of 12 to 16. The abuse took place in various locations, including a McDonald’s parking lot in Belleville.

When Grillo learned he was wanted by police, he fled to Tampa, Florida, where he tried to commit suicide. He was subsequently returned to New Jersey in March 2015 to face charges, prosecutors said.

Grillo is scheduled to be sentenced on March 27. He faces up to 105 years in New Jersey State Prison, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Grillo is already serving 55 years in prison for murder. In December 2018, he was convicted of first-degree murder in Union County for killing Yolanda Vega, a 35-year-old Rahway mother of two.

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