By A New Hampshire jury on Tuesday found former youth detention center leader Bradley Asbury guilty of holding down a 14-year-old while the teen was sexually assaulted in 1998, marking a significant conviction in a broader investigation into institutional abuse.
Asbury, 70, was convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to aggravated sexual assault after three days of jury deliberation. Each count carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. The former house leader at Manchester’s Sununu Youth Services Center will remain in custody until his January sentencing.
The case centered on testimony from Michael Gilpatrick, now 41, who described being restrained on a staircase by Asbury and another colleague while a third staff member raped him and a fourth forced him to perform a sex act. “I can see it happening, but I can’t do anything,” Gilpatrick testified, describing an out-of-body experience during the assault. “I was just not there. But there.”
Asbury’s conviction represents the second criminal trial stemming from a sweeping 2019 investigation into abuse at the center. He is among 11 former staffers from the Manchester facility and an associated Concord center who face criminal charges.
Defense attorney David Rothstein argued the assault could not have occurred unnoticed on an open staircase and suggested Gilpatrick was motivated by money, noting he had received over $146,000 toward an anticipated civil settlement. Prosecutor Adam Woods countered that Gilpatrick’s recollection of the key event remained consistent, though he couldn’t report it at the time because Asbury held authority.
The case connects to extensive civil litigation involving more than 1,100 former residents alleging abuse across six decades. In May, the only civil trial to date resulted in a $38 million verdict for David Meehan regarding 1990s abuse, though the state seeks to reduce this to $475,000.
After Tuesday’s verdict, Gilpatrick embraced family members, stating through tears, “God is good and the truth prevailed. And I was believed.” Asbury, who maintained his innocence, thanked supporters as officers led him away in handcuffs.
