Middletown man jailed for stealing 94-year-old woman's wedding rings

A landscaper who used a ruse to get inside a 94-year-old Middletown widow's home so he could steal her wedding rings was sentenced in Bucks County Court Tuesday to two to five years in a state prison.

Jesus J. Gonzalez, 31, of Comley Avenue, Middletown, was convicted by a jury in November of theft, one month after another jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict, prompting county Judge Diane Gibbons to declare a rare mistrial.

The crime occurred in May. The victim, Genevieve Nebiolo, testified that she had used the same landscaping company for years and had no problems until Gonzalez asked permission to use her bathroom one afternoon.

After leaving the bathroom, Gonzalez asked the elderly woman if she had vision or memory problems, court records say.

Nebiolo discovered later that her diamond and gold wedding ring, as well as her late husband's wedding ring, was missing, along with the ceramic dish in which she kept them. She called police.

Officers spoke to Gonzalez. He initially denied knowing anything about the rings. Later, police reports say, he telephoned the police officer who questioned him and said he recalled seeing a dish with rings in it and had put it in a cupboard below the sink so the rings wouldn't get wet.

Nebiolo checked under the sink after police told her this. Tucked back in a corner she found the dish. In it were two cheap rings that were not hers.

Gonzalez was arrested a short time later. Court records show that he has five prior convictions dating back to 2000, for crimes including simple assault, burglary and receiving stole property.

Deputy district attorney Maureen Spang said Gonzalez mistakenly thought he could trick Nebiolo because of her age. She said she was pleased that the case was solved.

?I'm happy that we were able to get justice for this family, and we hope it's a message to other elderly victims that if something like this happens to them they should not be afraid to come forward,? Spang said.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50239658/ns/local_news-delaware_valley_pa_nj/

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