The county of Monmouth Raymond S. Santiago, the prosecutor for Monmouth County, revealed Friday that a New York man had been found guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl at a motel in Neptune over two years prior.
After a trial before Superior Court Judge Natalie S. Watson, a jury convicted 35-year-old David Leigh of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
Investigators claim that Leigh connected with the victim on social media and set up a face-to-face meeting for April 2023. Authorities said the girl revealed Leigh her age before the attack, which took place at a nearby motel.
In January 2024, Leigh was taken into custody. In March, he was indicted on three counts by a grand jury.
After a week-long trial, jurors debated for roughly two hours before returning guilty verdicts. In addition to the victim’s testimony, prosecutors produced both technological and tangible evidence.
Assistant Prosecutors Christopher Ammon and Sarah M. Mielke prosecuted the case. George J. Mardinly was the lawyer for Leigh.
The date of sentencing is set on September 12. Leigh risks obligatory sex offender registration under Megan’s Law, a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail, and lifelong parole supervision.
