Former Manchester firefighter pleads guilty to 4 counts of sexual assault, more than 2 years after his arrest in cold cases

A Vernon man pleaded guilty Friday in Rockville Superior Court to four counts of first-degree sexual assault, according to Tolland State’s Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky.

Under the terms of the plea, Angelo Alleano, 49, faces a total effective sentence of up to 25 years to serve, to be followed by 10 years of special parole, Gedansky said in a statement.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 26, 2022.

Alleano was a former Manchester firefighter; he was fired after about 23 years on the job.

Vernon police spokesman Lt. Bill Meier said at the time of the arrest that it “should send a strong message that we do not stop working on these cases.”

Alleano was arrested in May 2020 in connection with a August 6, 2001 sexual assault of an 84-year-old woman in Manchester, the December 9, 2004 sexual assault of a 57-year-old female in Manchester, the March 23, 2007 sexual assault of a 37-year-old Manchester woman and the January 16, 2008 sexual assault of a 61-year-old woman in Vernon, Gedansky said in the statement.

The Manchester Police Department and the Vernon Police Department obtained a “John Doe” warrant in 2010 with a “specific DNA profile that had been recovered from each of the crimes. Investigators were able to develop Alleano as a suspect in these crimes using publicly available genealogy information,” Gedansky said.

“Court records show DNA evidence at the scene came from a specific family tree with the possibility of 18 male offspring from this family, including cousins, grandchildren and nephews,” the statement said. “The State Police Forensic lab and detectives from Manchester and Vernon Police Departments narrowed the list through process of elimination. A search warrant was obtained for Alleano’s DNA which was analyzed and linked to crime scene evidence. Alleano later admitted to all four sexual assaults as well as additional crimes that were never reported by the victims.”

“I am thankful we were able to provide a measure of justice to the victims in this case,” Gedansky said, also in the statement. “The State Police Forensic Lab and Manchester and Vernon Police Departments did outstanding work on this case.”

The case is being prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Jaclyn Preville.