Man not guilty in Chester County rape and sexting case

WEST CHESTER – A former Philadelphia man accused of raping a Parkesburg teen in his car after meeting her through a community youth center has been acquitted of all charges.

On Friday, a Common Pleas Court jury found Ameer Sutton-Best not guilty of rape, sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, institutional sexual assault by a sports official and related charges.

He had been held in Chester County Prison since his arrest in the summer of 2022. In addition to being accused of assaulting the girl, he is also said to have asked other young people to send him sexually explicit photos by text message.

The panel deliberated for seven hours before returning to Judge Alita Rovito’s courtroom with its verdict, a blow to the prosecution. Not only were the crimes he was accused of significant, but Sutton-Best’s own criminal history was considered alarming.

Sutton-Best’s arrest in October 2022 led to news that he was allowed to volunteer at The Point, a popular youth spot in Parkesburg, despite being convicted of a notorious murder as a teenager in Philadelphia.

Sutton-Best, 33, of Parkersburg spent more than a dozen years in Pine Grove State Prison after being sentenced to prison by a Philadelphia judge in October 2009 for the murder of a Philadelphia man who was attacked by a mob. of teenagers skipping school in an unprovoked attack while walking along a subway platform near City Hall.

Sutton-Best, or Ameer Leon Best as he was then known, was convicted at trial in Common Pleas Court of third-degree murder and conspiracy in the death of 36-year-old Sean Conroy, a store manager at a Starbucks Coffee store in town growing up in Delaware County. Sutton-Best was 17 years old at the time of the crime.

He was released in 2021. The jury, as selected, did not hear anything about that past criminal history.

Attorney Melissa McCafferty, who represented Sutton-Best during the five-day trial, said her client was acquitted because the prosecution’s case did not hold up under investigation.

“The plaintiff alleged that (Sutton-Best) initiated contact for all three minor complainants through some form of telecommunications – via text message or a smartphone app,” she wrote in an email Saturday. But “there is no corroboration for the allegations beyond the opinions of three financially motivated minors.” They have both filed civil lawsuits against The Point, she said.

“None of the minors ever went to an adult or to police to report the alleged crimes when they occurred,” McCafferty said. “A director of The Point heard an ugly rumor, knew the parties and, as a mandated reporter, contacted Childline, who contacted the police. The police then had to look for them.

“After two and a half days of intense testimony, there were so many more unanswered questions than we started with that the prosecutor felt the need to answer but had not answered or accounted for to the jury,” she said. “And if the jury has more questions than answers, even after so many hours of testimony, that’s the reasonable doubt they need to find (her client) innocent.”

District Attorney Christopher deBarrena-Sarobe praised the teen for their testimony.

“It was incredibly courageous for these victims to come forward and testify at trial,” he said in a statement Monday. “We are disappointed for them, but also respect the jury’s verdict.”

Although the verdict acquitted Sutton-Best of the Parkesburg charges, he was not released after the jury returned. He has been held as a state Parole Board detainee due to his previous conviction in the murder case.

To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan, call 610-696-1544.

Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 10:05 am EST