Sometimes Bad Things Happen to Bad People
 

Pedophile Ex-Priest Is Killed in Prison
By ROBERT O'NEILL
Associated Press Writer


BOSTON (AP)--Former priest John Geoghan, the convicted child molester whose prosecution sparked the sex abuse scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church nationwide, died Saturday after being attacked in prison.

Preliminary indications are that Geoghan, 68, was strangled, Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte said. An autopsy will be conducted Monday.

Conte said fellow inmate Joseph L. Druce, 37, attacked Geoghan shortly before noon Saturday. Geoghan died at 1:17 p.m., shortly after he was taken to UMass Memorial Health Alliance, Leominster Campus, Conte said.

Druce, who received a life sentence in 1989 for murder, armed robbery and other counts, was placed in isolation and will face murder charges in Geoghan's death, Conte said. In 2001, Druce was charged with mailing a threatening letter containing white powder and indicating it was contaminated with anthrax.

The attack took place shortly after lunchtime at Souza-Baranowski Correction Center, about 30 miles northwest of Boston, Department of Correction spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said. Geoghan was being held in protective custody to shield him from the general prison population, but still had some contact with other inmates.

In civil lawsuits, more than 130 people have claimed Geoghan sexually abused them as children during his three decades as a priest at Boston-area parishes. He was convicted last year of indecent assault and battery for fondling a 10-year-old boy at a swimming pool.

Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney for many Geoghan victims, said he was ``surprised and shocked'' by Geoghan's death.

``Many of my clients would have rather seen Father Geoghan serve out his time in jail and endure the rigors of further criminal trials, so that his pedophile acts could have been exposed further,'' he said.

Geoghan often targeted boys from broken homes, ingratiating himself during frequent visits or fun outings. One victim said Geoghan molested him as the two were driving home from getting an ice cream cone. Others said Geoghan molested them after visiting their rooms at bedtime to tuck them in, sometimes while whispering prayers.

I don't condone Murder but what goes round comes around.

It's a dirty job......but somebody had to do it!

*don't care how awful that sounds!*

Two thoughts on this one...

1. The lord works in mysterious ways, and

2. Mr. Druce has proven that even he knows right from wrong....


I'd say justice was done

I'm so tortured by this news. That priest was a despicable man who deserved life imprisonment. I guess it's the thought of being brutally murdered in prison that just sends chills down my spine. What a horrible way to die.


rabbit

I dont say i agree with taking a life. Thats not for us to choose but i think things worked out here for the better!!

Nah, the bastard should have rotted away in Jail for

the next 30 years, kept in perfect health knowing there was

no chance he'd ever leave the special protection Jail.

As one who was brought up Roman Catholic,I'm shocked!!Shocked,that it took so long!If he had fondled me when I was 10,
knowing how my father&Uncles thought,he wouldn't have made
trial.This does say something for the death penalty.The person,
that killed him was serving a life sentence,for murder.What did he have to lose?Will they extend his sentence? Irish
P.S.I haven't seen this kind of justice,since John Salvi(sp?The abortion clinic bomber)hung himself with his hands tied behind his
back!(That's hard to do!)

He did a horrible thing and violated the trust of so many people. His actions shook the core of the Catholic church. The fact that he is on his way to either heaven or hell doesn't bother me.

However, what is very disturbing to me is...

Someone sentenced to 10 years in prison is killed in four months while someone sentenced to death sits on death row for 15 years.

This is one of the reason I like putting these guys in general population rather than death row. This guy got what he deserved and more should. Since the goverment wont just kill these guys, lets let the bad guys do it.

My best compairson here in IL has always been Wisconsin...WI doesnt have a death penalty and they have had more guys killed in prison that would have had death penalty offenses in IL than IL has killed since the reinstatement of the penalty in the 70's....

Now there is talk that the guards knew& did nothing.It wouldn't
suprise me.My father(deceased)was a Conn.State Cop& an aux.
town policeman.He always told me that most people,don't realise,
that a cop is like anyone else.When they're on duty,they have a job to do.The rest of the time,they have the same likes,dislikes&
prejudices that anyone else has! Irish

There is no justice here.This x-priest is serving time in prison for his crimes.This murder is just a case of one jerkbeinging killed by a bigger white supremist nazi,sending anthrax through the mail to people with jewish sounding last names type of jerk who is already serving time for murder.Don't get me wrong,I don't feel sorry for Geoghan,but it makes about as much sence as the guy who killed Jeffrey Dahmer while he was on his knees scrubbing out a prison toilette.If the punishment should really fit the crime,shouldn't Geoghan have been raped in the ass instead?

Maybe but I think he would have liked that too much. I do not see this as a solution but just a case of cosmic karma.

revenge is mine sayith the Lord

The Lord works in mysterous ways........