January 19, 2005

Defrocked Catholic Priest Faces Accuser

CAMBRIDGE (MA)
Contra Costa Times

DENISE LAVOIE
Associated Press

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - The criminal case against a defrocked Roman Catholic priest at the center of the Boston Archdiocese sex scandal now hinges on the allegations of a single accuser.

Prosecutors formally dropped a third accuser on Tuesday, leaving just one from the original four alleged victims of Paul Shanley. The move to drop the accuser from the case was widely expected.

That leaves Shanley, 73, facing three charges of raping a child and two charges of indecent assault and battery on a child. The maximum sentence would be life in prison.

About 80 prospective jurors were questioned Tuesday for the trial that is expected to last about two weeks. Four jurors - three men and one woman - were seated before proceedings ended for the day.

Jury selection was set to resume Wednesday.

Posted by kshaw at January 19, 2005 07:33 AM