ST. LOUIS (MO)
Post-Dispatch
By Peter Shinkle
Of the Post-Dispatch
09/01/2005
A jury recommended Thursday that a priest go to prison for 20 years for his conviction on charges of sodomizing a boy in the Old Cathedral in downtown St. Louis in the 1970s.
The Rev. Thomas Graham, 71, showed little emotion as the jury's decision was read in St. Louis Circuit Court. He declined to comment later.
The accuser, now 43, said as he left the courtroom, "Justice is served." He added: "Five bishops wouldn't remove him. Now the city of St. Louis is a much safer city."
Judge Angela Turner Quigless did not indicate if she would follow the jury recommendation at sentencing Oct. 6. Prosecutors said the law allowed her to impose less time, but not more. The minimum term would be two years. The jury could have recommended life in prison.
Posted by kshaw at September 2, 2005 07:37 AM