WORCESTER (MA)
ABC 6
January 25,2006
WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) - The foreman of the jury that convicted Joseph Druce of murder in the death of a pedophile priest says there was a degree of "sympathy" among the panel.
Druce was found guilty today in the strangulation of pedophile priest John Geoghan in 2003, despite an insanity defense mounted by his lawyers.
Jury foreman Thomas Wiegand, a retired Holy Cross administrator, says the jury had sympathy for Druce after hearing the descriptions of his troubled childhood and sexual abuse.
Wiegand says he felt a (quote) "sadness that a life was lost early," referring to Druce.
The jury foreman also cited what he believes are the failings of a system that pushes drugs and not therapy.