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	Jury Picked for Priest Abuse Trial By Sam Hemingway Burlington Free Press [Vermont] June 19, 2007 http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070619/NEWS02/706190306/1007&theme= A jury of six men and six women was picked Monday to hear the case of a Virginia man who has sued the statewide Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington in connection with claims that as a teenager in 1977 he was molested by a Vermont priest. "This is fortunate for many reasons," Judge Ben Joseph told the jury members at the end of a daylong selection process at Chittenden Superior Court. "The process moved more quickly than we anticipated. Opening arguments in the case are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The trial is expected to last six or seven days. According to the victim in the case, Alfred Willis performed a sex act on him at a Latham, N.Y., motel in 1977 and then attempted to molest the youth again at the boy's home in Derby later that year. The Burlington Free Press does not publish the names of alleged victims of sex crimes without their permission. Willis was suspended from performing priestly duties in 1980 after parents of altar boys in Milton complained to then Bishop John Marshall about Willis' alleged conduct with their sons. Willis is no longer a priest and is not a defendant in the case. Willis also has been accused of molesting altar boys in Burlington and Montpelier. In a 2004 case, the diocese paid $170,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former Milton altar boy who claimed Willis had molested him. This week's trial will mark the first time the Vermont diocese has had to defend itself before a jury against claims it failed to protect a child from being abused by one of its priests. Several priest-child sex abuse cases over the past decade were settled before reaching the trial stage; another 24 cases are pending at the Burlington court. Diocesan attorney David Cleary said he was satisfied with the makeup of the jury selected Monday. "They appear to be very intelligent and objective," Cleary said. "They really seem to want to be fair and impartial." Jerome O'Neill, the lead attorney for the alleged victim, agreed. "I'm pleased that we have selected a jury," he said. During Monday's jury selection, lawyers for the two sides attempted to weed out prospective jurors who might have a difficult time hearing a case about long-ago child sexual abuse and remaining impartial in the face of such abuse allegations. At one point Cleary asked a group of potential jurors if there was anything in their "suitcase of life" that would prevent them from being impartial. "That suitcase of life you're talking about, well, mine's very light," responded one juror, who said in answer to a question from Cleary that he was 20 years old. The man was later dropped from the jury panel. Several others, including three who said they are members of Catholic parishes, were also excused from consideration. Because of the sensitivity of the case and publicity about it, 300 people were initially included in the jury pool; nearly half were eliminated by Monday afternoon because of personal conflicts or other reasons. The alleged victim in the case attended Monday's jury selection process along with his wife. He is expected to testify during the trial. Willis is not expected to be present during the trial. In a videotaped deposition taken in 2006, Willis claimed the allegations against him are "unfounded." Sam Hemingway at 660-1850 or at shemingway@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
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