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	911 Tape: Assailant Heard Threatening to Kill Priest Who Allegedly Abused Him By Tracey Kaplan Mercury News November 4, 2010 http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16516584?nclick_check=1 A man charged with punching and kicking an elderly priest in Los Gatos -- three decades after the Catholic Church paid him $625,000 to settle a sexual-abuse claim against the cleric -- can be overheard on a 911 tape threatening to kill his alleged abuser, according to court documents obtained Wednesday. "Turn yourself in or I'll (expletive) come back and kill you," the assailant can be heard shouting in the background as a receptionist reports the attack to a 911 dispatcher. William Lynch, 44, was arrested last week on one felony count of assault likely to cause great bodily injury in connection with the alleged revenge attack on the Rev. Jerold Lindner at a Jesuit retirement home. His attorney has said he will plead not guilty. His arraignment is set for Nov. 12. The assault charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in state prison. But sources said it is unlikely the sensitive case will ever go to trial because it would be difficult to persuade a jury to convict Lynch. Lynch and his brother, who were 7 and 5 at the time of the alleged abuse, have said they were raped and forced to have oral sex with each other during camping trips to Portola State Park while Lindner -- a spiritual adviser at the Christian camp -- looked on. Lindner has been accused of abuse by nearly a dozen people, including his own sister and brother. Lindner was never prosecuted for the alleged sex assault on Lynch and his brother, according to court documents, because the statute of limitations had elapsed by the time they reported the molestation. Sheriff's deputies originally investigated Lynch for three alleged felonies -- assault, making criminal threats and elder abuse, going so far as to report the attack to Adult Protective Services. Despite the 911 tape, he was charged only with assault. Shortly after the attack, sheriff's detectives tried to interview Lynch at his San Francisco home, leaving a business card with his roommate. They then received a call from Lynch's attorney, who declined to allow Lynch to be interviewed unless charges were filed. However, the attorney, Pat Harris, said his client agreed to stay away from the priest. Lindner suffered multiple bruises and required seven stitches to close a cut above his left eye, according to the documents. The priest told the deputies that Lynch tried to kick him in the genitals and punched him with gloved fists. Two witnesses to the attack reported that the assailant yelled "You've ruined my life! You molested me!" The priest denied molesting the assailant and said the man could have chosen him at random after seeing his brother's website. Lindner told investigators that he hadn't seen his brother "since '96 or '86," but that the website accuses him of having molested his brother's son. Contact Tracey Kaplan at 408-278-3482. Contact: tkaplan@mercurynews.com
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