William Lynch Trial Now on Schedule

The Patch
February 10, 2012

http://losgatos.patch.com/articles/william-lynch-trial-now-on-schedule-02289617

The trial for a San Francisco man accused of beating a priest at the Los Gatos Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in May of 2010 is now scheduled to begin March 26.

Prosecutor Vicki Gemetti explained attorneys representing William Lynch didn't appear as scheduled for a Feb. 2 hearing at the Santa Clara County Courthouse due to weather conditions.

Lynch, 44, is being represented by Pat Harris and Mark Geragos, with the Los Angeles-based law firm of Geragos & Geragos.

The hearing next month will set the trial in motion, beginning with pre-trial motions, jury selection and the presentation of the evidence, Gemetti explained.

"There are no new development on the case, just a new schedule," Gemetti said.

Lynch, whose attorneys haven't returned phone calls and emails seeking comment, has been arraigned on one count of felony assault with intent to cause great bodily injury and one count of elder abuse under circumstances likely to produce great bodily harm or death, Gemetti said

Authorities say he walked into the center's reception area the afternoon of May 10, 2010, asked to speak to Father Jerold Lindner. He said he had a death notification about a member of the priest's family and then allegedly assaulted him. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The case is being closely watched by critics of the Roman Catholic Church who allege Lindner raped and sodomized Lynch and his brother when they were small boys in the '70s while on camping trips.

If a jury convicts Lynch, he's could serve a maximum of four years in state prison. The court, however, could grant him probation and give him up to one year in county jail, Gemetti said.

Asked if she plans to put Lindner on the stand, Gemetti said she won't comment on the evidence she intends to present during the trial. "I'm going to try this case in court," she said.