Day 6 of Deliberations, No Verdicts in Priest-sex-abuse Trial

NBC 10
June 11, 2012

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Jury-Priest-Trial-Deliberations-Lynn-Brennan-158476335.html

Day 6 of jury deliberations in the priest-abuse trial took place on Monday. Monsignor William Lynn is charged with conspiracy and child endangerment for his actions as secretary of clergy at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Rev. James Brennan, is charged with molesting a teen in 1996. NBC10's Harry Hairston reports.

Day 6 of jury deliberations got underway Monday afternoon in the groundbreaking priest-sex-abuse trail that has a church official on trial for allegedly transferring predator priests within the ministry.

Monsignor William Lynn is the first U.S. church official charged with crimes for his handling of priest sex-abuse complaints. He's charged with conspiracy and child endangerment for his actions as secretary of clergy at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Lynn, 61, says he took orders from his archbishop, and did what he could to get accused priests into treatment from 1992 to 2004.

Lynn could get up to 21 years in prison if he is found guilty by the jury of seven men and five women.

His co-defendant, the Rev. James Brennan, is charged with molesting a teen in 1996 and could get up to 27 years behind bars if he is found guilty.

The jury is the first in the country to consider criminal charges against a Catholic official for his handling of child sex-abuse complaints.

They came back to the courtroom Monday afternoon to ask three more questions of the judge including if the defendant needed to know an alleged act was criminal and if they could get a transcript of Brennan's canonical trial. The judge ruled that the transcript wouldn't be turned over.

Around 6 p.m. the jury headed home for the day, once again unable to reach a consensus.