Court Rejects Appeal of Philadelphia Priest Who Died Fighting Abuse Conviction

NBC 10
March 26, 2015

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Engelhardt-Appeal.html

Father Charles Engelhardt

A state appellate court has rejected the appeal of a Roman Catholic priest who died in prison while serving time in a Philadelphia abuse case.

The Rev. Charles Engelhardt insisted he was wrongly convicted at his 2013 trial.

The 67-year-old priest was serving a 6- to 12-year sentence. He died in November, weeks after his appeal was argued.

He died after a brief hospital stay that followed heart-related problems.

His lawyer did not immediately return a call for comment on Wednesday's ruling by the state appeals court.

The accuser said he was abused by two priests and a teacher at a North Philadelphia parish in the 1990s.

Engelhardt belonged to the Delaware-based Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.