CALIFORNIA
Patch
By Sheila Sanchez
The high-profile case of a San Francisco man accused of beating a priest at the Los Gatos Sacred Heart Jesuit Center began June 20. Defense attorneys Pat Harris and Paul Mones and Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vicki Gemettti presented closing arguments Monday. A jury now deliberates the fate of William Lynch, 44, behind closed doors and a verdict is forthcoming. Lynch has been charged with 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. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. If found guilty, he faces up to four years in jail.
Wednesday, June 20: Jesuit priest Jerold Lindner, 67, takes the stand and denies raping and sodomizing William Lynch, the man accused of assaulting him on May 10, 2010. Defense attorneys Pat Harris and Paul Mones threaten to file perjury charges after prosecutor Vicki Gemetti in opening statements said Lindner had indeed molested him while on camping trips in the ’70s and would lie about it on the stand. Retired center receptionist Carol Santos also testifies.
Thursday, June 21: Lindner returns to court during the morning session to be cross-examined by Lynch’s defense attorneys, however, alleged sexual abuse victim Debbie Lukas confronts him as he was entering Department 34 of the San Jose Hall of Justice. Santa Clara County Judge David Cena, presiding over the case, abruptly stops the day’s proceedings and excuses the jury. Cena explains attorneys have to work out legal issues related to the case. Jury excused until Monday, June 25.
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