PHILADELPHIA (PA)
KATV
Updated: Jan 25, 2013
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The credibility of a 24-year-old heroin addict whose sex-abuse complaint took down a Roman Catholic church official in Philadelphia – and helped bring thousands of secret church files to light – is now in the hands of a jury.
The policeman’s son came forward in 2009 with the stunning claim that he’d been raped as a boy by two priests and his sixth-grade teacher. A jury heard two weeks of evidence before deliberations in the case began Friday.
One priest facing five other complaints accepted a plea deal on the eve of trial and went to prison, yet denies any contact with the trial accuser. The remaining defendants, the Rev. Charles Engelhardt, 66, of Wyndmoor, and ex-teacher Bernard Shero, 49, of Levittown, have staked their case on the accuser. He’s changed his story several times, in significant ways, since the disclosure.
In closing arguments Friday, prosecutor Mark Cipolletti pointed out the many civil lawyers in court representing financial interests of the Philadelphia archdiocese, Engelhardt’s religious order, the accuser and others.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.