BALTIMORE (MD)
Baltimore Sun
June 11, 2020
By Nancy Fenton
[PHOTO: Former sexually abused students of John Joseph Merzbacher and some of their family members stand in support two years ago to keep Merzbacher in prison after the sexual abuse that took place 40 years ago at the Catholic Community Middle School in Locust Point.]
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the guilty verdict of John Merzbacher, a former schoolteacher convicted of the rape of Elizabeth Murphy in the 1970s, when she was a student at the Catholic Community Middle School in South Baltimore.
A Baltimore City jury found the teacher guilty in 1994, after Ms. Murphy was an adult, of eight charges of rape and abuse. Following the guilty verdict, prosecutors dropped an additional 100 charges involving 13 other former students, who were prepared to go to trial against Merzbacher. Eventually, he was sentenced to four life sentences plus 10 years. He is now serving time in a Maryland prison.
I clearly remember the breaking news of the guilty verdict. The small TV on my kitchen countertop was turned on. I was tinkering in the kitchen, while my young daughter played at the table. A jury member commented on Liz’s overwhelming testimony and the consideration of the facts presented to the jury. I was stunned by the news, knowing deep in my heart that there was still so much to tell about the terror inflicted by just that one person.
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.