"These priests formed their own Internet before any Internet existed," said private detective and former state trooper R.C. Stevens recently. "It allowed them to exchange information and strategies, share children, and rid themselves of them."

He has been investigating the murder for The Republican since last summer. His interviews of alleged victims, including those who have already publicly accused some priests, point to a conspiracy among some of the predators to pass around children.

Stevens said that Croteau may have had contact with multiple members of the ring. The only identified suspect in Croteau's death was defrocked priest Richard R. Lavigne of Chicopee.

Lavigne, who served 10 years probation after admitting to molesting two boys, has been accused by more than 30 others, including one who said the then-priest introduced him to another priest in Vermont who also molested him.

Last August, 45 alleged victims of 18 priests settled sexual abuse lawsuits with the Springfield Roman Catholic Diocese for about $7.5 million.

Stevens believes that Lavigne was a member of the ring of pedophiles, but he would not name other individuals. Lavigne has denied involvement in the Croteau slaying and other sexual abuse cases.

Stevens said several predators passed around boys.

"As one victim would age out and not be acceptable to an age-specific pedophile, he would pass along the victim to another pedophile who had older age-specific tastes," Stevens said.

He said that progress has been steady but slow. He has been helped by the state and Chicopee police, both of whom conducted the initial murder investigation.

"Since November, we have developed a unique spirit of cooperation," said Stevens. "Hopefully, we will stimulate development of a quasi-task power force that will bring Danny's murderer to justice."

As a result, the case will be subjected to computerized case management that will allow the tracking and cataloguing of leads and information. It will ensure that all leads, regardless of how insignificant, will be followed.

No one has ever been charged in the slaying after Croteau's body was found floating in the Chicopee River on April 14, 1972.

In the mid-1990s, after Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett won a long legal battle to obtain a sample of Lavigne's blood, DNA testing did not link Lavigne to the murder scene. His blood was compared to blood on a straw and piece of rope that were found at the murder scene.

Stevens is looking for more information on the ring of pedophiles, which included several people who were not priests, he said.

"We have collected some photos of ring members, and hope to obtain some more," he said. "For victims who may not have known the name of their abuser, we may be able to help them identify the perp (perpetrator). Some of the priests have escaped scrutiny. Some have been accused."

The ring operated out of churches and rectories, as well as private residences, Stevens said.

He has worked closely with Robert A. Prentky, a nationally known expert on pedophilia and sexually dangerous persons.

"What we have seen in Danny's attacker is a unique animal who we can describe as a clinical psychopath," said Stevens. "Someone who can function in everyday society, and who may be responsible for at least 200 (sexual abuse) victims in his lifetime, and is very dangerous."

Based on records of the Massachusetts State Police and the Chicopee police, Stevens said that the crime scene beneath the Robinson Bridge on the Chicopee River in Chicopee shows signs of an attacker "seething with anger."

He said, "Although Danny was hit with a rock, the true murder weapon we see is blind rage. The attacker is filled with uncontrollable rage and anger."

Stevens said the crime scene indicates two points of attack.

The first point of attack was 83 feet from the river, and was marked by blood in the sand.

He said it appears that Croteau's body was dragged feet-first from there to the water's edge, where a second more violent attack occurred.

"At the river's edge you see total blind rage," Stevens said, citing a large pool of blood and blood found spattered on nearby rocks. "It appears to be all very impulsive, without forethought or plan - because what happened there was not meant to happen. Someone - the attacker - lost control of his emotions, behavior, and life.

"The attacker is someone who needs to be in control all the time, and he lost it on the night of the murder. Danny Croteau took control of this very weak person, and his only response to losing control was blind rage. Danny reduced him to nothing."

Stevens is investigating allegations of abuse that took place in numerous local communities.

"The investigation is also taking us outside the region to places like Stowe and Rutland, Vt.," he said.

The ring of priests may also have some ties to a youth group in Sixteen Acres, Stevens said.

He said he is interested in speaking with anyone who was approached, accosted, or solicited by anyone near the crime scene under the Robinson Bridge at East Main Street, Chicopee, around the time of the murder.

Stevens has not ruled out other potential suspects.

"In the initial investigation, everything pointed to Richard Lavigne," he added. "Meanwhile, we have 10 arrows, seven of which point to Lavigne, but three that don't."