Broderick Faces Molestation Charges by Family
By Jessica Harding
Daily Gazette
February 11, 2009
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2009/feb/11/0211_broderick/
FONDA — As the trial got under way Tuesday in the case against John W. Broderick, a suspended Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting three young boys, the prosecution tried to paint him as a pedophile, while the defense claimed the boys' father coached them to say the priest touched them inappropriately.
A jury was selected Monday in the case against the 47-year-old priest from Broome County, who is charged with three felony counts of sexual conduct against a child and a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully dealing with a child.
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| Rev. John Broderick leaves court in Fonda on Tuesday. Photo by Peter Barber |
The jury, which consists of eight women and four men plus two female alternates, listened to opening statements from each side along with testimony from the three boys, ages 6 to 12; their father; and Connie Veeder, a Montgomery County Department of Social Services caseworker.
Each of the boys testified on closed circuit television so the jurors could see them and they could see the courtroom without having to take the stand in front of Broderick.
Each of the boys said Broderick repeatedly touched them inappropriately while he was acting as the family's spiritual adviser. The oldest said Broderick touched "his behind" over his clothes, the middle sibling said Broderick touched his buttocks and "put three fingers inside his pants," and the youngest indicated that Broderick touched his private parts.
Each boy was questioned as to their feelings about truth and lies, and each boy said they felt Broderick had done something wrong.
Mark Blum, the attorney defending Broderick, tried to suggest that the boys had been coached by their father to say that Broderick molested them. Blum said the father had been unhappy and jealous of the relationship between his wife and Broderick.
"Children will say what they think adults want to hear. That's what we'll see in this case," Blum said. The defense argued that the father was often prone to "dramatic acts" to regain control of his family, at one time leaving a suicide note with his daughter and driving his truck to the river, only to be found hours later in a motel room watching television. But the father testified that it was actually his wife who was acting suicidal after Broderick left the family.
Montgomery County District Attorney James "Jed" Conboy, prosecuting the case, filled in background details for jurors in his opening statement:
The couple, who have a large family and live in rural western Montgomery County, met Broderick at St. Malachy's in Sherburne, where the family would travel to hear a traditional Latin Mass.
The mother formed a friendship with Broderick and he became her spiritual director, who ensured that she was living a Catholic life and would get into heaven and ultimately become a saint.
Broderick would visit the family on the first weekend of the month, coming on Friday evening for dinner, saying a traditional Mass and performing traditional Catholic rituals Saturday and Sunday. Broderick would stay at the Kateri Shrine, where the mother would meet him for spiritual counseling Saturday afternoons.
The trouble seemed to begin when the father came home from work one night to find his family and Broderick eating dinner. One of the sons approached Broderick and asked for more wine. The father testified Tuesday that the boy already appeared intoxicated.
A short time later, the family, who had built a small chapel above their garage for traditional Masses that included a few of the neighboring families, disagreed with Broderick over his desire to create a "covenant" — a self-contained church group — and Broderick left the family.
The father testified that Broderick continued to be in contact with his wife through e-mails until July 2007, when he sent an e-mail to Broderick asking him to stop.
In December 2007, the father testified, he was becoming concerned over his children's education. They were all home schooled. He approached the Canajoharie superintendent, who tested the children and found them to be about three years behind. The school filed an educational neglect report with Child Protective Services.
Veeder, who was assigned to investigate the educational neglect, testified that she learned about the incident with the boy receiving wine from Broderick during an interview with the father and decided to investigate further. Veeder testified that giving wine to minors often signals sexual abuse.
Upon speaking with the boy, Veeder said she learned that he had been touched inappropriately and she proceeded to question all the family's children with the help of the state police.
Conboy attempted to prove that the boys were not coached.
"This man that they trusted, that their parents trusted, on multiple occurrences had sexual contact with them," Conboy said.
Several people were in the courtroom supporting Broderick, including his brother and sister.
Michael Broderick said it was a crime that his brother has to go through a trial and said the truth would come out eventually.
Blum said he thought the first day of trial went well. He said he thought the prosecution didn't have a case and the claims were "innocuous."
"We're just trying to fight our way out," Blum said.
Conboy said it would be "inappropriate" to comment until the trial was over.
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