Los Gatos Priest Beating Case Trial Still Pending Due to Scheduling
By Sheila Sanchez
The trial for a San Francisco man accused of beating a priest at the Los Gatos Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in May of 2010 was scheduled to begin this week, but instead has been pushed out for a status conference on Thursday. "We're not beginning at this point," said Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vicki Gemetti, adding that presiding Superior Court Judge David Cena is in trial on another matter and scheduling for the high-profile case will be discussed then. Lynch, 44, is being represented by Pat Harris and Mark Geragos, with the Los Angeles-based law firm of Geragos & Geragos. Once a schedule is worked out, the trial will be set in motion, beginning with pre-trial motions, jury selection and the presentation of the evidence, Gemetti explained. Lynch, whose attorneys haven't returned phone calls and emails seeking comment, has been arraigned on 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, Gemetti said Authorities say he walked into the center's reception area the afternoon of May 10, 2010, asked to speak to Father Jerold Lindner. He said he had a death notification about a member of the priest's family and then allegedly assaulted him. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges. The case is being closely watched by critics of the Roman Catholic Church who allege Lindner raped and sodomized Lynch and his brother when they were small boys in the '70s while on camping trips. If a jury convicts Lynch, he's could serve a maximum of four years in state prison. The court, however, could grant him probation and give him up to one year in county jail, Gemetti said.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.