Former Priest Mark Broussard on Trial - Day 4
By Theresa Schmidt
A fourth man who said he was sexually abused by ex-priest Mark Broussard took the witness stand Thursday during the trial's fourth day of testimony. The witness sometimes had difficulty speaking, as he choked up recalling what he said happened to him when he was 14-years-old in Eunice. Mark Anthony Broussard, 60, is on trial related to accusations that he molested and raped altar boys when he was a priest at St. Henry and Our Lady Queen of Heaven catholic churches n the 1980s and 1990s. He is charged with molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape. The four witnesses who said they were sexually abused by Broussard tell similar stories about how he befriended them, gained their trust and then took their innocence in ways that wreaked havoc in their lives. All describe varying degrees of mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse and difficulty trusting others. All said they kept what had happened secret for many years. All sought counseling for various issues, including PTSD, depression and substance abuse. The fourth witness was 14 in 1981 and Broussard, not yet a priest, was in his 20s. The witness' father had died that year and he welcomed the companionship of what he called a "fun adult." The witness testified that Broussard bought him alcohol and he became intoxicated. He then told of being drawn into a sexual encounter, the memory of which tormented him for years. According to the witness, part of his difficulty in coping with the incident was that he was persuaded to engage in the sexual activity. He said he wished Broussard "would have tied him up and raped him, that that would have been easier to deal with." Numerous times, the witness choked up on the stand, admitting it was difficult to talk about. The witness also denied initiating any of the sexual contact with Broussard and said it was never reciprocal. After a brief cross examination, the witness left the stand and the state began showing its various exhibits to the jury. After that, the state rested its case. When the defense put on its case, attorney Tom Lorenzi brought out the four witnesses who said they were sexually assaulted, who all have gotten settlements for varying amounts - $26,500 for the man from 1981; $125,000, $200,000 and $500,000 for the three others, between 1988 and 1994. Lorenzi elicited testimony from a deacon who used to serve at St. Henry about a homeless man who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. The deacon testified the man named Dave Francisco would have psychotic episodes when not on medication. Francisco said his greatest fear was being arrested because people thought he was a child molester. Francisco is dead and none of those claiming to be victims expressed any confusion about who victimized them. A longtime St. Henry custodian also testified as a state witness. The defense rested after just three witnesses. Closing arguments begin at 9 a.m. Friday. See live tweets from the courtroom at twitter.com/KplcTschmidt. To see previous testimony, follow these links: [Testimony Day 1] [Testimony Day 2] [Testimony Day 3]
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