PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog
Ralph Cipriano
Imagine a train uncoupling as it rumbles down the tracks.
That’s what happened Thursday when Judge M. Teresa Sarmina tossed two conspiracy charges to endanger the welfare of children that linked the two defendants, Father James J. Brennan and Msgr. William J. Lynn.
The judge made her surprise decision on the day the prosecution rested, after presenting eight weeks of testimony from some 48 witnesses and thousands of pages of exhibits. There’s a gag order in the case that prevents lawyers on both sides from talking to the media. However, it wasn’t hard to read the contrasting reactions.
Defense lawyers, the two defendants and their relatives were beaming, laughing and shaking hands as they filed out of the courtroom. Meanwhile, prosecutors said little and moved swiftly toward the elevators.
As detailed previously on this blog, the cases against Father Brennan and Monsignor Lynn have been moving in opposite directions. The case against Father Brennan has unraveled since the 2011 grand jury report, when an original charge of rape was downgraded to attempted rape; meanwhile the evidence against Msgr. Lynn has continued to pile up.
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