CALIFORNIA
The Fresno Bee
PAUL ELIAS and GILLIAN FLACCUS – Associated Press
Wednesday, Jun. 20, 2012
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Northern California prosecutors concede the man on trial in the beating of an aging priest was sexually abused by the Jesuit, but told a jury Wednesday that still did not give William Lynch the right to take the law into in his own hands.
Lynch, 44, is accused of beating the Rev. Jerold Lindner in May 2010 at a Los Gatos retirement home for priests near San Jose. He has pleaded not guilty and his trial began with opening statements Wednesday.
Lynch says Lindner raped him and his 4-year-old brother during a 1975 camping trip in Northern California.
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Vicki Gemetti began her 20-minute opening by displaying a blown-up photograph of a bruised and bloodied Lindner slumped in a chair. She implored jurors to focus solely on the assault, which she said Lynch “undeniably” committed.
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