PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog
Ralph Cipriano
It was another slow and foggy afternoon in Courtroom 304, as Judge M. Teresa Sarmina handled one question after another from an inquisitive panel of jurors.
Then, the jury in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia sex abuse case, now in their eighth day of deliberations, asked the judge this question: If the charge of EWOC — endangering the welfare of children — is the result of a criminal conspiracy, does it have to be the object of a criminal conspiracy?
In other words, do the conspirators have to operate with criminal intent?
The judge said no, setting off a free-for-all among the lawyers in the case, and a temper tantrum from a prosecutor that the judge just sat and watched.
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