PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Priest Abuse Trial Blog
Ralph Cipriano
On the charge of attempted rape, the jury voted 11-1 to acquit Father James J. Brennan.
On the charge of endangering the welfare of children, Father Brennan dodged a bullet. All the jurors believed that Father Brennan had endangered the welfare of 14-year-old Mark Bukowski by allowing the boy to access pornography on the internet, and by subsequently getting in bed with him.
But because the judge’s instructions required the jury to find that Father Brennan had also endangered other victims in addition to 14-year-old Mark Bukowski, the jury ended up almost evenly split on whether Father Brennan should have been convicted.
Regarding Msgr. William J. Lynn, at least one juror believed that the monsignor should also have been convicted of conspiracy.
These are some of the reflections of Taleah Grimmage, Juror No. 7.
Grimmage…
