PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
Joseph A. Slobodzian, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2013
In a case that has already put a Philadelphia Catholic Church official behind bars for covering up child sexual abuse, a jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday against a priest and a former parochial-school teacher for the sexual assault of a 10-year-old Northeast altar boy.
Wednesday’s verdicts against the Rev. Charles Engelhardt and Bernard Shero for the serial sexual assault of a St. Jerome’s pupil in 1998 and 1999 were lauded by District Attorney Seth Williams as another victory for sexual-abuse victims.
“You saw how . . . they tried to victimize and demonize the victim,” Williams said afterward. “I’m very thankful that the jury listened and did what they did to hold these two men accountable and responsible for the heinous crime they committed.” …
Defense lawyers Michael McGovern and Burton A. Rose seemed stunned at the verdict and at Judge Ellen Ceisler’s decision to have both defendants immediately taken into custody.
“I’ve been present for trial jury verdicts for 37 years now, and this is the most disappointing, shocking verdict I’ve ever experienced,” McGovern said afterward. “I still believe that Father Engelhardt is innocent of all charges 100 percent.”
Rose said he also remained convinced that Shero was innocent and called him a “soft-spoken man with a lot of integrity.”
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