LOUISIANA
KPLC
By Theresa Schmidt
LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) –
A fourth man who said he was sexually abused by ex-priest Mark Broussard took the witness stand Thursday during the trial’s fourth day of testimony.
The witness sometimes had difficulty speaking, as he choked up recalling what he said happened to him when he was 14-years-old in Eunice.
Mark Anthony Broussard, 60, is on trial related to accusations that he molested and raped altar boys when he was a priest at St. Henry and Our Lady Queen of Heaven catholic churches n the 1980s and 1990s. He is charged with molestation of a juvenile, oral sexual battery, aggravated oral sexual battery and two counts of aggravated rape.
The four witnesses who said they were sexually abused by Broussard tell similar stories about how he befriended them, gained their trust and then took their innocence in ways that wreaked havoc in their lives. All describe varying degrees of mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse and difficulty trusting others. All said they kept what had happened secret for many years. All sought counseling for various issues, including PTSD, depression and substance abuse.
The fourth witness was 14 in 1981 and Broussard, not yet a priest, was in his 20s. The witness’ father had died that year and he welcomed the companionship of what he called a “fun adult.” The witness testified that Broussard bought him alcohol and he became intoxicated.
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