EL PASO (TX)
KVIA ABC 7 News
July 12, 2019
By Jim Parker and Julio-Cesar Chavez
A former El Paso Catholic priest on trial for allegedly sexually abusing a girl from age ten through her teen years took the witness stand in his own defense on Friday and vehemently denied the accusations.
Miguel Luna, 68, is charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault of a child in a case that dates back to the 1990s while he was still an active priest; the alleged victim is now a 36-year old woman.
Luna’s accuser testified at the trial’s start that she was an altar server at Corpus Christi church when he first began sexually abusing her. She told jurors the sexual conduct continued until she moved away from the area when she turned 17.
Luna on Friday acknowledged first meeting the girl at age ten, but he repeatedly rebuffed her claims of abuse under questioning from his own defense attorney.
“No, never,” Luna replied several times when asked if he had ever sexually assaulted or touched her inappropriately as either a child or a teenager.
Prosecutors contend Luna was a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” exploiting his role as a priest to engage in sex acts with the girl. But the defense contends the now-grown woman was motivated by money to report the alleged incidents.
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