William Lynch never denied that he had hit a retired Catholic priest in a Los Gatos old folks home. According to a statement made by Lynch, the priest had raped him close to 4 decades ago and that he punched the priest when he asked for an admission of guilt. He never expected that a jury will let the priest go after overlooking the letter of the law, he said.
Response to the verdict
The verdict, which stated that Lynch was innocent, in an elder abuse and felony assault on Jerold Lindner, aged 67 years in 2010, caused astonishment in the courtroom of San Jose. Lynch’s mother Peggy Lynch broke down while the verdict was being read in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Lynch was looking straight ahead with a small grin on his face, it was reported. Defense attorneys Paul Mones and Pat Harris hugged Lynch soon after the last juror read his statement.
Outside the court, Lynch was asked if he believed that he would be acquitted to the charges against him. He mentioned that he was pleasantly surprised. He also mentioned that he hopes for some peace now and to move ahead with his life. On hearing the verdict, Amanda Lynch, his sister who was gathered along with 50 or more supporters, broke down in tears. She never expected the verdict to be this good, she said. In a statement by one of the jurors, Lynch’s description of the rape that took place, intensely affected the panel’s decision.
Camping trip in 1975
A resident of San Francisco, Lynch mentioned that the rape occurred in 1975 while he was on a religious camping trip. He was 7 years old, when he was sodomized by Lindner. Lindner also threatened to kill all his family members if he told anyone about the incident, he said.
Christopher Morales is an experienced San Francisco Criminal Lawyer. For consultation with a San Francisco Assault Lawyer, get in touch with us.
