The Santa Clara County District Attorney Office came to a decision of not filing charges pertaining to a misdemeanor against William Lynch. He was charged for assaulting an elderly person who had sexually assaulted him more than 4 decades ago. Lynch was charged with elder abuse and felony assault by the jury.
This decision was split on charges of misdemeanor, resulting in prosecutors to re-file their decision.
The incident where Lynch punched Jerold Lindner took place in May 2010. It is believed that Lynch had been sexually assaulted by Lindner in 1975 during a religious camping trip.
District Attorney’s statement
Jeff Rosen, District Attorney stated that the jury has been heard. He also said that it seems unlikely that any new jury would come to a decision that is entirely different. Mr. Lynch’s story has also been heard, he said. The story of his abuse was very powerful, he added. He also said that he hopes the decision will result in an increasing number of child molesters being brought to justice. As servants of public service, they tried to hold Lynch answerable for his actions that were termed criminal and violent. When they were unsuccessful with this, it seemed that Lynch took the responsibility on himself, he added.
Lynch’s statement
Soon after his acquittal, Lynch stated that he was wrong for punching Jerold. In doing so, he encouraged violence, he said. He also said that he did not want other people to follow in his steps and take matter into their own hands. The D.A. agreed with what Lynch said. The Attorney’s office was working to remove obstacles to ensure that a perjury case is filed against Lindner.
Christopher Morales is an experienced San Francisco Criminal Lawyer. For consultation with a San Francisco Assault Battery Lawyer, get in touch with us.
