Jurors Still Weighing Fate of Accused Priests in Philadelphia Clergy Sex Abuse Trial

June 19, 2012 2:14 PM

Reporting Tony Hanson

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By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Jury deliberations continued today in the Philadelphia clergy sexual abuse case, with no new communication from the jury to the judge.

The panel of seven women and five men is considering a total of five charges against Monsignor William Lynn and Father James Brennan. Lynn is charged with endangering children while serving a secretary for clergy at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and Brennan is charged with molesting a child.

It’s been a long deliberation at the end of a long trial. This 11th day of deliberations is also the 86th day since the jury started hearing opening statements and the first witnesses back on March 26th.

During deliberations, the jury has had more than two dozen questions or requests for documents.

Jurors Still Weighing Fate of Accused Priests in Philadelphia Clergy Sex Abuse Trial

(Edward Avery. Photos provided)

Lynn is accused of failing to remove from ministry priests suspected of previous sexual or other inappropriate conduct with minors. Father James Brennan, one of those priests, later allegedly sexually assaulted another teen. A third man, defrocked priest Edward Avery, pleaded guilty to child abuse just before the trial began.

Stay tuned to KYW Newsradio 1060 for updates on the jury deliberations as they are announced.

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http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/06/22/philadelphia-monsignor-convicted-of-endangering-child/ Philadelphia Monsignor Convicted of Endangering Child « CBS Philly

[...] Avery pleaded guilty shortly before the trial began to sexually assaulting a boy (see related stories). [...]
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/06/20/philadelphia-jury-says-it-is-hung-on-most-counts-in-priest-sex-abuse-trial/ Philadelphia Jury Says It Is ‘Hung’ On Most Counts In Priest Sex Abuse Trial « CBS Philly

[...] Monsignor William Lynn is accused of, while serving as Secretary of Clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, failing to remove from ministry priests suspected of previous sexual or other inappropriate conduct with minors. Father James Brennan, one of those priests, is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy (see related stories). [...]