Man in California, William Lynch, arrested in beating of priest who sexually abused him 35 years ago

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Daily News


A man who was allegedly molested by a priest more than 30 years ago was arrested Friday on charges that he took savage revenge on the now-elderly clergyman by beating him within an inch of his life in the lobby of a retirement home.

William Lynch, 43, had said he had dreamed for decades of confronting Rev. Jerold Lindner, 65, who allegedly molested him and his younger brother in 1975.

Lynch's festering anger finally erupted on May 10 when he visited Lindner at the Sacred Heart retirement home for Jesuit priests in Los Gatos, Calif., where he had been living since 2001.

Lynch met Lindner in a small room near the lobby of the home and asked the old priest if he recognized him, police said.




Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/10/31/2010-10-31_man_in_california_william_lynch_arrested_in_beating_of_priest_who_sexually_abuse.html

[Orrex]

1. .

:popcorn:

[madokie]

2. If I'd been molested as a kid I'm sure I'd be in jail right now

If it would have been by a male that is

[happygoluckytoyou]

25. here is some of the actual story.....

LET'S CHECK A FEW FACTS HERE.... THOUGH NOT CHARGED, THE STORY SEEMS TO SUPPORT THE ATTACKER (HE AND HIS BROTHER GOT PAID, AND THE PRIEST LEFT THE MINISTRY, THE PRIEST WAS ALSO ACCUSED BY OTHERS INCLUDING HIS FAMILY).

I LIKED THIS STORY. IT HAD A HAPPY ENDING. THE OLD BASTARD GOT THE SHIT KICKED OUT OF HIM. SOMETIMES VIOLENCE IS THE ANSWER.


In 1998, Lynch and his younger brother received $625,000 in a settlement with the Jesuits of the California Province after accusing Lindner of sexually abusing them in 1975 during church-led camping trips in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The boys, who were 7 and 5 then, were raped in the woods and forced to have oral sex with each other while Lindner watched, Harris said.
Lindner denied abusing the boys and was not criminally charged.
he has been accused of abuse by nearly a dozen people, including his sister and nieces and nephews, and was named in two lawsuits for abuse between 1973 and 1985, according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Lindner was removed from the ministry, and has lived at the Los Gatos home since 2001.

[madokie]

38. I'd bet he got more satisfaction

from the asskicking than they ever did from the money they got.
Very fitting end for the molester

[Pirate Smile]

3. This will be an interesting jury case. Jury nullification perhaps.

Depends on the details and the individual jurors, of course.

[thelordofhell]

4. Post self-defense

The "Reverend" deserved what he got for stealing the childhood of several young boys.

[riderinthestorm]

5. He and his younger brother were molested. Wow. That's a lot of powerful reason for rage

Not saying his beating up an old man was right, but I'm guessing he and his brothers lives were probably both pretty fucked up.

Wonder if he'd had counseling and still couldn't get past it all. Really interesting and terribly sad case.

[Odin2005]

6. I can't blame him!

[DirkGently]

7. Saw that. Read up on the priest -- horrific serial child rapist. The Jesuits just moved him around.

[saigon68]

20. Like this Scum Bag

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2008/01_02/20071231133934034.pdf

[DirkGently]

34. There appears no shortage of abusive priests or enabling Church leaders.

[dimbear]

8. We're facing a moral issue here. Would it be wrong to

raffle off positions on the jury? California definitely needs the money.

[Vidar]

9. He should get a public service award.

[Blasphemer]

10. The priest should have been in prison, not a retirement home

He ruined at least dozen lives (I am sure there are victims who have never come forward and/or killed themselves) and is living comfortably in a retirement home because his church decided to pay off his victims. I really can't blame the victim for his actions. His life has been hell for 35 years.

[Merlot]

11. I feel so sorry or this man - all these years of rage bottled up

It's going to be an interesting case. As a jury member I'd have a hard time convicting him even though I'm not a fan of vigilantism. .

[closeupready]

22. +1

n/t

[pgodbold]

12. Good for the man.. I'd want to do it to..

[pezDispenser]

17. thats a great image

made me lol, thanks.

[bluestateguy]

13. Once again, law enforcement wastes their time and our tax dollars

There are a special select few people who frankly should not be protected by police.

Now I hope a jury refuses to convict.

Nul-lif-ic-ation.

[nolabear]

14. Ach, I'm sorry he didn't get help to cope. This has bound them even more terribly.

It's often very hard to convince people who have been hurt so badly that hating someone gives them every bit as much control over your life as love does. It feels like submitting unless you can understand that living for revenge closes off almost all other doors, and that working against such an outrage in more effective ways is a much better predictor of happiness.

I don't mean this to sound blithe. The work to get to that place is very hard and I understand how tempting just beating someone can be. But I don't think he'll be given a medal and told he's done good by the legal system--nor should they, no matter how much they, or I, sympathize with the impulse.

[lunasun]

15. The perve priest created his own enemy ...poor little boys....very sick adult

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DesertDiamond]

18. Being molested/raped creates pain and rage that for some never dies.

[No Elephants]

19. A Massachusetts victim in his early 20's killed himself after the Church settled with him and about

200 other men and women.

[Uben]

21. Priest? He's no fucking priest!

Anyone who would do something like that to two kids deserves to die. This guy hides his crimes behind a priest's collar, but he is no priest. He's not even a man! He's a piece of shit predator , who, if there were a god, would be cast into hell to burn forever!
I hate these religious perverts who hide behind a fake god to escape prosecution. They have taken these kids into their confidence for one reason, molestation and sexual gratification. The church is so adament about their principals until it comes to pervert priests who prey on children, then they seem to just wanna close their eyes. And then they wonder why people are leaving religion. The only news we ever hear from churches is bad news. Either they're out of money, their pastor/priest has done something immoral or illegal, or they are railing against something their religion doesn't accept but everyone else does.

[Arugula Latte]

30. One hopeful sign:

The younger generation is much less apt to identify with or attend a church. Many have been turned off by the rightwing politics espoused by many (most?) churches. The only way this country will move forward is to loosen the shackles of religion and irrational thought.

[slackmaster]

23. 35 years is a long time for a wound to fester

I can't imagine being that angry for that long.

[sofa king]

24. His whole adult life must have been a reflection of that anger.

...Which in turn likely hurt many within the victim's reach, and so on.

[Liberal_in_LA]

27. The priest made the man and his brother engage in sex acts with each other. The anger

caused by that kinda crap doesn't die.

[slackmaster]

31. I probably would have murdered the priest as soon as I figured out what he had done to me

Assuming that my brother didn't take him out first. And I'd probably still be angry after that.

[Xithras]

33. That's a lousy excuse.

I've been there. So was my sister. Does it still bother me? Sure, when I think about it. Would I go beat my molester over it, if he were alive today? Not a chance. I'd fight like hell to get him prosecuted, but tracking him down and BEATING him wouldn't ever make it past the "wild fantasy" stage.

This guys problems went far beyond simple anger over being molested.

[crim son]

45. With respect,

as a seven-year-old, the man was forced to perform oral sex on his five-year-old brother, with the priest watching. It would be ignorant of me to try to rank various abuses, but this version really boggles my mind. Without adequate counseling (is there such a thing in this case?) I cannot imagine the man ever having any peace with himself again. And if the guy had more than his share of problems I'm willing to guess his childhood experience has something to do with it. He finally lost it and it isn't particularly surprising.

[boppers]

48. "simple anger over being molested"

Wow.

Okay, yes, his problems extended far beyond "simple". he dealt with alcoholism, suicide, rage... all things that are not simple.

Since I'm in a different "box", but can relate, can you imagine a life where:
1. You cannot trust adults.
2. You cannot trust religion.
3. You cannot trust males.
4. You cannot trust family.
5. You cannot trust the state.

Perhaps where your analysis goes wrong is thinking that being molested only provokes "simple anger".

Maybe being molested was simple for you. For others, it isn't... it's profound and permanently life altering.

[Leftist Agitator]

26. Too bad this fucking scumbag lived.

Dear Mr. Lynch,

Next time, finish the job.

Here's to hoping that he gets acquitted.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

28. Sounds like the big money settlement didn't settle things

And putting a beating on the priest won't settle things either, whether convicted or not.

Lynch will just be an unsettled soul, unless he can get some really good help. Priest-pounding, while temporarily satisfying, will not help.

[dipsydoodle]

29. Can't you ever get your fucking lot to behave

[Xithras]

32. I'm going to take the high road. Hope he rots in jail.

I was molested as a kid, and my molester died without ever spending a day in jail for it, but I'm STILL sickened by a lot of the posts in this discussion.

In a civil society, there is NO legitimate argument for vigilante "justice" 30 years after the fact. None.

He sued the church and won. While he couldn't get the guy prosecuted, he WAS permanently housed in a care facility that wouldn't let him leave and became a de facto prison. This guy had to lie his way past security to get in and beat him.

There is no acceptable defense for what this guy did. If I were on the jury, I'd convict.

[Jennicut]

44. I was molested as a kid too. I waver between sympathizing with the abused victim and

not liking vigilante justice. I also went on to work with sexually abused children. I would say those kids might have turned into people that attack others in this way, there was just a lot of rage in some of those kids. They would be teenagers now. It keeps me up at night. I think this victim just never dealt with his rage properly.

[IScreamSundays]

35. too little, too late....nt

[Dappleganger]

36. I would not find him guilty.

As a person who's also a survivor, there's no way I'd stand in judgment of someone who's been through that. Knowing what I know about how many have gotten by with it, or just a slap on the wrist, or continued to ruin the lives of their victims. There is very little justice to be found in these cases in the court systems.

[MadMaddie]

40. I think I read somewhere where the statute of limitations has

come and gone.

He molested his niece, his brother walked in on him doing it.

[humblebum]

37. I believe he really fell and couldn't get up - yeh, that's it.

Any trial should be delayed for about 35 years.

[Permanut]

39. Now elderly?

Is the writer for the NY Daily News going for a little subtle sympathy for Lindner? The "old" priest? Give me a break, I'm 65 and there ain't no way I'm "elderly". This is not meant as nitpicking, this article makes it sound more one sided than it was. I'm with Lynch on this one.

[Orrex]

42. Perhaps he's in frail health independent of his age?

I agree, by the way: 65 sure as hell ain't elderly. I'm not even sure that it's "old."

[Orrex]

41. So we're once again assuming the guilt of the accused?

And we're praising the righteous vengeance of his alleged attacker?


Just checking.

[closeupready]

52. In light of multiple allegations about the priest, even condemnation from his own sister,

what do you think, personally? It's not very difficult to find lots of scary stories about this guy.

[Orrex]

53. I think that he, like everyone else, deserves a trial by jury

Personally I think that he's a vile monster very likely guilty of the crimes attributed to him. It is grossly unjust that the statute of limitations has expired, but that's another matter.


Vigilante vengeance, however righteously motivated, is wrong and merely answers crime with crime.

[BlueIris]

43. Mr. Lynch...I really feel for you.

Father What-Ever-Your-Child-Raping-POS-Ass-Is-Named? Uh, I guess I hope you survive, as violence is never the answer. God, I hope I live to see a future where there are no more like you, though.

[boppers]

46. I'd go with the "he slipped onto my fists repeatedly" explanation.

"Lindner was treated at a local hospital for bruises and lacerations."

No crushed ribs, jaw/facial reconstruction, skull fractures, necessary amputations... I call bullshit on "within an inch of his life", he had bruises and lacerations.

[dogfacedboy]

47. Payback CAN be a mofo. Street justice DOES have a place, albeit a VERY limited place.

[defendandprotect]

49. Amazing that with thousands of victims and more ... this hasn't happened before...!!!

Generally, those who were abused have turned to constructive ways of helping others

press charges against RCC. That's been highly effective -- though still many victims

don't come forward.

[Old Troop]

50. I wonder if there is ex post facto justifiable assault in jurisprudence

[Luciferous]

51. Sounds like the old bastard got what he deserved... I hope Lynch walks.