Jury Deliberates in Priest Sex Abuse Trial

NBC 10
March 6, 2014

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Jury-Deliberates-in-Priest-Sex-Abuse-Trial-248918801.html

Father Andrew McCormick, Sacred Heart, Swedesburg, Pa.

A jury has deliberated for two hours without reaching a verdict in the latest Roman Catholic priest-abuse case in Philadelphia.

The Rev. Andrew McCormick has testified that he never abused a 10-year-old altar boy in 1997.

The 57-year-old McCormick has been suspended from ministry since 2011 over other allegations involving pornography and his relationships with children.

The defense witnesses include former altar boys who say they traveled to Poland with McCormick and were not molested.

The 26-year-old accuser says he was molested after his mother met with the priest to discuss concerns her 10-year-old son was gay.

Defense lawyer William Brennan says the accuser's later problems could stem from other struggles, and not from any alleged abuse.

The jury is set to return Friday to continue their deliberations.