Chicago Tribune, August 27 2003 -------------------- Suspect in Priest's Death Sought Revenge -------------------- By DENISE LAVOIE Associated Press Writer August 27, 2003, 9:53 PM CDT BOSTON -- The inmate accused of strangling John Geoghan in his prison cell apparently wanted to avenge the nearly 150 children the former priest allegedly molested, the suspect's lawyer said Wednesday. Attorney John LaChance said he expects to pursue an insanity defense for Joseph L. Druce in the weekend slaying. Geoghan, 68, was serving a nine- to 10-year sentence for groping a 10-year-old boy and was accused of molesting nearly 150 boys over three decades. His case triggered the sex scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church. LaChance, who met with Druce in prison for the first time Wednesday, said Druce "was upset what had happened to all those children." "The impression that I got from him was that his beef with Geoghan was based on his serial mistreatment of little kids," LaChance told The Associated Press. "All I can tell you is I believe there's a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and I know that he had been on some medication," LaChance said. "There may very well be other mental health issues." Druce, 37, was serving a life sentence for the 1988 murder of a gay man. Authorities have said he hates homosexuals, Jews, blacks and other minorities. Druce unsuccessfully used an insanity defense during his 1989 trial. In trying to prove Druce was innocent, his attorney at the time argued that Druce wasn't criminally responsible because he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which prevented him from remaining focused and controlling his impulses. By his mid-teenage years, he had been committed to numerous mental institutions. The jury did not believe Druce's defense. He was convicted in December 1989 of first-degree murder by reason of "extreme atrocity and cruelty" and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Rev. Christopher Coyne, a spokesman for the Boston Archdiocese, said that only a handful of people know about funeral arrangements for Geoghan. Geoghan's relatives do not want the service to "turn into a media sideshow," Coyne said. "He's being buried in a Catholic funeral service, but when and where I won't tell you." Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
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