Geoghan killed in prison Breaking news/by Eric Convey Saturday, August 23, 2003 Former priest John Geoghan, a notorious pedophile whose case sparked the clergy molestation scandal of the past 18 months, died this afternoon after being attacked at the state prison in Shirley. ``The perpetrator has been isolated,'' said Kelly Nantell, a spokeswoman for the state Deparment of Corrections. ``Our investigation continues,'' she said. The matter has been referred to the Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley's office. Geoghan was serving a nine-to-10 year sentence at MCI Shirley for allegedly groping a boy at a Waltham swimming pool. More than 140 people have claimed they were abused by Geoghan, claiming they were fondled or raped at locations ranging from church rectories to their own homes. Geoghan would become one the most notorious pedophiles in the country - not only for the extent of his rampage against children but because relevations about his case led to the unraveling of secrecy within the Archdiocese of Boston. Bernard Cardinal Law's cordial letters to Geoghan, mixing discipline with praise for his priestly service, that pushed many victims from disbelief to outrage.
That´s terrible, that prisons can´t ensure the safety of their inmates. I know he was a pedophile, but I don´t think that makes him less worth as a human being. I do think emprisoning him was right, but not killing him.
