Richard R. Lavigne
Richard R. Lavigne | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 18, 1941 United States |
| Died | May 21, 2021 (aged 80) |
| Occupation | Catholic priest |
| Conviction(s) | Child sexual abuse |
Richard Roger Lavigne (February 18, 1941 – May 21, 2021)Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him.
He was removed from ministry by Bishop John Marshall in 1991. He pleaded guilty to two counts of child sexual abuse on June 26, 1992,[1] and was the only suspect named in the long-unsolved 1972 murder of 13-year-old altar boy Danny Croteau of Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1994, DNA tests failed to link Lavigne to the Croteau murder, and the Hampden County District Attorney, William Bennett, did not bring any charges against Lavigne.[3] Lavigne was
laicized by the Holy See on November 20, 2003.[4] According to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry, Lavigne spent the last two years of his life "in violation", and his last known residence was in Chicopee.[1]
Lavigne died in May 2021 of acute
hypoxia respiratory failure, as a result of COVID-19-related pneumonia,[5] just hours after the Hampden County district attorney Anthony D. Gulluni's office had begun preparing an arrest warrant in the 1972 case, based on deathbed admissions by Lavigne of specific details. Gullini declared Lavigne responsible for the death of Danny Croteau.[3][6]
Two Springfield, Massachusetts Roman Catholic bishops, Christopher Joseph Weldon (1905–1982) and
pedophiles who each covered up the abuse and murder of Danny Croteau by Lavigne, who was in their charge.[7]
References
- ^ a b c "Level 3 Sex Offender - Richard Roger Lavigne". Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ISBN 978-1476673455.
- ^ a b Cramer, Marie (May 29, 2021). "Ex-Priest Dies Just Before Facing Charges in 1972 Killing of an Altar Boy". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- Springfield Republican. Retrieved 2009-04-22 – via SNAP.
- Boston Globe. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- Mass Live. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ Cullen, Kevin (October 28, 2021). "After visiting Canada, Pope Francis might want to stop off in Springfield". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
Further reading
- Cullen, Kevin (February 21, 2004). "Diocese's report on sex abuse questioned". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- Cullen, Kevin (August 6, 2004). "Lawyer: Documents clear ex-priest". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- Cullen, Kevin (January 21, 2004). "Approval given to defrock priest". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
- Cullen, Kevin, December 14, 2003, http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/12/14/a_priest_a_boy_a_mystery/
| Ordinaries |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Churches |
| |
| Education | ||
| Priests | ||
| ||