43-year-old William Lynch beat a 65-year-old priest named Rev. Jerold Linder because Lynch said the priest had molested him as a child. Lynch said, “He stole my innocence and destroyed my life.” That may be true, but in keeping with my philosophy that we should judge people by what they do rather that what they say, Lynch comes off as the disturbed aggressor in this story and his actions are inexcusable.
Lynch harbored a fantasy for years of confronting the priest, who also allegedly molested his little brother.
Sung said Lynch attacked the 65-year-old priest after he failed to recognize him at the Jesuits' Sacred Heart retirement home in Los Gatos. The attack occurred in a small room adjoining the lobby.
"They're saying it was pretty close to beating him to death," defense attorney Pat Harris told The Associated Press. "They're essentially saying that he waited all these years and then took out his revenge. It's sort of the ultimate revenge story."
Except that this sordid tail of immature impulse control it not even close to the ultimate revenge story. It’s a disturbed nutball acting out a childish revenge fantasy. Lynch was compensated for his abuse to the tune of $625k. With 12 years to heal he instead chose a path of violence, And in an odd twist, he became the abuser while dropping the mantle of the suffering victim. Who wins here?
