Current:Home > ScamsCourt affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Court affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi
View Date:2025-01-11 12:52:37
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Court of Appeals has affirmed the 2022 conviction of a former Franciscan friar in the 1990s sexual abuse of a student at a Catholic school.
In a split decision Tuesday, a majority of the court found “no reversible error” in the conviction of Paul West, 63, who is Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.
Leflore County jurors in April 2022 found West guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. A judge sentenced him to 30 years on the first count and 15 years on the second count, to be served at the same time.
As first reported by The Associated Press in 2019, La Jarvis Love and his cousin, Joshua Love, had accused West of numerous instances of sexual abuse while they were students at St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood. The AP usually does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but the cousins agreed to be identified.
West’s attorneys argued on appeal that prosecutors failed to prove La Jarvis Love was younger than 18 when the abuse occurred. A majority of the appeals court judges wrote that West’s attorneys should have raised that challenge during the trial.
Appeals Court Judge Latrice Westbrooks disagreed with the majority.
“West’s charged offenses are deeply disturbing, but that does not overshadow the fact that this Court must make sure that if a person is going to be convicted — no matter the offense — that every element is to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Westbrooks wrote.
La Jarvis Love and Joshua Love testified during West’s trial of repeated abuse by West beginning when they were in the fourth grade. They testified the abuse occurred both at the school and on trips to New York and to Wisconsin, where the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary are based. West was a member of the religious order.
West left Mississippi in the late 1990s. He returned to his home state of Wisconsin and left the Franciscan order. In September 2020, he was extradited from Wisconsin to Mississippi to face criminal charges in the sexual abuse case.
St. Francis of Assisi School primarily served Black and Hispanic families in Greenwood. About a month after West was convicted, the school announced it was closing after more than 70 years. The decision came after the sex abuse scandal, declining enrollment and a steep decrease in donations.
veryGood! (314)
Related
- Jason Kelce Offers Up NSFW Explanation for Why Men Have Beards
- Teachers in a Massachusetts town are striking over pay. Classes are cancelled for 5,500 students
- Several people shot on Interstate 59 in Alabama, police say
- Negotiations said to be underway for 3-day humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza to let aid in, hostages out
- Chris Wallace will leave CNN 3 years after defecting from 'Fox News Sunday'
- How to watch 2023 NWSL championship: Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger face off in farewell
- Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh suspended by Big Ten as part of sign-stealing investigation
- Union says striking workers at Down East mill have qualified for unemployment benefits
- Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
- Barbra Streisand says she's not a diva - she's a director
Ranking
- Pete Rose fans say final goodbye at 14-hour visitation in Cincinnati
- Is the Beatles' 'Now and Then' about Paul McCartney? Is it really the last song?
- A Hawaii refuge pond has turned eye-catching pink and scientists think they know why
- Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner and the truth about long engagements and relationship success
- OneTaste Founder Nicole Daedone Speaks Out on Sex Cult Allegations Against Orgasmic Meditation Company
- After a Last-Minute Challenge to New Loss and Damage Deal, U.S. Joins Global Consensus Ahead of COP28
- Jamie Lee Curtis Reunites With Lindsay Lohan to Tease the Ultimate Freaky Friday Sequel
- 'Special talent': Kyler Murray's Cardinals teammates excited to have him back vs. Falcons
Recommendation
-
2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
-
Former Indiana legislator agrees to plead guilty to fraud in casino corruption scheme
-
Are you a homeowner who has run into problems on a COVID mortgage forbearance?
-
Louisiana lawmakers have until Jan. 15 to enact new congressional map, court says
-
Get well, Pop. The Spurs are in great hands until your return
-
Houseboats catch fire on a lake popular with tourists, killing 3 in Indian-controlled Kashmir
-
Mitch McConnell, standing apart in a changing GOP, digs in on his decades-long push against Russia
-
Croatia’s defense minister is badly injured in a car crash in which 1 person died