Inmate killed pedophile priest after clergyman brushed off criticism

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Joseph Druce saw himself as the man who had to put a stop to pedophilia in the Catholic church.

Imprisoned alongside the child-molesting priest John Geoghan, the inmate twice confronted the clergyman about his crimes and listened as Geoghan arrogantly brushed off criticism.

On Monday, Druce recalled his rage toward the priest, testifying for a second day at his trial for killing Geoghan, who was serving time for groping a 10-year-old boy and had been accused of molesting 150 other children.

On the stand, Druce was asked by his attorney what was going through his mind during the Aug. 23, 2003, slaying and the weeks leading up to it.

Druce, 40, said he heard Geoghan talking on the phone to his sister and also overheard conversations he had with other inmates about plans to move to South America once he was released so he could work with children again.

In one conversation, Druce said, he overheard Geoghan discussing with other inmates how to molest young boys.

During a later conversation, Druce said, he told Geoghan he had molested 150 to 200 children and "destroyed all kinds of lives." Druce said Geoghan responded: "I'm worth 300 of them."

When asked why he killed Geoghan, Druce said he was molested as a child. "I wanted to get the thoughts out of my mind of being molested myself, and the arrogant way he answered my questions," Druce said.

He also said he wanted to "make a statement."

"I had seen myself as the designated individual who had to put a stop to the pedophilia in the church," he said.

During cross-examination, prosecutor Lawrence Murphy pressed Druce about the level of planning involved in the killing. He told investigators he had planned to kill Geoghan for five weeks and was "driven" to do it.

"It wasn't about planning. I had to stop him and that was that," Druce said. "He was a sick, degenerate pedophile that victimized hundreds of kids."

Druce also railed about the Boston Archdiocese, Cardinal Bernard Law and other church supervisors who shifted Geoghan from parish to parish after receiving allegations that he was molesting children.