Duane Grey says the priest at his Connecticut parish started sexually abusing him round 1974, when he was 12 years outdated. He informed his mother and father, however they didn’t imagine it and beat him repeatedly. Then they kicked him out of the home when he was about 16, and he discovered himself dwelling within the woods.
Grey, 62, got here ahead publicly Tuesday to inform his story within the hopes it might permit some therapeutic for himself and different victims of clergy sexual abuse. Final month, he mentioned he reached a six-figure settlement with the Archdiocese of Hartford over his claims concerning the Rev. Daniel McSheffery, who died in 2014.
“With the ability to discuss it, with the ability to have a decision in my case meant all the pieces,” Grey mentioned throughout a video convention along with his lawyer and reporters. “It could assist me drastically, personally, if we are able to simply cease one case from occurring or extra. And … that’s what I’m striving for — to shine a lightweight on it and to maintain it alive in order that they’ll’t brush it below the rug simply by paying individuals off.”
David Elliott, a spokesperson for the archdiocese and the archbishop, the Most Rev. Christopher Coyne, mentioned the archdiocese has a longstanding coverage to not touch upon abuse allegations and settlements.
“The Archdiocese of Hartford continues to apologize and work with victims of clergy sexual abuse and their households to carry them a long-lasting therapeutic,” he mentioned in a press release. “Archbishop Coyne and his workers are dedicated to doing all that’s humanly doable to make sure that this by no means occurs once more and that our church buildings are protected locations for youngsters and households always.”
Grey, talking from his office in Clinton, a city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of New Haven alongside the state’s southern shore, mentioned the sexual abuse occurred at St. George Church in Guilford and continued for about two years till round 1976. He didn’t go into element concerning the incidents.
In 2019, the Hartford Archdiocese revealed that it had paid out greater than $50 million to settle 142 sexual abuse claims in opposition to 32 clergy members. On the time, The Hartford Courant reported that McSheffery had 20 claims in opposition to him settled for almost $11 million.
McSheffery, who the archdiocese says was ordained in 1956 and faraway from ministry in 2002, is on the archdiocese’s record of monks who had been concerned in authorized settlements or in any other case credibly accused of sexually abusing minors courting again to 1953. He was assigned to a number of parishes within the state throughout his profession.
Like many different victims, Grey accused church officers of masking up sexual abuse and defending accused monks.
Grey mentioned he resisted McSheffery’s final try and abuse him. Afterward, one other priest referred to as his mother and father, telling them that their son assaulted McSheffery and stole from the church. His mother and father, who had been deeply spiritual, didn’t imagine him when he informed them concerning the abuse, he mentioned.
“My life changed into a dwelling hell,” Grey mentioned. “I endured day by day beatings and I used to be pressured out of the house at a really younger age. I ended up sleeping in woods in a tent whereas attending faculty.”
He mentioned he arrange a tent not removed from his dwelling on town-owned property close to a river. Three weeks later, he went to the tent from faculty and located it and all his belongings gone. He mentioned the city had apparently cleared out tents belonging to himself and different homeless individuals who had been staying there. However a buddy’s mom allowed him to reside of their dwelling.
Grey, nonetheless, mentioned he started turning to medicine and alcohol to take care of what occurred. He mentioned he grew to become “uncontrolled.”
After highschool, he mentioned he moved to Florida to get away from Connecticut and to straighten out his life. He mentioned he labored in Florida for 9 years as a drug and cash laundering agent for the state Income Division. He later returned to Connecticut to deal with his ailing father, who died a day earlier than he arrived, and later his mom, who additionally fell ailing and died.
Years after he was abused, he mentioned he came upon his youthful brother additionally was sexually assaulted by McSheffery on the church, the place they had been altar boys. He mentioned his brother additionally obtained a settlement from the archdiocese, and that he feels responsible for not defending his brother, who died in 2014.
Grey has beforehand spoken publicly concerning the abuse, however not in as a lot element as on Tuesday. In 2019, he testified at a listening to earlier than Connecticut legislators about the necessity to remove the statute of limitations to prosecute severe intercourse crimes and file lawsuits — a proposal he nonetheless advocates for right this moment.
The Related Press typically doesn’t title victims of sexual assault except they select to go public, like Grey has.
Grey’s Boston-based lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented many clergy abuse victims, referred to as on the Hartford archbishop, Coyne, to help eliminating the statute of limitations for submitting lawsuits with abuse claims and to reveal the archdiocese’s present efforts to guard kids.
In 2002, Connecticut lawmakers elevated the statute of limitations for individuals who had been abused as minors, permitting them to file lawsuits as much as age 48. Grey’s declare in opposition to the archdiocese was exterior that point interval, however he was capable of attain a settlement although mediation, Garabedian mentioned.
Grey mentioned he’s nonetheless fascinated about what to do along with his settlement cash and hasn’t spent any of it. He mentioned he needs to assist different abuse victims.
Trying again, Grey mentioned what he went via appears “surreal.”
“You need to bear in mind, I used to be younger. I wasn’t totally developed or mature,” he mentioned. “And plus, ignorance is bliss. However I grew up actually quick. Actual, actual quick. And I wouldn’t want that on anyone.”
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