Former bishop takes Fifth in deposition
A former Roman Catholic bishop of Springfield repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a deposition in a lawsuit filed by a man who alleges he was molested by a known pedophile priest.
The Most Rev. Thomas Dupre testified in a lawsuit by Andrew Nicastro, who says defrocked priest Alfred Graves molested him in Williamstown in the 1980s. Nicastro alleges that then-Bishop Joseph Maguire, and Dupre, his subordinate, knew Graves had abused other boys, but assigned him to the church anyway.
Dupre later became bishop but resigned after an unrelated 2004 child sex abuse indictment. He was never prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired.
Nicastro's lawyer is seeking release of a videotape of Dupre's deposition. A written transcript shows Dupre taking the Fifth Amendment in response to nearly all questions.
