KY - Joseph Pilger, 78, bludgeoned to death, Lexington, 5 Dec 2003

A man who pleaded guilty to killing a priest said he decided to do so after the priest offered five-thousand dollars to have sex with his then-six-year-old son.

Jason Anthony Russell says that request was the last straw. Russell says he had twice before walked in on retired priest and convicted sex offender 78-year-old Joseph Pilger masturbating with photos of Russell's son and clippings of other children from store catalogs.

Russell pleaded guilty to murder Thursday and is awaiting sentencing.
http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=3923980

A Lexington man who fatally beat a retired priest and convicted sex offender with a pickax received 30 years in prison after a judge received a letter from four victims of the priest.

Fayette Circuit Judge Gary Payne could have given Jason Anthony Russell, 28, life in prison without parole for murdering the Rev. Joseph Pilger, 78.

Under the sentence handed down Friday, Russell would be eligible for parole in 25 years. Prosecutors had recommended life without parole in a plea deal with Russell, who on Sept. 29 also confessed to burglary and tampering with evidence.

Michael Long, now of Austin, Texas, wrote Payne a letter on behalf of three relatives who were also molested by Pilger.

Long said that Russell had “done a society a favor” by killing a “pedophile monster that preyed upon innocent little boys while in a position of authority and calling him self a man of god.”

“The damage a pedophile inflicts on young children is life-changing and lifelong,” Long said. “The entire emotional and developmental wiring as a child is changed forever. Pedophiles are nothing but human debris. I have, for years, wished to do what Mr. Russell did.”

In 1995, Pilger pleaded guilty to abusing four boys when he was their pastor in the late 1960s at St. Francis Borgia Roman Catholic Church in Sturgis in Western Kentucky. In exchange for the confession, Union County Commonwealth’s Attorney Bill Greenwell recommended probation.

Long, who sued Pilger in the early 1990s, wrote that he now regrets not fighting the plea deal.

“If we would have been more adamant about his sentence, we would not be writing you now, and Mr. Russell would not be where he is as well,” Long said. “So you see, even now after his death, I still feel guilt.”
http://www.hdonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051022/NEWS01/51022001

Allow married priests! Perhaps someone should tell the church to drag itself into the 21st Century.

The old ways are showing how corrupt the church truly is!

God KNOWS.

ScorpioGal said:

Allow married priests! Perhaps someone should tell the church to drag itself into the 21st Century.

The old ways are showing how corrupt the church truly is!

God KNOWS.

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Being able to have sex "legally" doesn't make child molesters disappear within religious organizations. There are plenty of child molesters/pedophiles within Protestant religions. Like all predators, they go where the prey is, especially where the sheep aren't expecting wolves.

BillyGoatGruff said:

Being able to have sex "legally" doesn't make child molesters disappear within religious organizations. There are plenty of child molesters/pedophiles within Protestant religions. Like all predators, they go where the prey is, especially where the sheep aren't expecting wolves.

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This is so true. I found an interesting poll on CNN yesterday...it seemed 86% of the population were in favor of priest's marrying.

ScorpioGal said:

Allow married priests! Perhaps someone should tell the church to drag itself into the 21st Century.

The old ways are showing how corrupt the church truly is!

God KNOWS.

Click to expand...

I didn't realize that there are no married pedophiles. Silly me. :snooty:

I think the guy should have received a lesser sentence. Say about two weeks.

Jeana (DP) said:

I think the guy should have received a lesser sentence. Say about two weeks.

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I also was surprised at the sentence. I think that he should have received a suspended sentence with a long probation.

nanandjim said:

I also was surprised at the sentence. I think that he should have received a suspended sentence with a long probation.

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Suspended sentence???!!! What are you some law and order fanatic? He should have gotten paid all the money we'd have had to pay for imprisoning that child molester for the rest of his life, since he just saved the state all that money. :crazy: (or maybe not so silly of an idea.....)

Details said:

Suspended sentence???!!! What are you some law and order fanatic? He should have gotten paid all the money we'd have had to pay for imprisoning that child molester for the rest of his life, since he just saved the state all that money. :crazy: (or maybe not so silly of an idea.....)

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AMEN!!!!!!!! I believe most taxpayers would feel that way. This guy did society a favor, and who knows what most of us would have done in this situation.

Details said:

...What are you some law and order fanatic?...

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I must admit that I do watch Law and Order. :blushing:

Hmmm....wonder what would happen if we started giving really light sentences to those that harm pedophiles. Think they might come out of the sewer and protest in the daytime so we would know who they are? WHY should someone who hurts/kills a pedophile get a harsher sentence than the pedophile that destroys a child? WHY ?? JMHO.

NanaMcZoo said:

Hmmm....wonder what would happen if we started giving really light sentences to those that harm pedophiles. Think they might come out of the sewer and protest in the daytime so we would know who they are? WHY should someone who hurts/kills a pedophile get a harsher sentence than the pedophile that destroys a child? WHY ?? JMHO.

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Well, the only problem I see is that people will be mistaken about who the pedophile is - maybe mistaken ID, maybe a falsely accused pedophile (this does happen - particularly during messy divorces, or someone who just wants revenge for a breakup).

Where did the priest get 5000.00? I thought they lived frugally?

Casshew said:

Where did the priest get 5000.00? I thought they lived frugally?

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He may have been planning to 'defraud' him on this deal (getting the police to enforce a child prostitution agreement would probably not go over well ). Although I've heard some priests do have a lot of money - the collections and their budget for the parish.

Details said:

the collections and their budget for the parish.

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Forgive me if I am wrong, but it isn't normal to buy sex with the collection plate money, right?

:doh:

Casshew said:

Forgive me if I am wrong, but it isn't normal to buy sex with the collection plate money, right?

:doh:

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Ummm..... ummmm... well if you consider all the victims whose silence was bought over the past few decades, maybe it is.... :sick: