Fake Shaman: The Prelude

When we left off with my friend Cee’s story in Part 1, we heard how after decades of stress and anxiety caused by the four sexual assaults committed by Father Charles Sullivan — in 1981 — she decided to seek justice, and she retained the services of a law firm to deal with the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts. If you haven’t listened to (or read) Part One, I recommend you do before you listen to the rest of this episode.At the end of Part 1, it was September 2, 2020 and Cee had just emailed me for the first time:“I was a student of Saint Matthew’s. I have contacted a lawyer about several issues involving myself and Father Sullivan. The lawyer is having issues finding information about Father Sullivan’s time at the school. I am hoping, if at all possible, you might be able to help.”A couple of days later, we spoke for the first time, the first of many calls and the start of a two year journey to right the wrongs she experienced at the hands of the “Angry Drunkard Priest.” That’s what I call Father Charles Sullivan, who was the subject of Episode Four of Unholy Fathers.Aside from her initial interview with the law firm, I was the first person she’d told what happened at the hands of the priest. During our recent conversation recorded last month, I asked her what it had been like to reveal such horrible details to a stranger like me. After all, she’d kept this secret to herself for decades.for the complete human proofread transcript visit crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode includes a disturbing account about a series of sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl, in the year 1981, by a then-45-year-old Catholic priest from Springfield, Massachusetts named Charles Sullivan. This episode is not suitable for kids or the extremely sensitive.Episode 16 of Unholy Fathers features the voice of a woman I’m calling Cee to protect her anonymity. Cee is a very sweet person. She’s in her mid 50s, and has worked in the corrections sector in western Massachusetts ever since she graduated Cathedral High School back in 1987.In today’s episode, based upon a conversation that she and I had last month, you’ll learn a lot about Cee and what happened with Father Charles Sullivan. Next week, in Part Two, you’ll hear about how we became pals and how together we teamed up and were able to get long-delayed justice and a financial settlement from the Diocese of Springfield to make good on my friend’s bad experiences at the hands of the now-dead Charles Sullivan, whom I profiled in episode four of Unholy Fathers.First to set this horrible scene. We go back in time to 1981 to when Cee was a seventh grader at St. Matthew’s School in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time, I was in the eighth grade at St. Matthew’s, and while I wasn’t friends with Cee, I was aware of her. Relatively speaking, she was a new girl, this being only her second year at the school. To read a complete transcript -- proofread by a human -- visit crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the prelude to my upcoming new true crime podcast Fake Shaman about a con-witch who moved to Maine with dollar signs in her eyes and psychedelic mushrooms in her Coach bag. Be sure to sign up at fakeshaman.com for the latest news and notification when this 10-part series premieres in the fall of 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hear a sad tale from "Sarah," the long-suffering wife of one of Richard Lavigne's victims. She tells us about her husband's abuse at the hands of the murderer-priest and the impact it had their family. And how it got worse after Lavigne died and the murderer-priest, once again, became the center of media attention. For more visit crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the night of May 21, 2021, the unpunished murderer and former Catholic priest Richard Lavigne died at the age of 80 from COVID. The local district attorney claimed he was getting ready to arrest the former priest and charge him with Danny Croteau's murder, but since Lavigne was now dead, the DA now considers the case closed. On this episode of Unholy Fathers (originally aired June '21)Crash discusses the news of the death of this notorious child molester with the anonymous author of the Hell's Acres blog while they listen to never-before-heard audio of Lavigne from both Crash's exclusive interview with the murderer and soundbites released by the DA from a police interview. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In what was supposed to be the season finale of Unholy Fathers, we tie up some loose ends and visit the spot where Danny Croteau was murdered on April 14th, 1972. Since this episode first aired in Feb. 2020, there's been a couple major developments. Read more at crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of Unholy Fathers is much different than the previous 11, thanks to the calming presence of my high school classmate Cat, who is the youngest sister of Danny Croteau, the 13-year-old altar boy murdered by then-Rev. Richard Lavigne in April 1972, under a bridge on the banks of the Chicopee River in western Massachusetts.The interview for this episode was recorded during the summer of 2019. To say I’m thankful to Cat for her time, words and wisdom is an understatement. Cat is a strong and resilient woman, haunted by the murder of her brother, but she demonstrates the ability to deal with the depression and sadness with an amazing attitude we can all learn from. Cat and her family experienced unimaginable pain and suffering because of the violent acts of Lavigne, an evil man who pretended to be their family friend and confidant. And, as we hear from Cat, the murder destroyed her family. Even worse is the longterm impact the tragedy had on her siblings and parents. The lingering cloud of grief — felt by Cat and her loved ones — is inescapable and forevermore. read more at crashbarry.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick refresher on the sins and crimes of Richard Lavigne, the worst of all the bad priests in the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts: In 1972, Lavigne murdered Danny Croteau, the sweet and innocent 13-year-old boy who the priest had been molesting for years. Also, we know that Lavigne sexually assaulted multiple dozens of others — mostly altar boys — during the 1970s, 80s and up until 1991. As I explained in the first three episodes (1 2 3) of Unholy Fathers, the Catholic diocese of Springfield, along with local DA and others, covered up for Lavigne. Until 1991, when a brave teenager came forward with a thorough and horrifying accounting of the three years of abuse he suffered at the hands of Lavigne.In today’s episode, we’re going back in time, to February 2019, when I knocked on the door of Richard Lavigne’s dead parent’s house in the western Massachusetts city of Chicopee for the murderer’s ONLY media interview, ever. Thing is, despite my hidden recording equipment, Massachusetts law prevents me from using the audio. (Laws vary from state to state.) However, here’s a pic of the then-78-year-old murderer sitting in his living room, during our interview, before he gave me a tour of his abode.This podcast episode is a verbatim account of my conversation with the murderer Lavigne. Obviously since this was initially published five years ago, a lot has changed since. However, there is a specific update to this episode that is pertinent in today’s climate of cover-up and distraction.The day after my interview with Lavigne in February 2019, I drove to the Springfield Chancery — aka the Diocese’s headquarters — and knocked on enough doors until the church’s local spokesman Mark Dupont agreed to meet with me in a vestibule for a brief conversation.My goal: specifically ask about the allegations Lavigne made regarding Father John Klekotka, the pastor of Lavigne’s first parish when the murderer was a young priest. [[insert excerpt]]To say Dupont was non-reactive would be an overstatement. The diocese spokesman claimed not to know anything about Father Klekotka and declined to answer any questions and ignored several follow up emails.Here’s the thing, in late May of 2021, a year-and-a-half after today’s podcast episode initially aired, the Diocese of Springfield released an updated list of bad priests, including an additional 40 new names of priests credibly accused of molesting children.And on that list: the aforementioned Fr. John R. Klekotka, the pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Church officials, however, were still hesitant to convict the now-dead priest who shuffled his mortal coil — hopefully to hell — in 1974. Fella can’t defend himself from beyond the veil, church officials argue, so his name is on the list with an asterisk of sorts. The available info about Klekotka from the diocese — not surprisingly — is less than scant. Here’s the official version: Fr. John R. Klekotka served as a priest for almost 50 years until he kicked the bucket. The “nature of reported conduct” is “sexual abuse of a minor” for a seven year period, from 1963 until 1970. According to the diocese, it was the sole credible allegation.And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to the Vatican for sale. Cheap read more via crashbarry.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are only a handful of good priests in the Unholy Fathers saga of the sins and crimes committed by the child-raping clergy of Springfield, Massachusetts. From Bishop Thomas Dupre to Richard Lavigne to the scores of other “credibly accused,” most of the alleged holy men I’ve reported on are actual devils and dirtbags. In Episode 10, though, we hear the story of Rev. James Scahill, or “Father Jim,” as he was known to his adoring parishioners at St. Michael’s Parish in East Longmeadow. He was the rare hero of Catholic priests, one who stood up for victims of priestly abuse. And he was the special sort of Catholic cleric, one who listened to his congregation. He became further empowered after hearing from his flock who were tired of their financial contributions paying for the lifestyles of bad priests. Especially to Lavigne, the child-murderer.Inspired by his parishioners, Scahill took to speaking truth to power —specifically to the serial rapist Bishop Dupre — and undertook a revolutionary act (for a Catholic priest) by publicly disobeying his bosses. Scahill understood how important money was to the Bishop, so the pastor made the power move — with support from his parish — and began to withhold the six percent of parish earnings, aka the “cathedralticum” payment, paid to the Bishop every month.Which meant Scahill became a major thorn in the dirty bishop’s side. While his litany of complaints mostly focussed on Lavigne-the-murderer still being on church payroll, Scahill was also obsessed with the rumor that we now know to be true: The Bishops of Springfield had intentionally destroyed secret records in order to protect their child molesting priests from criminal prosecution.In mid-September 2002, hundreds of priests from the Springfield diocese descended on a hotel in Cape Neddick, Maine for a “spiritual retreat.” Called by Bishop Dupre, the retreat was an attempt at damage control and to deal with the fallout from the diocese’s child molestation scandal.During a lull in the meeting, Father Scahill rose and addressed his brethren. “No matter what anyone says,” the renegade priest intoned, “there is no virtue to obedience that requires the surrender of virtue. There is no virtue to obedience that requires one to go myopically blind, like the soldiers of Hitler.”There was silence, momentarily, then Bishop Dupre bellowed. “Father Scahill, you are being disobedient. You have broken your oath of office as a pastor. And you have cost the diocese thousands and thousands of dollars with the timing of your stunt…”Father Scahill interrupted. “I’m listening to my parishioners. And they tell me to…”“SILENCE!” The Bishop glowered, pointing at Father Scahill. “Remember your vows,” he sputtered threateningly.The following year, the Bishop and his underlings tried to shift attention away from the scandal. Dupre made a very public and loud attempt to reassert the church’s moral authority on social issues. That’s why, in 2003, he became the face and voice of the anti-marriage equality movement in Massachusetts and vociferously argued that marriage was meant to be a union between man and woman. And very few folks dared to challenge his hateful rhetoric. After all, Dupre was the most powerful religious spiritual leader in western Mass.Meanwhile in California, one of Dupre’s victims stumbled across a wire service news story reporting on the Bishop’s sanctimonious moralizing. This now grown man — who had been repeatedly raped by Dupre from 1977 to 1982 — decided he’d kept his mouth shut long enough. He knew a reporter from the Springfield newspapers named Bill Zajac was working hard to bring the Bishop down. And with some assistance from Father Scahill, the tide turned and Dupre became the first American Catholic to be indicted on child rape charges.Unfortunately, like many powerful men accused of sex crimes against children, the Bishop was never prosecuted. And Dupre lived for another dozen years in relative comfort and luxury, dying in 2016 at 83. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again, the Catholic sexual abuse scandal mirrors current Epstein Files situation. Not only are there troves of secret documents, detailing crimes against children, but the man-in-charge was an evil, egomaniacal piece of garbage.The next two episodes tell the sordid tale of Bishop Thomas Dupre, who reigned supreme over the Catholic church in western Massachusetts from 1995 to 2004, when he suddenly disappeared under the cover of darkness, never to pay the price for his crimes, when he realized the jig was up.This so-called holy man fostered a system that protected scores of evil men, including Richard Lavigne, Charles Sullivan, Father X and others who committed countless crimes against children. Cover-up, lies and deception were the order of business for Dupre, a skilled canon lawyer, who also happened to be a serial child-rapist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.