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For Sam — the victim who once flashed a knife at the priest — the shame of having been raped by Doherty made him resolve, a few years ago, to kill himself. At that time, he had never told a soul about what had happened, he says. He called a friend and told her of Doherty's abuse, saying it was the reason he was going to commit suicide. For the first time in a decade, Sam wept. His friend persuaded him not to follow through — to live — if for no other reason than to see Doherty receive justice. Today Sam is the one victim whose case forms the basis for the criminal charges that could put Doherty, now age 63, in prison for the rest of his life.

"It's pretty much retribution," says Sam, taking a drag on a cigarette. "There's no making it okay. I don't think if he was beaten in public and dragged naked through the streets so people could throw rocks at him it would be okay."

But seeing Doherty punished would make it just a little easier for him — and, he guesses, other victims — to get through the day.

Sam hasn't had a good night's sleep in 10 years, he says; Doherty constantly appears in his nightmares. In his dreams, he acts out elaborate revenge fantasies, such as the one in which he uses a rusty shovel to decapitate Doherty.

As a reaction to the abuse, he's hardened himself, he says. When strangers say hello, he ignores them. He still carries a weapon, though now it's only a bat or a nightstick instead of a gun or a knife. He only recently broke off ties to a white supremacist group. Sam has come across ruthless people, but he calls Doherty "the only monster I've ever met in my life."

With evident pride, Sam says, "I'm not a nice person." He describes himself as an agnostic. Asked whether he believes in Heaven and Hell, he says, "I would like to believe there's a Heaven, but I doubt it." Eyes flashing, he adds, "And if there's anything like Hell, then I'll see him there."

Write Your Comment show comments (9)

  1. I have afew questions 4 you mr. Thomas Francis..Watever is going on with this priests we all know is wrong.....But..WHAT DOES A PERSON NAME JESUS CHRIST HAVE TO DO WITH ALL THAT?..and in this case if "YOU" where the guilty party..why would people use a picture of "YOUR FATHER" to blame a situation that belongs to you, and that your father has nothing to do with that. HE IS JUST YOUR FATHER RIGHT? AND YOU HAD FREE WILL TO DECIDE TO MAKE RIGHT OR WRONG ACTIONS?AND THE LAST QUESTION..IF YOU WHERE TO RECIEVE THE NOVEL PRICE OF PEACE...SHOULD YOUR FATHRER BE THE PERSON TO RECEVE ALL CREDITS AND FRONT COVERS..INSTEAD OF YOU....?..HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DAY.....GOD BLESS..

    Comment by ALONDRA — April 17, 2008 @ 08:45AM

  2. Mr. Francis..che Tu e la Tua famiglia sia Maledetta!!!!!

    Comment by Antonio — April 17, 2008 @ 12:39PM

  3. It is said that everyone is bisexual to some degree. Not sure about this. But I also heard about the same from the site BiLoves c o m, which is exclusively for bisexuals and bicurious looking to explore their sexuality. Maybe it depends on how to define it.

    Comment by felliy — April 20, 2008 @ 10:53AM

  4. According to the investigation of www.biloves.com, The Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain are the gayest countries. I think U.S. is also the one.

    Comment by dony — April 22, 2008 @ 03:06AM

  5. When I first came here to Miami, I celebrated this paper! It was refreshing to me...then this issue came out with the cover...Jesus Christ with..you know the rest!!! I'm appauled! How could you spoil a good thing?!

    Comment by concerned citizen — April 22, 2008 @ 03:55PM

  6. What does it take, to restore a victim of violence by priests to their lives? One of my family members was one of the BinDoon boys, beaten and brutalized, tortured and raped, who watched other children murdered by the priests in the Outback. He was placed in a foundling home in Great Britain as an infant and his mother was given to understand the placement was temporary. But when the Queen announced austerity measures, the government knowingly shipped Welsh foster children to the Outback.

    In the case of my family member, restoration is difficult. He would not come into my house because the floor was terrazzo, and the floors the boys polished at BinDoon with their bare hands, spilling their blood and often losing their lives in the process, were terrazzo.Many, many of the boys were killed over nearly twenty years' time.

    What did he learn? He learned to form alliances, to seek allies. He learned to let his tormentors' overseers pay for some of the damage they had caused in his life. He built the courage to meet his birth family at last, and he demonstrated the perseverance to find them, to recover the life he had lost to evil and organized evil.

    He has always known God.

    Comment by Bea — April 26, 2008 @ 10:35PM

  7. I am writing on behalf of the people that have seen the front page of last week’s paper. My intention is to show our discontent and indignation. On your edition of the New Times from April 17 to 23, 2008, volume 23 number 3 you present the figure of Christ in a denigrating position with what can clearly be seen as a sex toy on his mouth. You have done too many things in your front page, but this time you went too far. The figure of Christ deserved respect and you readers, who believe in Christ, deserve respect too. The article you present, Lambs to Slaughter, about the abuses to minors committed by members of the clergy is great, but come on how predictable that you present this article on something that happened years ago on the same week of the Pope’s visit. These problems have to be denounced, addressed and solved. I condemn and repudiate these people and the terrible acts they committed, not only because they are a clear violation to the dignity of a person, but because they were committed by members of the church. However I have to say that not all priests are corrupted. These cases represent a very small number of the millions of people that form the Church and that have worked and keep working for the poor, and those in need.

    Comment by jorge — April 28, 2008 @ 01:04PM

  8. I am writing on behalf of the people that have seen the front page of last week’s paper. My intention is to show our discontent and indignation. On your edition of the New Times from April 17 to 23, 2008, volume 23 number 3 you present the figure of Christ in a denigrating position with what can clearly be seen as a sex toy on his mouth. You have done too many things in your front page, but this time you went too far. The figure of Christ deserved respect and you readers, who believe in Christ, deserve respect too. The article you present, Lambs to Slaughter, about the abuses to minors committed by members of the clergy is great, but come on how predictable that you present this article on something that happened years ago on the same week of the Pope’s visit. These problems have to be denounced, addressed and solved. I condemn and repudiate these people and the terrible acts they committed, not only because they are a clear violation to the dignity of a person, but because they were committed by members of the church. However I have to say that not all priests are corrupted. These cases represent a very small number of the millions of people that form the Church and that have worked and keep working for the poor, and those in need.

    Comment by jorge — April 28, 2008 @ 01:04PM

  9. I was just wondering if anyone else had trouble finding the New Times magazine when the "Lambs for the Slaughter" issue came out. I looked in several New Times newspaper boxes and couldn't find a single one in the areas of Kendall and Hialeah. Do people remove or not deliver them if they don't like the subject matter? If so, I feel strongly that this infringes on the author and paper's freedom of speech and my freedom to read whatever I want.

    Comment by Kat — May 10, 2008 @ 02:09PM

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