iradiophilly | News - Justice Eakin Suspended for E-mails; Msgr. Lynn Conviction Overturned; Psychiatrist Death Update

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Justice Eakin Suspended for E-mails; Msgr. Lynn Conviction Overturned; Psychiatrist Death Update

by: iradioal - Philadelphia, PA
started: 12/22/15 10:16 pm | updated: 12/22/15 10:16 pm

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice J. Michael Eakin was suspended today with pay by the state's Court of Judicial Discipline for his involvement in the "Porngate" scandal. The 3-person panel said that Eakin's e-mails contained insensitive and inappropriate messages with regards to gender, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity and have "tainted the Pennsylvania judiciary in the eyes of the public." Eakin tearfully apologized for his actions yesterday at a hearing, saying he never intended for those messages to be made public. He sent them from a private email address to a friend at the Attorney General's office where they were captured on government servers. He will go to trial in a few months where he could be removed from the bench.

A Pennsylvania Superior Court has overturned the 2012 conviction of Monsignor William Lynn and ordered a new trial for the priest on child endangerment charges. The appeals court ruled that the Philadelphia trial judge "abused its discretion by admitting a high volume of unfairly prejudicial other-acts evidence." They said that the judge erred in allowing about 20 other victims of clergy sex abuse to testify about their cases. Lynn was the secretary for clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992-2004 and oversaw the assignments of priests. He was convicted of the child endangerment of a boy who said he was assaulted by two priests and a teacher. One of the priests was previously accused of misconduct and had been transferred to the boy's parish. The 64-year-old Lynn has been in prison since April after a previous overturn of his conviction was reinstated by the PA Supreme Court. He has served 2 years of his 3-5 year sentence. District Attorney Seth Williams can appeal the Superior Court's decision or go to trial again.

Philadelphia Police now have a person of interest in custody in the death of a prominent local psychiatrist. The body of 75-year-old Dr. Howard Baker of Lower Merion, Montgomery County was found in a fifth floor room of the Rodeway Inn at 1208 Walnut Street around 11 a.m. on Monday. He was lying on the floor naked, face up, with a leather belt around his neck. Baker checked into the hotel around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Surveillance cameras show that he left the room and returned with a man. After some time the pair left. Later Sunday evening Baker returned to the room with another man. At 12:30 a.m. Monday, the second man was seen leaving the room with Baker's backpack and wallet. The maid discovered the doctor in the morning. Police are questioning the second man now. Baker has been practicing for 30 years and specializes in relationship problems, ADHD and spirituality. His offices is two blocks from the hotel.

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