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American Morning

More Details Emerging About Geoghan Murder

Aired August 27, 2003 - 08:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Since the murder behind bars of defrocked priest John Geoghan, two former priests convicted of sexually abusing children have now been moved to the hospital wing of their Massachusetts jail. They were moved at their request because they say they feared for their own safety.
Meanwhile, more details emerging about the murder. Joseph Druce, shown here, has confessed to the killing. But there are questions again today about whether or not someone offered him money to help carry out the crime.

Peter Costanza is an attorney with the Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services. That's a prisoner rights group. He spoke with the inmate making some of those allegations.

Live with us today in Boston.

Thank you for your time, sir.

I know you met with this inmate, Robert, about, for about two days, two hours yesterday, excuse me. Robert Assad is the man's name.

What did he tell you about what Joseph Druce told him?

PETER COSTANZA, ATTORNEY, MASSACHUSETTS CORRECTIONAL LEGAL SERVICES: Well, he didn't speak that much with respect to what Druce said. He did indicate that he felt that someone else had been involved in importuning or paying Druce to do this. I do not think, based on our total conversation, that I'm convinced that anybody other than Druce was really involved in planning this.

HEMMER: So you think Druce is the only one then?

COSTANZA: Well, I would say that I'm not sure one way or the other, but I'm certainly not convinced that it was a plot involving more than one individual.

HEMMER: OK, this man, Robert Assad, the inmate, did Druce ever tell him about a threat or any feelings that he had about Geoghan?

COSTANZA: Yes, Druce made some remarks to Mr. Assad in mid-June which concerned Assad enough so that Assad brought those remarks to the attention of some of the security staff in the prison.

HEMMER: OK. He told the guards, then? He told you that he went to the guards and said what? COSTANZA: Well, what he said was that Druce had made a comment to him about attacking Geoghan as a means to getting himself transferred to the federal prison system. And that information was communicated by Assad to the security people about the middle of June.

HEMMER: So, what was he saying Joseph Druce was not happy with that prison where he was being held, then, if he wanted -- if that was his motivation to get out and move?

COSTANZA: We actually didn't discuss what was going on in Druce's mind, and I'm not sure that even Assad knows why Druce thought he could get out of the prison by attacking Geoghan. The issue at that point was that Assad was concerned that Druce would attack Geoghan and he brought that to the attention of the authorities.

HEMMER: But what did the guards do with this information?

COSTANZA: Well, the people who are informed by Assad are the internal security team in the prison. They're like detectives. They're not the regular guards who run the units. And it's their job to evaluate threats and decide which ones are credible. And they discussed it with Assad and basically let him to understand that they had evaluated that information and concluded that it was not a credible threat and that they weren't going to take any further action.

HEMMER: Right now, Mr. Costanza, is there any evidence that money was offered in this killing?

COSTANZA: I have not seen or heard any evidence that would lead me to conclude that that's the case. It is a possibility.

HEMMER: OK. Is there any evidence that may suggest the guards may have been in on this?

COSTANZA: That's always a possibility in this type of situation, but I have seen and heard absolutely nothing to indicate that guards actively attempted to make this happen in any way.

HEMMER: A final question then. Why should we believe Robert Assad?

COSTANZA: I've had a lot of contact with Mr. Assad over the years in connection with litigation that I'm involved with hdlg. And my sense is that the information that he's provided in the past has been pretty good.

HEMMER: Peter Costanza, thanks for sharing your part of the story in Boston this morning.

COSTANZA: You're quite welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired August 27, 2003 - 08:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Since the murder behind bars of defrocked priest John Geoghan, two former priests convicted of sexually abusing children have now been moved to the hospital wing of their Massachusetts jail. They were moved at their request because they say they feared for their own safety.
Meanwhile, more details emerging about the murder. Joseph Druce, shown here, has confessed to the killing. But there are questions again today about whether or not someone offered him money to help carry out the crime.

Peter Costanza is an attorney with the Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services. That's a prisoner rights group. He spoke with the inmate making some of those allegations.

Live with us today in Boston.

Thank you for your time, sir.

I know you met with this inmate, Robert, about, for about two days, two hours yesterday, excuse me. Robert Assad is the man's name.

What did he tell you about what Joseph Druce told him?

PETER COSTANZA, ATTORNEY, MASSACHUSETTS CORRECTIONAL LEGAL SERVICES: Well, he didn't speak that much with respect to what Druce said. He did indicate that he felt that someone else had been involved in importuning or paying Druce to do this. I do not think, based on our total conversation, that I'm convinced that anybody other than Druce was really involved in planning this.

HEMMER: So you think Druce is the only one then?

COSTANZA: Well, I would say that I'm not sure one way or the other, but I'm certainly not convinced that it was a plot involving more than one individual.

HEMMER: OK, this man, Robert Assad, the inmate, did Druce ever tell him about a threat or any feelings that he had about Geoghan?

COSTANZA: Yes, Druce made some remarks to Mr. Assad in mid-June which concerned Assad enough so that Assad brought those remarks to the attention of some of the security staff in the prison.

HEMMER: OK. He told the guards, then? He told you that he went to the guards and said what? COSTANZA: Well, what he said was that Druce had made a comment to him about attacking Geoghan as a means to getting himself transferred to the federal prison system. And that information was communicated by Assad to the security people about the middle of June.

HEMMER: So, what was he saying Joseph Druce was not happy with that prison where he was being held, then, if he wanted -- if that was his motivation to get out and move?

COSTANZA: We actually didn't discuss what was going on in Druce's mind, and I'm not sure that even Assad knows why Druce thought he could get out of the prison by attacking Geoghan. The issue at that point was that Assad was concerned that Druce would attack Geoghan and he brought that to the attention of the authorities.

HEMMER: But what did the guards do with this information?

COSTANZA: Well, the people who are informed by Assad are the internal security team in the prison. They're like detectives. They're not the regular guards who run the units. And it's their job to evaluate threats and decide which ones are credible. And they discussed it with Assad and basically let him to understand that they had evaluated that information and concluded that it was not a credible threat and that they weren't going to take any further action.

HEMMER: Right now, Mr. Costanza, is there any evidence that money was offered in this killing?

COSTANZA: I have not seen or heard any evidence that would lead me to conclude that that's the case. It is a possibility.

HEMMER: OK. Is there any evidence that may suggest the guards may have been in on this?

COSTANZA: That's always a possibility in this type of situation, but I have seen and heard absolutely nothing to indicate that guards actively attempted to make this happen in any way.

HEMMER: A final question then. Why should we believe Robert Assad?

COSTANZA: I've had a lot of contact with Mr. Assad over the years in connection with litigation that I'm involved with hdlg. And my sense is that the information that he's provided in the past has been pretty good.

HEMMER: Peter Costanza, thanks for sharing your part of the story in Boston this morning.

COSTANZA: You're quite welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com