“A demon who disguised himself as a man of God.”

An Oakland County judge rejected the plea agreement entered into between the Michigan AG and pedophile priest Gary Berthiaume, ruling that what the prosecution had proposed didn’t fit the crimes.

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-oakland-press/20220112/281522229445714

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2022/01/12/former-priest-admits-to-sex-crimes-withdraws-pleas-after-judge-rejects-sentencing-agreement/?utm_email=E478E4C1856214FD54E1246EE2&g2i_eui=vnFrwG58svU3JZC4F76BZ4UH6bPjsZhm&g2i_source=newsletter&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2022/01/12/former-priest-admits-to-sex-crimes-withdraws-pleas-after-judge-rejects-sentencing-agreement/&utm_campaign=michigan-oakland-press-morning-update&utm_content=automated

The judge sentenced him to 20 months to 15 years, longer than the prosecution proposed sentence of ONE YEAR AND ONE DAY.

Under the terms of the agreement, Berthiaume withdrew his guilty pleas and a no contest plea. He is out on bond until his next court date, hanging at a hotel.

I am so sick of the old, white man “I am too old to go to prison” defense. Here’s the deal, padre–you only spent six months in the Oakland County JAIL in 1977 for criminal sexual conduct with minors in 1977. You belonged in prison and even back then–the “good old days,” you should have been sentenced to far longer.

Then you got to live decades and decades, continuing to sexually assault, while your employer, the Catholic church, moved you like a chess piece to try to stay ahead of your criminality. You get away with all of your assaults and all your lies until you are 80. Then you pull the old man defense.

This bullshit plea agreement allowed this monster to contend he only “touched boys’ penises.” Seriously? It’s 2022, not 1977. You had a long, long run where your church protected you. It didn’t protect your victims. You had a full life until you got caught again.

No more “one year and one day” for offenders like this. From the sounds of the victim statements, a trial could have been quite devastating for this old freak. Quit taking the easy way out, prosecutors! An Oakland County judge saw through this charade. Now get down to business with this criminal and his attorney. You are better than this

Evening Sessions: The Snow Killings: Inside the Oakland County Child Killer Investigation

Here is a link to sign up for a book talk about The Snow Killings on Wednesday evening, January 19, 2022:

https://www.baycountylibrary.org/events/evening-sessions-snow-killings-inside-oakland-county-child-killer-investigation

This book talk will be held in person at the Alice and Jack Writ Library in Bay City and live streamed on the library’s Facebook page.

At this point, Marney Keenan has done more digging in this case than anyone at the Michigan State Police ever did or has (45 years, and counting). Imagine if law enforcement and the Oakland County prosecutor had engaged honestly with the public back in 1976 and 1977 instead of withholding critical information and sticking to their “blue Gremlin, no evidence” script and discounting witnesses who saw Kristine Mihelich and Tim King at their abduction sites.

“If I had to guess, I’d say the killer is either locked up or dead . . .” Guessing doesn’t cut it, nor does lying to the public, nor does settling for magically having the killing spree stop and shutting everything down. This case is bigger than a sad cold case that cops were baffled by back in the day. Tune in to hear why.