John Fiala, Ex-Priest, Guilty In Plot To Kill Abuse Accuser

This Nov. 18, 2010 photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows John Fiala. Fiala, a former Roman Catholic priest charged with sexually abusing a teenage boy in 2008 in his rural Texas parish is now accused of plotting the alleged victim's murder, authorities said. Fiala was found guilty of the plot in May of 2012. (AP Photo/Dallas County Sheriff's Department)

DALLAS — A Texas jury has sentenced a former Roman Catholic priest to 60 years in prison for plotting the death of a man who accused him of sexual abuse.

Prosecutors had asked jurors Friday for a life sentence for 53-year-old John M. Fiala. His defense attorney argued that anything more than 15 years would be a "travesty."

The Dallas Morning News () reports the ex-priest will be eligible for parole after 15 years. Fiala was convicted Thursday for solicitation of capital murder. http://bit.ly/Kucuq3

Prosecutors say Fiala tried to hire a neighbor's brother to kill the man who accused him of abuse in 2008 when Fiala was the priest at a rural West Texas parish and his accuser was 16.

Defense attorneys said Fiala had no true intention of having his accuser killed.

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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com

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Comments

[edvince]

06:37 PM on 06/21/2012

when it rains it pours too. In May a thirty five old man bust into a elderly home and beat the living you know what out of a ninety old priest who abused him and his brother on a camping trip. now this

[Mike Block]

12:37 PM on 05/22/2012

Thou shalt not...

You know what? Forget it, this article is so nasty it doesn't deserve my comment.

Tax churches, bring the troops home, let the banks fail.

Excelsior.

[GeorgeSM]

07:50 PM on 05/21/2012

He'll be suing Obama now.

[Tim Moore]

09:14 PM on 05/21/2012

He represents the Catholic church? They're in even worse shape than I thought!

[edvince]

06:41 PM on 06/21/2012

Diocese in south FL are consolidating parishes b/c their coffers are broke from the millions in law suits. If its happening in a state like FL, must be going on nationally.

[brutusmojo]

06:18 PM on 05/21/2012

A sin full man of the cloth.What a bum.

[SuperHeretic]

04:37 PM on 05/21/2012

How can anyone not see this as a natural progression of events when dealing with sex abuse from priests by the catholic church?

In the old, old days, the church could have a person put in prison and tortured to death, or burned at the stake if you accused the church of any wrong-doing (hell, if you just claimed the earth was round).

Then they would shame people in silence.

Then they just shuffled around the pervert priests.

When that stopped working, they tried bribing. When bribing stopped working, they tried to tie cases up in court.

Now we have a priest hiring a hit man to take out an accuser. Seriously, I don't know why we haven't seen the church, and its priests trying something like this sooner.

I'm honestly surprised. Really.

[edvince]

06:52 PM on 06/21/2012

1. Religion 3. the Male porn was made by and for Man They both, are toxic stains in our human extistence.

[SuperHeretic]

08:53 PM on 06/21/2012

You realize that you're not making any kind of sense right now?

Well... probably you don't.  You did just write that drivel.  Well, I'll humor you... what the hell did you comment  (If I can even call what you wrote that) have to do with what I stated?

No insane rambling, this time, please.

[Renee Johnson]

11:29 AM on 05/21/2012

now he can upgrade to having sex with men!!

[zaniah]

02:59 PM on 05/21/2012

lolo you are too crazy

[vamike12]

04:58 PM on 05/21/2012

lol. you made my day with that comment.

[Renee Johnson]

05:36 PM on 05/21/2012

so glad I could help!! =-0

[Moonshi14]

07:09 AM on 05/21/2012

I'm really no surprised by the criminal activity of the church. They rape, murder, and kill in the name of god. Cowards.

[FilipeCastro]

10:32 PM on 05/20/2012

They say religion makes people better...

[brokerthanu]

02:21 AM on 05/21/2012

It does, it makes them better off dead.

[SylvreWolfe]

09:21 PM on 05/20/2012

Oh lookie, more violence out of a Catholic Priest. I wish I could say I am shocked.

[mate556]

05:44 PM on 05/20/2012

Moraliy. One of those things you can only learn through religion. (sarcasm)

[ebanks84]

03:41 PM on 05/20/2012

The catholic church has long been a haven for sex perverts who call themselves priests. They found the perfect place to work with the victims of their perversion and get away with it because they were kids. The church is a disgrace that they continue to allow this to happen right to this day. Shameful.

[Moonshi14]

02:18 PM on 05/20/2012

1 more reason I'm an atheist!!!!!!!! all the smart people are!!!!

[omegas3]

09:09 AM on 05/20/2012

Catholicism isn't Christianized

[kobio]

11:58 AM on 05/22/2012

Don't kid yourself. Christian Evangelicals have perverts and murderers as well.

[i used to be]

10:02 PM on 05/19/2012

And the bishops are only concerned about nuns and Girl Scouts (sigh).

[FilipeCastro]

10:31 PM on 05/20/2012

And left-wing priests in South America.

[Tim Moore]

09:15 PM on 05/21/2012

And condoms...

[Peacockjp]

08:29 PM on 05/19/2012

Is this what the Christian Church - calls "going the second mile?""