*NEW as of April 10, 5:40.: The trial of a former Marblehead priest and Tower School headmaster ended Thursday afternoon in a mistrial. The Current will have a complete update later tonight.
The fate of a former Marblehead priest and Tower School assistant headmaster is in the hands of a New Hampshire jury. Rev. Richard Losch is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old Marblehead boy at a Boy Scout camp in 1976.
The alleged victim, now 64, testified that Losch invited him and three other boys (at least two of whom were Tower students) to the Indian Pond Reservation Boy Scout camp, where Losch was the director. The camp had not yet opened for the season. No other adults were invited.
(In keeping with Current policy, this article will not reveal the identity of an alleged victim of sexual assault. He will be referred to as “Jack.”)
A total of 10 witnesses testified during the two-day trial, including Jack. Losch did not testify.
Jack testified that once they arrived at the camp Losch informed him that they would be sharing a bed in a cabin. Jack believes the other boys had their own beds in the cabin.
“He was in the bed, lying behind me,” Jack said of Losch. “I woke up and his hand was in the front of my underwear. He was fondling my genitals. I was incredibly afraid. I was terrified … so I did everything I could to make him think I was asleep.”
Jack continued: “Then he pulled my underwear down. He put one arm around my chest and his other hand over my mouth. He pulled me against him and be began to rape me.”
Losch, who now lives in Alabama, declined to comment outside court. He told the Current in 2023, “On the advice of my attorney, I have no comment to make other than that the charge is totally false, and I deny all allegations of wrongdoing.”
Five witnesses testified on Wednesday, April 9, including an Alabama police official who interviewed Losch about the allegations on Dec. 7, 2022. Special Agent Johnny Bowman testified that when he and his then-partner asked Losch if he had ever slept in bed with a young boy, Losch answered, “I do… I wouldn’t think so. I wouldn’t think so, no.”
Two other men, former Tower students, testified that they remember being on a trip with Losch and Jack in the spring or summer of 1976. The men both said they brought sleeping bags with them, but neither recalled if they slept on the floor or in beds. Neither remembered where Jack and Losch slept.
Both men testified that they don’t remember any strange behavior between Losch and Jack on the trip, or afterwards at Tower School.
Jack’s brother testified briefly that Jack had told him in high school that something had happened with Losch during a trip. The brother said he did not tell his parents or anyone else.
In closing arguments, Losch’s attorney Michael Iacopino emphasized that the jury must determine beyond a reasonable doubt that the former priest is guilty of the charge against him.
“This case is 50 years old,” Iacopino told the jury. “The allegations before you are claimed to have occurred half a century ago. That may seem extraordinary to you, and it is. It’s something you have to consider because we know what time can do to memory.”
Iacopino told the jury that Jack’s memory was spotty at best and questioned why Jack waited more than 40 years to report the alleged assault. He claimed Jack only came forward when he thought he could make money by filing an abuse survivor’s claim against the Boy Scouts.
“He saw an opportunity,” Iacopino said. “Father Losch was 87 years old then. He was a sitting duck.”
Jack’s claim with the Boy Scouts is still pending, and Iacopino suggested that was his motive for going to the police with his accusations. The defense attorney also told the jury that Jack may enjoy the attention.
“He became the darling of the priest abuse community,” Iacopino said. “He’s getting some fame and glory.”
Prosecutor Antonia Barry followed by reminding the jury that Jack’s testimony is evidence and said that it was enough to convict Losch.
“Fear and shame,” Barry said to the jury. “An abiding sense of fear and shame made (Jack) keep a secret of what Father Losch did to him… When you heard (Jack) testifying, did you think, ‘Gosh, that guy’s a liar’? Or did it seem like (Jack) was honestly, painfully recalling terrible events that he had tried to hide for decades?”
The jury began deliberations around 3 p.m. and recessed at 4 p.m. It is expected to resume deliberations Thursday morning.
