Prison for ex-priest in plot to kill abuse accuser

Prison for ex-priest in plot to kill abuse accuser

DALLAS (AP) — 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 today 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.

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.