NATION : Gay Priest Testifies, Loses Post
A Roman Catholic priest who testified on behalf of a former homosexual lover on trial on a rape charge has been relieved of his religious duties.
The Rev. David R. Johnson, 36, said he knew that testifying would jeopardize his career and devastate his family, but he was concerned that Charles Neff, 22, could be imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.
“I thought to myself, if the Lord could be in my position--bizarre as it is--what would he do in my situation?” Johnson said. “Would he not testify, would he testify and lie or would he testify and tell the truth?
“The choice I came to was testify, tell the truth, only the truth and live with what comes afterward.”
Johnson took the witness stand in the courtroom of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Robert Kelly and testified--as did 11 other witnesses--that Neff was drinking at a bar Nov. 26, 1988, at the time he is alleged to have raped a 21-year-old woman.
Johnson also testified, under questioning by defense attorney H. David Rothman, that he and Neff had been lovers.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
