Full Breakdown
Priest’s Death Revives Survivor’s Call for Justice
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Death of Ronald Paquin
On September 11, Ronald Paquin, a defrocked Catholic priest serving a 20-year sentence for 11 counts of gross sexual misconduct, died at Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, Maine. The Maine Department of Corrections confirmed his death at about 4:15 p.m., noting that medical staff were present and that the cause of death was not disclosed.
Background & Context
Paquin was ordained in 1973 and worked at St. Monica’s Parish in Methuen and St. John the Baptist Parish in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Allegations of abuse from 1973-1990 were first exposed by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigation in the early 2000s. The scandal forced Archbishop Bernard Law to resign in 2002 and spurred nationwide reforms within the U.S. Catholic Church.
Data & Statistics
- Age at death: 83.
- Prison sentence at time of death: 20 years (including a 16-year addition in 2019 after a Maine conviction).
- Convictions: 11 counts of gross sexual misconduct in 2018; earlier guilty plea to three counts of child rape in 2002.
- Attorney Mitchell Garabedian has represented more than 25 victims of Paquin’s abuse.
- The Boston archdiocese recorded 13 complaints about Paquin between 1990-1996.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Maine Department of Corrections announced Paquin’s death and the presence of medical personnel, but withheld the specific cause.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We live with a big burden in our hearts and on our backs,” — Keith Townsend
- “I get those who think the attitude should be, ‘Fuck him. Fuck what he did to me,’” — Keith Townsend
- “But look where I am today.” — Keith Townsend
- “Massachusetts just kind of let him go,” — Keith Townsend
- “So I had to dig deep … [because] I didn’t want anybody else to possibly have to go through [his] abuse. Maine thankfully had the balls to take this case, aggressively prosecute it and get a good outcome.” — Keith Townsend
- “I just hope it shows victims who are still living in the shadows that they can come forward,” — Keith Townsend
Why It Matters
Survivors such as Keith Townsend view Paquin’s death as a symbolic closure that may encourage others to come forward. Townsend’s remarks highlight the long-term psychological damage of abuse—including addiction and depression—and credit Maine’s aggressive prosecution as a deterrent against future clerical misconduct.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The precise cause of Paquin’s death remains undisclosed, as the Department of Corrections provided no further details. No other sources offered differing accounts of the circumstances surrounding his passing.