Massachusetts governor seeks pardons in 1980s Fells Acres sex abuse case

Source: Associated Press

Massachusetts governor seeks pardons in 1980s sex abuse case

By STEVE LeBLANC
December 13, 2022

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts Statehouse panel is weighing whether to approve Gov. Charlie Baker’s recommended pardons of two individuals at the center of one the nation’s most high-profile sexual abuse trials of the 1980s.

Gerald “Tooky” Amirault, his sister Cheryl Amirault LeFave and their late mother, Violet, were convicted in 1986 and 1987 of abusing young children at their Fells Acres Day Care in Malden.

The two did not appear at Tuesday’s public hearing held by the Governor’s Council, which must approve the pardon requests.

James Sultan, who represents the Amiraults, compared the Fells Acres case to the Salem Witch Trials, saying his clients were the subject of a wave of hysteria.

Sultan said the children who testified against the Amiraults were subjected to what he called “blatant manipulation” by investigators. He said the investigative techniques used at the time would never be allowed now.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-sexual-abuse-children-8a2f98431507ce0734cb13cdbf751856