Ex-Somerville Priest in Child Molestation Case Found Dead

Paul LaCharite, an Episcopal priest who was recently charged with sexually assaulting a child while he served at Saint James Episcopal Church in Teele Square, was found dead in a car Wednesday night, according to the Boston Herald.

Police said he died of an apparent drug overdose, the Herald reports.

According to the newspaper, police found the body of LaCharite at about 7:40 p.m. inside a gray 2006 Saturn that was parked in the sixth floor of a Government Center parking garage. 

LaCharite served at Saint James Church in the 1990s and early 2000s, and it was alleged that during this time he sexually assaulted a child whose family had long ties to the church.

The priest pleaded not guilty to charges against him on Sept. 10.

His lawyer told the Herald, "This is an unspeakable tragedy" and that LaCharite was "an innocent man who was driven to the depths of despair by a false accusation."

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