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Friday, October 31, 1997

Statement indicates Kos told psychiatrist he molested boys

DALLAS (AP) -- Although he has repeatedly maintained his innocence, Rudolph "Rudy" Kos told a psychiatrist in 1992 that he molested about 20 boys, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

In a copyright story, the newspaper reported that the suspended priest's attorney said he learned from a reporter Wednesday about the 1992 statement, which was made to a doctor working with a Catholic treatment center in New Mexico.

Dr. Jay Feierman's written account of the admission accompanied a deposition he gave to plaintiffs who recently won a landmark civil verdict against the Catholic Diocese of Dallas.

Brad Lollar, Kos' criminal-defense attorney, says that he is unaware of any evidence against his client other than the testimony of former altar boys.

"I'm not aware of any confessions," said Lollar, who will get his first look at the prosecutors' case in a hearing Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Howard Blackmon, the lead prosecutor in the Kos cases, declined to comment on the admissibility of the document.

But Fred Moss, a Southern Methodist University law professor and expert on evidence rules, said prosecutors should have no problem getting the document admitted.

"Generally, any statement made by the defendant can be brought in," said Moss, who testified for the plaintiffs in the civil trial.

"That's how they get an awful lot of criminals -- because they told someone about what they did."

Kos has not responded to interview requests since being brought back to Dallas last week from his San Diego home. He remains jailed on eight charges involving four alleged victims, with bail set at $400,000.

In a May interview with The Dallas Morning News, Kos denied abusing some of the civil plaintiffs and wouldn't discuss "which ones I had sex with."

He said he'd never been interested in "little boys" and maintained that he had overcome his attraction to teenagers through therapy in New Mexico.

Feierman interviewed Kos shortly after the diocese sent the priest into treatment in October 1992, when the first person known to have alleged abuse came forward.

"He estimates that he has been sexual with about 20 minors," Feierman wrote.

The boys are not named, and Lollar said it's possible that none of them are accusers in the criminal cases.

Those cases are all from Irving, with some dating to the 1980s and others to late 1992, when Kos took a leave from treatment and returned to the Dallas area. At the latter point, the diocese had not told parishioners that Kos had been sent to New Mexico because of a molestation allegation.

The four criminal complainants are involved in civil litigation with the diocese, accusing it of conspiring to cover up Kos' behavior.

A lawyer who represents the diocese says it is "making every effort to reach a settlement with the plaintiffs who won a $119.6 million judgment against Kos and the diocese in July.

"The bishop has instructed us to take every step to resolve this tragedy and provide financial support to these plaintiffs ... and get on with the business of the church," George Bramblett Jr. said Wednesday.

"If we have critics out there who are saying, ÔAll the bishop is trying to do is appeal and spend money with lawyers,' that's wrong," Bramblett said.

Bramblett said the diocese's insurance companies, Interstate Fire & Casualty Co. and Lloyd's of London, are to blame for the failure to reach a settlement because they won't pay and the diocese doesn't have enough money. He said the companies say the jury's finding of intentional misconduct by the diocese is not covered by their policies.

"These insurance carriers have abandoned the diocese at our greatest hour of need," Bramblett said. "We have been victimized by Kos just like the plaintiffs have."

A lawyer for Lloyd's of London said it was "exploring all options."

"We've been attempting to cooperate the best we can with the diocese," said Catalina Sugayan.

Attorneys for Interstate Fire & Casualty did not return telephone calls, the newspaper reported.