Fake Shaman

This episode includes a disturbing account about a series of sexual assaults of a 12-year-old girl, in the year 1981, by a then-45-year-old Catholic priest from Springfield, Massachusetts named Charles Sullivan. This episode is not suitable for kids or the extremely sensitive.Episode 16 of Unholy Fathers features the voice of a woman I’m calling Cee to protect her anonymity. Cee is a very sweet person. She’s in her mid 50s, and has worked in the corrections sector in western Massachusetts ever since she graduated Cathedral High School back in 1987.In today’s episode, based upon a conversation that she and I had last month, you’ll learn a lot about Cee and what happened with Father Charles Sullivan. Next week, in Part Two, you’ll hear about how we became pals and how together we teamed up and were able to get long-delayed justice and a financial settlement from the Diocese of Springfield to make good on my friend’s bad experiences at the hands of the now-dead Charles Sullivan, whom I profiled in episode four of Unholy Fathers.First to set this horrible scene. We go back in time to 1981 to when Cee was a seventh grader at St. Matthew’s School in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts. At the time, I was in the eighth grade at St. Matthew’s, and while I wasn’t friends with Cee, I was aware of her. Relatively speaking, she was a new girl, this being only her second year at the school. To read a complete transcript -- proofread by a human -- visit crashbarry.com.

This is the prelude to my upcoming new true crime podcast Fake Shaman about a con-witch who moved to Maine with dollar signs in her eyes and psychedelic mushrooms in her Coach bag. Be sure to sign up at fakeshaman.com for the latest news and notification when this 10-part series premieres in the fall of 2026.

We hear a sad tale from "Sarah," the long-suffering wife of one of Richard Lavigne's victims. She tells us about her husband's abuse at the hands of the murderer-priest and the impact it had their family. And how it got worse after Lavigne died and the murderer-priest, once again, became the center of media attention. For more visit crashbarry.com

On the night of May 21, 2021, the unpunished murderer and former Catholic priest Richard Lavigne died at the age of 80 from COVID. The local district attorney claimed he was getting ready to arrest the former priest and charge him with Danny Croteau's murder, but since Lavigne was now dead, the DA now considers the case closed. On this episode of Unholy Fathers (originally aired June '21)Crash discusses the news of the death of this notorious child molester with the anonymous author of the Hell's Acres blog while they listen to never-before-heard audio of Lavigne from both Crash's exclusive interview with the murderer and soundbites released by the DA from a police interview.

In what was supposed to be the season finale of Unholy Fathers, we tie up some loose ends and visit the spot where Danny Croteau was murdered on April 14th, 1972. Since this episode first aired in Feb. 2020, there's been a couple major developments. Read more at crashbarry.com.

The latest episode of Unholy Fathers is much different than the previous 11, thanks to the calming presence of my high school classmate Cat, who is the youngest sister of Danny Croteau, the 13-year-old altar boy murdered by then-Rev. Richard Lavigne in April 1972, under a bridge on the banks of the Chicopee River in western Massachusetts.The interview for this episode was recorded during the summer of 2019. To say I’m thankful to Cat for her time, words and wisdom is an understatement. Cat is a strong and resilient woman, haunted by the murder of her brother, but she demonstrates the ability to deal with the depression and sadness with an amazing attitude we can all learn from. Cat and her family experienced unimaginable pain and suffering because of the violent acts of Lavigne, an evil man who pretended to be their family friend and confidant. And, as we hear from Cat, the murder destroyed her family. Even worse is the longterm impact the tragedy had on her siblings and parents. The lingering cloud of grief — felt by Cat and her loved ones — is inescapable and forevermore. read more at crashbarry.com