While commenting on a post elsewhere, I mentioned that in the first trial of William Hamilton ayres for multiple charges of molesting many young boys, the prosecutor made an attempt to introduce parts of the DSM IV criteria for the diagnosis of pedophilia for consideration by the jury. This was objected to by the defense, and ultimately stricken by the court, but the testimony is nevertheless an interesting read, as it, in itself, demonstrates ayres’ excitement when talking about pedophilia, and once again, he gets excited enough to lose track of the question, while discussing his intimate knowledge of the subject matter:
July 9, 2009 - Second day of the testimony of william hamilton ayres.
Recross Examination:
PROSECUTOR: You are familiar with the DSM IV, Right?
william ayres: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: And you use that in your practice?
william ayres: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: That's the Diagnostic --
william ayres: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: What's the middle word?
william ayres: Statistical Manual. [Comment: Gotta love the way the prosecutor drew him out on this one... "Well, I have a lot of difficulty with coming up quickly with names, nouns" Indeed!"]
PROSECUTOR: Statistical Manual. And you know that in the section that describes pedophilia, it indicates that people may just undress a child, look at a child, masturbate or gently touch and fondle a child; is that right?
william ayres: Yes. I haven't read that recently, so I don't know if that's the exact wording, but yes.
PROSECUTOR: and it also says, does it not, that the people in the -- Pedophiles often end up in an occupation or hobby that allows them constant access to children?
william ayres: Yes.
PROSECUTOR: And it would not be at all unusual for a person to be outwardly successful and still have pedophiliac urges?
william ayres: I really don't know the answer to that. I've never had an opportunity to see a pedophile, so I don't have the experience and that of reading things about pedophilia but I do -- I mean, I know a lot -- I've seen children who were pedophiles and who had been violated by pedophiles. So, I mean, It's not that I have no knowledge at all of pedophilia. But now I've forgotten the last thing that you read.
[In my head I'm hearing him say this: "I don't know anything about pedophiles, well I mean I kind of know a lot. Especially about all of those sexually promiscuous pedophile children that I've violated -- I mean seen -- so yeah I know a lot about them. Wait.... We were talking about naked boys right? What was the question?"]
PROSECUTOR: That children -- I mean, that pedophiles often end up as successful people --
Weinberg: I'm going to object to that as to what his knowledge or opinion is about pedophiles.
The Court: Sustained.
PROSECUTOR: You're aware that other psychiatrists have been determined to be pedophiles?
Weinberg: Objection, your honor.
The Court: Sustained.
Weinberg: Irrelevant.
PROSECUTOR: Nothing further.
The Court: Mr. Weinberg, anything else for this witness?
Weinberg: I would just ask that the entire recross be stricken.
PROSECUTOR: I think it's responsive to the questions regarding the lewd intent. [NOTE: Weinberg had just finished questioning ayres about the specific lewd acts he is accused of on his redirect examination, prior to the prosecutor's recross examination.]
The Court: I will strike the entire recross. Ladies and Gentlemen, you are to disregard the questions and the answers in the portion of the -- that you have just heard on recross.
If you’re interested in reading other parts of ayres' testimony,
There are links to more quotes from ayres' testimony on the
In ayres' Own Words link on the main page.
Meanwhile, Taylor over at the smdailyjournal forum has posted quite a disturbing list of psychiatrists and pediatricians from the Boston area who have been charged/accused of child molestation. Many of them from the same places that ayres “trained.”
Yet another set of links provided by this blog, which will leave you needing to take a long shower. Make sure to bring your steel wool to scrub off the slimy feeling.
News just broke of a Wisconsin priest who is accused of molesting over 200 boys. Papaers say this is the worst case of abuse as the boys were disabled.
ReplyDeleteKinda fits in with the same access ayres had to vulnerable children in wheelchairs, ADD, etc.
I am pretty sure ayres fits the bill - pedophile.
In the recording of his talk about "The Diagnostic Interview", made back in the 1990s, Ayres also gets so excited that he loses his train of thought when he starts talking about boys who lie about how often they masturbate. He's laughing and guffawing so hard he can't even finish his sentences. In the background you can hear hesitant, nervous laughter from the audience at his strange outburst.
ReplyDeleteThe interview is still for sale on the internet.
To Anonymous 3/25/10 at 4:19 pm.
ReplyDeleteThat Wisconsin priest was molesting boys as far back as 1950.
May I remind readers of this blog that Ayres was also in Wisconsin- from 1950-1956. Perhaps he and , the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy crossed paths in Wisconsin.
I forgot to add that the boys the priest in Wisconsin molested were deaf. Very sad indeed that these men pick careers that give them access to vulnerable children.
ReplyDeleteI just received an email from Richard B. Johnson, author of "Abominable Firebug" , a memoir about his days in the Boston juvenile justice system.
ReplyDeleteHe confirmed that he and other boys were raped by staff at the Reception Detention Center in Roslindale - a place where Dr. William Ayres chose to work on the weekends in the early 1960s. Johnson describes the Center as "hell on earth" and credits a Reverend Robert Brown for helping to draw attention to the abuses of boys there. Johnson says that's why they changed the name to the John C. Connelly Center- as a way to erase the Reception -Detention Center's sordid history.
There is a thread here, somewhere, that is going to get pulled and it will all unravel. The courage it takes to come forward is tremendous, but at some point it has to be done. The time is now to come forward and add your voice and story to the stories of these other heroic men in CA. Be part of the process that puts this monster away. Peace
ReplyDelete