A profile of the DA who is prosecuting the Dupre case

If a grand jury indicts him, Dupre would become the first bishop charged in the sex scandal that engulfed the Roman Catholic Church two years ago. Dupre retired a day before the allegations surfaced and has not made any public statements since.

Bennett’s push for indictments came after he personally interviewed the alleged victims – a task many district attorneys leave to lower-level prosecutors.

“I’m sure he will continue to be very hands-on in this case,” said Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, who is also president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association and has known Bennett for more than 20 years. “He knows this is a high-profile case, and some might say he’s appearing to grandstand and get the publicity and attention for it. But his decisions aren’t based on the court of public opinion, they’re based on what he thinks is right course of action.”

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