New Orleans priest accused of abusing children in deaf community dies from apparent fall aged 87
An undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell. Photograph: WWL LouisianaView image in fullscreenAn undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell. They kept him on as an active priest even after reporting him to law enforcement in 1980 and his being publicly exposed by WWL Louisiana in 1992, and then paying him his retirement benefits until at least 2020.A church spokesperson said the archdiocese learned of Howell’s death later that same week.
- ▪An undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell.
- ▪Photograph: WWL LouisianaView image in fullscreenAn undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell.
- ▪They kept him on as an active priest even after reporting him to law enforcement in 1980 and his being publicly exposed by WWL Louisiana in 1992, and then paying him his retirement benefits until at least 2020.A church spokesperson said the
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — US |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/new-orleans-abuse-priest-dead |
| Publication time | Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:00:17 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-16T10:08:41.524Z |
| Last seen | 2026-09-16T10:08:41.524Z |
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An undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell. Photograph: WWL LouisianaView image in fullscreenAn undated photograph of Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell. Photograph: WWL LouisianaNew Orleans clergy abuseNew Orleans priest accused of abusing children in deaf community dies from apparent fall aged 87Archdiocese knew of allegations against Gerard Joseph ‘Jerry’ Howell for 40 years but continued to support himRamon Antonio Vargas and David Hammer of WWL Louisiana in New OrleansWed 16 Sep 2026 06.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 16 Sep 2026 06.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleA New Orleans Catholic priest whose prolific sexual abuse of children in the local deaf community was known for at least four decades by the city’s archdiocese without meaningful consequence has died after evidently…
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