Ex-Tennessee priest convicted of rape dies in prison

NASHVILLE – A former Tennessee priest who was forced from the priesthood in 1989 has died in prison while serving time for a 1999 child rape conviction.

The Tennessean reports South Central Correctional Facility officials say 74-year-old Edward McKeown died Sunday of natural causes. He pleaded guilty to repeatedly abusing a 12-year-old boy and was sentenced to 25 years. Prosecutors said then that he had abused dozens of boys over two decades. McKeown had been ordained in 1970.

Then-Bishop Edward U. Kmiec has said he was removed from “direct or unsupervised contact with youth” when accused of molestation in 1986. But court records unsealed in 2002 say McKeown was allowed to continue working with children. He was forced from the priesthood in 1989 and went to work at the county juvenile court.

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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com