Hartford Courant (Connecticut)
June 2, 2006 Friday
2 WEST CENTRAL EDITION

PRIEST’S ATTORNEY: ALLEGATIONS `MALICIOUS’

by HILDA MUNOZ; Courant Staff Writer

Allegations that the pastor of a local church sexually molested a
12-year-old girl from his congregation are “false and malicious,”
the man’s attorney said Thursday.

The Rev. Krikoris Keshishian, the longtime priest at St. Stephen’s
Apostolic Armenian Church on Tremont Street, was arrested in May and
charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and illegal sexual contact.

Keshishian was in Superior Court in New Britain Thursday, when Judge
Elpedio N. Vitale ordered that he not contact the girl and that he
have no unsupervised contact with children under 16. Keshishian is
scheduled to return June 16.

His attorney, Hubert Santos of Hamden, made a brief statement outside
the courthouse. Six priests and several of St. Stephen’s parishioners
stood behind Santos as he spoke to show their support for Keshishian.

Santos said his client is honorable and asked that prosecutors
continue investigating the allegations.

“We ask the state of Connecticut to re-examine the charges. … We
look forward to vindication,” Santos said.

Keshishian has been free on a promise to appear since his arrest.

Police said Keshishian, of 21 Garry Drive in New Britain,
inappropriately touched the girl at the church.

The charges stem from a single incident in May 2005, but there may be
more counts involving the same girl, police said. The girl reported
the alleged abuse to a family member, who called police.

Fourth-degree sexual assault is a felony punishable by one to five
years in prison.

Parishioners at St. Stephen’s have come out strongly in support of
Keshishian, who has celebrated Mass at the church since his arrest.

“I think he’s innocent. I don’t believe he’s done something wrong,”
said Manusak Terdjanian, a congregant at St. Stephen’s who attended
Keshishian’s court proceeding.

The girl, who used to attend Sunday school at St. Stephen’s while her
grandfather went to Mass, told police that Keshishian rubbed her
buttocks while hugging her, an arrest warrant affidavit states.