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A disgraced and recently deceased former Catholic priest has been identified by law enforcement as the killer of a teenage altar boy in western Massachusetts almost a half-century ago.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni announced Monday that his office was about to seek a criminal complaint against Richard Lavigne for the 1972 murder of 13-year-old Danny Croteau when the former priest died last Friday evening at a healthcare facility in Greenfield.
"I am announcing today that the investigation into the murder of Danny Croteau is now officially closed," Gulluni said.
The prosecutor said “credible and significant evidence” had been assembled in the last year that incriminates Lavigne.