Kidnapped child was murdered in satanic rite

[LAGC]

Here's a kind of creepy story you don't hear about very often in the news any more:

The murdered seven-year-old boy found in an attic in Dublin in 1973 was tied to rafters in the attic in a "cruciform", the author of a forthcoming book on the killing has said.

The death was Ireland's only known "satanic murder", according to David Malone, who came across the case while carrying out research on other events of the time.

Gardai who recall some of the events told the Sunday Independent the case was always regarded as strange and tragic and that the victim, John Horgan, disappeared while he was out looking for rabbits near his home in Palmerstown on June 13, 1974.

His body was found the next day in the attic of the home of a 16-year-old near the Horgan family home in Hollyville, Lucan Road. The 16-year-old, who was never named as he was a juvenile, was arrested and charged the following day with murder.

Gardai found an altar, on which was a chalice and Communion hosts, beneath the hanging body.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/kidnapped-child-was-murdered-in-satanic-rite-2660689.html

"Satanic ritual abuse" -- that used to be all the rage in the 1970's and 1980's, that all matters of human evil were blamed on. What's incredible, is that even with as widespread as religious belief is in society at large, how very few crimes were actually committed in the name of that handy scapegoat: Satanism.

Sure, there were plenty of witch-hunts like those that snared so many families in California in the early 1980's, over-zealous investigators and prosecutors who got children to testify about mass ritual abuse and child molestation, causing more than a few innocent parents to be falsely imprisoned for many years before the truth finally came out about the psychological methods the authorities used, that the kids had been coerced into testifying.

But it seems like any more, society has progressed and has largely accepted the fact that even without religious excuses, evil exists and is often-times a very secular phenomenon, not necessary needing religion to explain its existence. The fact that that case up there is still Ireland's only known case of "satanic murder" speaks volumes about how rare such instances are.

Maybe once we accept the fact that you don't need religion to be a bad person, we will eventually accept the equally valid premise that you don't need religion to be good person, either?

[ixion]

1. Actually, the Chruch of Satan has a very clear policy on violence: They're against it.

And it's usually sick, psychotic punks who do the fake 'satan' crap like this.

[Capitalocracy]

2. Smells fishy to me

crucifying someone with communion wafers around sounds just as likely to be a crazy Christian as it is someone who fancies himself a Satanist. But he was 16, so I guess it's possible.

Or maybe he wasn't a Satanist, maybe he just reached 9th Level in Mazes and Monsters like Tom Hanks.

[sunwyn]

3. Most Satanist are really just disgruntled Christians....let's face it pagans don't believe in Satan.

This person was mentally I'll.

[Iggo]

4. Goddam fucking atheists!!!!

[trotsky]

5. Gotta love fact-checking.

The murdered boy's body was "found in an attic in Dublin in 1973" but he went missing "on June 13, 1974."

Hmm...

[struggle4progress]

6. I really don't think these cases are very informative