Catholic deacon confesses to sex acts with underage teen in court video

(FOX 2) - A video of a disturbing confession from a Catholic deacon of roughly 21 years was played in court Tuesday as 66-year-old Hurmiz Ishak admitted to having several sexual encounters with an underage teen at Saint Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church.

Ishak is charged with three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct on a child. The boy was between 13 and 16 years old when the alleged abuse occurred from May of 2017 to October of 2018. The trial began last week.

On the stand Tuesday, Troy Police Det. Christine Schuler said he denied he knew the victim. The detective said he told her he was being questioned because the priest didn't like him. 

He said he'd never been in the boiler room -- so the detective asked why they found his finger prints there? He changed his answer, saying he'd been there one time. Then he admitted that he knew the victim. Then he admitted that he'd been in the boiler room alone with the victim.

"He indicated that kissing with (the victim) occurred on multiple occasions," the detective said. "On the lips."

The detective said the defendant told her he hadn't shared this information with anyone.

"He would always indicate that (victim) liked it, (victim) wanted all this to happen. That was pretty much his theme throughout the interview. ... He indicated that they touched their penises together."

"He spoke to me and actually got up and demonstrated this, thrusting his genitalia in my direction as he explained it."

Ishak said the boy approached him while he was in the bathroom.

"His explanation for that was that ... (the victim) followed him in there, that (the victim) took his hand and grabbed the defendant's penis and put it in his mouth," Schuler said.

Telling the detective that he only let him because he "liked it," Ishak goes on to say that the boy continued to ask to perform oral sex on him. But Ishak denied claims of penetration, saying the boy is lying, but the boy testified Monday that he was afraid, and Ishak did force anal sex on him. At one point, he even told the boy he wanted to marry him.

The defense called several church employees to the stand, and questioned the detective's interview tactics, calling them manipulative.

Defense: "Do you feel he understood you there? When he said huh? 

Schuler: "He had an interpreter available if he didn't."