A courtroom can become a sort of time machine. The criminal trial of Paul Geer, a former music teacher, unfolded in federal court in Albany, N.Y., last week. Testimony and photographic evidence transported everyone back to the 1990s and early 2000s to a town 125 miles away, Hancock, and to the Family Foundation Schoolâs secluded campus in the woods.
The reform school, now closed, settled several lawsuits by former students accusing Mr. Geer of sexual abuse over decades. However, the trial brought the place back into the public spotlight.
Witnesses were shown photographs of the school, including a large basement lined with bunks where female students slept beneath Mr. Geerâs home. There was also the barn, where he held practice for his young singers.
Middle-age men and women who were former students at the school sat in the witness stand and were asked if they could identify Paul Geer. They all pointed towards the stout, bald, bespectacled man hunched at the defense table, now 57 years old. They were asked about how he terrorized them or worse, when they were teenagers.
Mr. Geer was charged in 2024 with six counts related to bringing three children across state lines to engage in sexual activity. The trial began on Feb. 19, with closing arguments taking place on Friday. About a dozen former students who had mostly never met before, watched from the gallery as the jury began deliberating.
Witnesses recounted harrowing experiences at the school, including being strip-searched upon arrival and forced to admit to impure thoughts and actions in front of their new âfamilyâ members. Former students described Mr. Geer as flying into a rage, forcing them to run in place all day or haul buckets of rocks up and down a hill as punishment.
Several former students testified that they were sexually abused by Mr. Geer. One man testified that he was forced to join the choir and was abused by Mr. Geer on a school trip to Toronto. Another former student testified that Mr. Geer took him on a fishing trip to Maine, where he was sexually abused for days.
Despite efforts by Mr. Geer’s defense team to soften his portrayal, the jury found him guilty on counts involving the choir singer in Toronto and on counts related to the road trip to Maine. However, they were unable to reach a verdict on counts involving another former student.
As Mr. Geer was led away in handcuffs to await sentencing in July, one of the first students to come forward, Elizabeth Boysick, felt vindication. She stated, âIâm going to totally own those guilty verdicts. It wouldnât have happened if it wasnât for me.â
The trial brought closure for many former students who had suffered at the hands of Mr. Geer, reminding them of the fear and trauma they once experienced. It was a moment of justice for those who had long awaited accountability for the abuses they endured.
