Man Who Allegedly Had Sex In St. Pat's Dies Of Heart Attack

WNBC Television ^ | 10/1/2003 | Puppage

[Puppage]

NEW YORK -- A man who was to appear in court Tuesday on charges of having sex with his girlfriend inside St. Patrick's Cathedral as part of a radio show stunt has died at his home in Virginia. Brian Florence, 38, died Sept. 25 of a heart attack in Alexandria, said the couple's lawyer, Maranda Fritz. She said the funeral was Monday, and his co-defendant and girlfriend, Loretta Lynn Harper, 36, is "still in a state of shock."

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Barbara Jaffe adjourned the case until Nov. 6 after Fritz told her Florence had died.

The lawyer said her clients had expected to plead guilty to a minor charge and receive a no-jail sentence.

A third man involved in the sexcapade, radio producer Paul Mercurio, 43, pleaded guilty earlier in the day to disorderly conduct. The judge ordered him to perform seven days of community service with a group that delivers meals to AIDS patients.

Florence and Harper were arrested Aug. 15, 2002, for allegedly having sex inside St. Patrick's after a mid-Manhattan public sex odyssey that had gone on for at least three hours, according to a misdemeanor complaint filed at their arraignment.

The complaint did not list all the sex stops the couple allegedly made, but police said after the arrest that they included a Disney store, the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store, the Carnegie Deli, an ATM vestibule, the back seat of a taxi and a hotel lobby.

The complaint said Officer William Smith, of the Midtown North Precinct, was listening to the "Opie and Anthony Show" when he heard Mercurio say on the air that he was speaking on a cell phone while watching the couple in action in the cathedral.

About 5 p.m., the complaint said, Smith arrested the couple after they had sex in a vestibule just a few feet from worshippers. The incident had been part of a regular feature in which couples could win prizes for having sex in public places.

Mercurio read a statement in court saying he was instructed to take one of the couples who participated in the show to some of the public locations chosen by the staff so they could engage in actual or simulated sexual conduct that he would describe over the radio.

"Upon entering the cathedral, I led Ms. Harper and Mr. Florence to a vestibule located toward the front of the cathedral," Mercurio said. "I then proceeded to broadcast their simulated actions live over the air, despite the fact that there were parishioners present in the cathedral."

Mercurio said he had apologized to church officials for what happened and was apologizing publicly in court.

The couple's alleged antics inside the landmark midtown Manhattan cathedral resulted in WNEW-FM, the station on which the show aired, firing the two DJs, Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia.

[Shooter 2.5]

Bump.

Ok, it says here you were expressing your love for your girlfriend inside the church. Hey, wait a minute....

YOU WERE DOING WHAT!!!!!!?????

[freedomson]

This should really make people think about how uncertain and frail life is. This guy was very young and not overweight

And yet there are those who the odds seemed stacked against and by our human understanding should be dead and yet, they live on for many years beyond all explanation.

All of us arise each morning only by the grace of God and nothing eles.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

God pressed the Smite key on his keyboard

The key next to "Zot"?

[AppyPappy]

A reminder of the need to repent. Hell is full of people just moments away from turning their life over to God.

[Treebeard]

"Loretta Lynn" Harper??? Maybe God is female after all and IS "woman enough to take her man!"

[WKB]

You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger.


And you don't mees around with HIM

[Lazamataz]

Young heart attack victims often have a few "extra" chemicals in their bodies. Self inflicted death?

Interesting thought. I forgot about that possibility.

I still like scenario that has G-d in the barrio with his Hispanic friend, who's saying: "G-d's gonna do ya, mayn. G-d'll cut you, mayn. G-d's a blade man, mayn."

[Born Conservative]

And ya don't mess around with...God

[Let's Roll]

"Young heart attack victims often have a few "extra" chemicals in their bodies. Self inflicted death?"

Just what I was thinking. This guy liked living on the edge and he finally went too far.

[Shooter 2.5]

Now appearing:

The [Short] Life of Brian

[mtbopfuyn]

All the downtown ladies (used to) call him Treetop Lover

[Semi Civil Servant]

"God is dead." -- Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." -- God

[Gerish]

May be this tragedy will be a wake up call to the girlfriend, Loretta Harper! Start praying sister!

[EternalVigilance]

[Chad Fairbanks]

Hmmm... this a prefect example of why sex in a cathedral is a bad idea. He didnt think it through. Doing it on the handicap ramp outside would have been better...

[meowmeow]

ZOT!

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

I thought this might be of interest to you Jersey.......

[VOA]

God takes no joy
in the death
of the wicked

Not a challenge...but where is this in The Bible?
I'd just like to be locate that for future study.
Thanks in advance for the information.

[freekitty]

Somehow, payback always comes around ten fold. Obviously, in this case it was about 100 fold.

[Corin Stormhands]

Loretta Lynn Harper

You just can't make this stuff up.