Jeffrey Buskey sex assault trial begins in Manchester
A sexual assault trial begins Monday in Manchester for a former New Hampshire youth counselor whose arrest more than seven years ago triggered one of the largest youth detention scandals in U.S. history. Jeffrey Buskey faces 21 counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault in the first of his cases to reach trial.
Buskey, 60, of Litchfield, is charged in connection with David Meehan, who was 14 when he arrived at the Manchester facility in 1995. The center is now called the Sununu Youth Services Center.
Meehan filed the first of more than 1,100 lawsuits alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse spanning six decades, according to the Associated Press. His allegations led to Buskey’s arrest and that of another former worker in 2019, an unprecedented criminal investigation, nine additional arrests, and the establishment of a settlement fund to compensate victims.
During his civil trial, Meehan described Buskey’s transformation from trusted father figure to abuser, testifying that he gave him soda and snacks and let him play basketball with a local high school team before subjecting him to near daily rapes.
“It went from being somebody I trusted, that I thought was not just there to help me, but somebody I thought cared for me, to hurt,” he said.
The Associated Press generally does not identify those who say they were victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as Meehan has done. A jury awarded Meehan $38 million in May 2024, though the verdict remains in dispute as the state seeks to reduce the amount to $475,000.
In a police interview transcript recently filed in court, Buskey could not remember his home address from the 1990s and struggled to spell his then-fiancée’s last name, but brought up Meehan’s name unprompted. He denied abusing him, saying they had a “great relationship.”
“I was always nice to the kid, I was always trying to help him,” he said.
The youth center, which once housed upward of 100 children but now typically serves fewer than a dozen, is named for former Gov. John H. Sununu. Lawmakers have approved closing the facility, which now only houses those accused or convicted of the most serious violent crimes, and replacing it with a much smaller building in a new location.
Three men have been convicted in the other criminal cases: Bradley Asbury, Stanley Watson and James Woodlock. Jurors acquitted Jonathan Brand and deadlocked in the case of Victor Malavet, leading to a mistrial. Charges were dropped against Trevor Middleton. Frank Davis was declared incompetent to stand trial, and Gordon Searles died while awaiting trial. Stephen Murphy, who has pending charges, had one trial end in mistrial and another end with an acquittal on three charges and a hung jury on five others. Lucien Poulette is awaiting trial.
