PALM BAY, Fla. — The murder of a Palm Bay priest has led to a new sexual abuse lawsuit against the Diocese of Orlando.
The victim in the lawsuit said he came forward after learning the Rev. Bob Hoeffner was murdered in January 2024.
According to police, the gunman, Brandon Kapas, killed Hoeffner and two others before Palm Bay police shot and killed Kapas.
On Friday, attorneys for Shawn Teuber filed a suit that claimed the diocese was aware Hoeffner was abusing children and engaged in a coverup.
Teuber said he was abused by Hoeffner and believes Kapas was also a victim of sexual abuse.
According to the lawsuit, Teuber was groomed by Hoeffner while he was a seventh grade student and altar server at St. Joseph Catholic School.
“I don’t consider him a father. I kind of like consider him like a monster in a way now,” said Teuber.
The lawsuit claims that from 2012 to 2014, Teuber was molested at the school, in the priest’s car, and at Hoeffner’s house while the priest’s sister was also present.
“Based on what we allege in this complaint, this is a coverup of the highest level, and Shawn should have been spared,” said Teuber’s attorney, Jeff Herman.
Teuber said after learning his childhood friend Kapas shot and killed Hoeffner and the priest’s sister last year, he decided to come forward.
In a 78-page supplemental report, Teuber gave Palm Bay police a sworn statement where he stated he was molested multiple times by Hoeffner. That report was taken about a month after the murders and long before Teuber’s attorneys filed suit.
“What Shawn knows is that when he would come out of the bedroom, his friend Brandon would go in,” said Herman.
Teuber told Channel 9 he hoped to let other victims know they were safe to come forward and deserved to be heard.
“I just want to heal and move on in a way,” he said.
Attorneys for Teuber filed the $25 million lawsuit against the diocese on Friday and demanded a jury trial.
Meanwhile, the Diocese of Orlando said it was not aware of any abuse allegations while Hoeffner led the school.
Here is the full statement from the Diocese of Orlando:
“The allegations reflected on the Herman Law post reiterates prior news stories arising out of this tragic shooting event. The Diocese of Orlando was not made aware of any allegations of abuse during Fr. Robert Hoeffner’s pastoral leadership, nor after he retired in 2016. We continue to pray for the Palm Bay and St. Joseph communities and all involved.”
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