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TX Pastor Sentenced to 84 Years for Indecency With Children
Ministry Watch ^ | May 8, 2024 | Kim Roberts

Posted on 05/12/2024 9:57:18 PM PDT by Morgana

A pastor in Wichita Falls, Texas, has been found guilty on six charges of indecency with a child by contact.

The jury deliberated less than an hour before finding Ronnie Killingsworth, the 79-year-old pastor of Rephidim Church, guilty, the Wichita Falls Times Record News reported.

Killingsworth elected to have the jury impose his punishment, who sentenced him to 84 years in prison and $60,000 in fines, KFDX reported.

The first four prison terms — totaling 42 years — are to be served concurrently with the sentences for counts 5 and 6 to be served consecutively after the conclusion of the first terms.

According to the indictment, Killingsworth committed the crimes against three female victims under the age of 17 from 2000 to 2011.

The victims took the stand during the trial to testify about Killingsworth’s actions.

The first victim claimed he touched her inappropriately when she was five years old, but she never told her mother because she was embarrassed.

A second victim told the jury that Killingsworth had touched her inappropriately, shown her pornographic images, and had tried to kiss her.

A third victim said Killingsworth took her in his office when she was 11 years old, yelled at her about her behavior, and touched her sexually. When she reported the incident to her mother, she said her mother slapped her across the face.

Killingsworth testified in his own defense, denying the allegations. Killingsworth’s wife Linda also took the stand, calling the allegations “ridiculous” and claiming that the only girls ever in Killingsworth’s office were the couple’s daughter and granddaughter.

According to media reports, a large portion of the testimony during the trial related to the church’s doctrine and practices, including teachings about the “rapture” and a practice of “separation” from those who chose to leave the church.

Apparently, the couple no longer has contact with their daughter, who identifies as gay. “The Bible is the highest priority. We aren’t willing to compromise our priorities,” Linda Killingsworth said of the separation from their daughter.

The church’s finances also came up during the trial. Prosecutor Bill Vasser noted that Rephidim Church had $1.2 million in cash in 2018, and Killingsworth received a $280,000 bonus in a recent year.

Vasser and his fellow prosecutor Dayve Jo Estes are from Tarrant County. They were brought in to conduct the trial in an effort to avoid a possible conflict of interest—the Killingsworths’ son, Allen, is a detective in the Wichita Falls Police Department.


TOPICS: Evangelical Christian
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84 years and he's 79.
1 posted on 05/12/2024 9:57:18 PM PDT by Morgana
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To: Morgana

Pastor, again...


2 posted on 05/12/2024 9:58:21 PM PDT by bigbob
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To: Morgana

That means he’ll most likely die behind bars.


3 posted on 05/12/2024 10:13:45 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: bigbob

“Pastor, again...”

Daily guide to media coverage of clergy abuse worldwide . . . more than 100,000 articles blogged since 2006:

https://www.bishop-accountability.org/


4 posted on 05/12/2024 10:14:01 PM PDT by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
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To: bigbob

What he needs is to be tossed into the sea 🌊 with a millstone around his neck.


5 posted on 05/12/2024 10:14:12 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: No name given

“That means he’ll most likely die behind bars.”

Exactly.

he should have thought of this when he was younger and was messing up. He should be able to die in his own home, safe in his own bed.

Now he’s going to have to watch his back. Oh he will be in the protected wing of the prison. He will be with others like him. Prisons have had to do this or get sued by family. In some respect it’s good in that a lot of prisons offer programs for sex offenders if they want help and there are some offenders who do take up this offer. Problem is some like him don’t want it.

All I can say now is I sure hope he gets right with God before he dies. I mean that too. All these pastors/priests/rabbis/mullahs/whatever. They need to get right with God or else it’s going to be bad.


6 posted on 05/12/2024 11:15:48 PM PDT by Morgana ( Always a bit of truth in dark humor.)
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To: Morgana

He’d get commumity service if he was a female teacher.


7 posted on 05/13/2024 1:03:02 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Morgana

Concurrent/Consecutive - at his age it doesn’t matter.


8 posted on 05/13/2024 2:06:38 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: ransomnote; bitt

whut


9 posted on 05/13/2024 4:16:23 AM PDT by thinden (buckle up ....)
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To: Morgana
There are obviously more than a few evil people who use religion as a smokescreen. This guy of course...Pelosi,The Big Guy being two others. At least Chuck U Schumer doesn't do it.He's never tried to hide the fact that he's an atheist.
10 posted on 05/13/2024 4:41:44 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: ComputerGuy

Actually,it might.He’ll be eligible for parole when he’s 137.


11 posted on 05/13/2024 4:43:24 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: Secret Agent Man
There are very probably female teachers who prey on female students...the dykes. Of course the girls they violate can be very seriously damaged by such a situation.

OTOH,although it's not good for a female teacher to be with a male student I don't see how the student is damaged in any substantial way.

12 posted on 05/13/2024 4:47:11 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: Jyotishi

I used to watch that predator thing with Chris Hansen. They caught at least one cop...one teacher...one military guy...one lawyer...one physician...and one clergyman. Thankfully,the clergyman was a Rabbi. I say “thankfully” only because it showed that it wasn’t only Catholic priests who did it.


13 posted on 05/13/2024 4:50:59 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: Gay State Conservative

He’ll be eligible for parole when he’s 137.

*********

Reckon he can rise from the grave and
begin his sorties again?


14 posted on 05/13/2024 5:54:20 AM PDT by deport
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To: deport
There's a great concert that Richard Pryor did years ago in which he talked a bit about some filming he and Gene Wilder did at Arizona State prison. He said that he talked a bit to some of the prisoners and found that one was in for "triple life".

He had a puzzled look on his face and he said "how do you do triple life? Does that mean when you die and come back as a kid they say to you "we don't care how old you are,you know what you did last time...get your a$$ back in that cell!""

15 posted on 05/13/2024 6:00:56 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: Gay State Conservative

***more than a few evil people who use religion as a smokescreen.****

I’ve been saying that for years. Where the young people gather the perverts will begin to show up like vultures. They find they can fake a “conversion” and soon work themselves into positions of importance and prey on the kids. It has now destroyed the Boy Scouts, Priests get caught as do pastors. They know that if they are caught the organization will take the heat.


16 posted on 05/13/2024 6:01:01 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar ( Government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is force!--G. Washington)
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To: deport
Richard Pryor (Caution:Language)
17 posted on 05/13/2024 6:06:27 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Proudly Clinging To My Guns And My Religion)
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To: Morgana

84 years in prison..

He shoulda run for office as a Democrat instead. He’d be a millionaire now and free as a bird.


18 posted on 05/13/2024 6:26:25 AM PDT by joethedrummer (We can't vote our way out of this, folks..)
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To: Morgana

And the mom who slapped her when she reported it? She facing any charges?


19 posted on 05/13/2024 6:35:52 AM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2024... RETURN OF THE JEDI. )
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To: Morgana

It’s hard to imagine he acted alone and nobody has a clue. How did this all finally come to light? Sick


20 posted on 05/13/2024 6:37:15 AM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2024... RETURN OF THE JEDI. )
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