Tennessee pastor David Lynn Richards Jr, facing 72 years in prison for repeatedly raping his adopted daughter, 14, jailed just 12 years, after his parishioners turn up in court to support him
Tennessee pastor David Richards was found guilty of nine felony counts, including incest, and child rape
David Lynn Richards Jr, 41, was facing 72 years in prison for repeatedly raping his adopted daughter, 14
He was jailed for just 12 after dozens of parishioners show up to court to support him
At sentencing Judge Steve Sword cited longtime ministry and support he receives as mitigating factors
Judge Sword pointed to the fact he had started a Bible study for inmates
His victim was 16 when she reported two years of abuse by her sole guardian
‘I wanted to throw my body away’, she said in an emotional victim’s impact statement
Amber Richards chose to speak out publicly after the February verdicts
Authorities found her mattress stripped bare but say they recovered his DNA
Richards continues to maintain his innocence and seeks a new trial
Abuse of trust: David Richards repeatedly raped his adopted teenage daughter but has been given an effective 12 year prison sentence after 30 parishioners showed up to court to support him
‘I wanted to throw my body away’ : Victim Amber Richards gives her victim impact statement in court during David Richards’ sentencing hearing in Knox County, TN on May 9
Amber Richards seen here hugging KCSO lead investigator Allen Merritt outside of Knox County Criminal Court, said she can move on with her life after a jury found David Lynn Richards guilty of nine felony counts, including her rape
Megan Richards,who is also an adopted daughter of David Richards, cries on the witness stand during Richards’ sentencing hearing in Knox County Criminal Court
30 parishioners from My Father’s House Church of God in Lenoir City, TN [photo], where Richards was once a pastor turned up at his sentencing to support the shamed minister
The disgraced pastor continues to maintain his innocence and signaled the intent to seek a new trial
David Thompson, pastor of My Father’s House Church of God in Lenoir City, on the witness stand during David Lynn Richards’ sentencing, was in support of freeing his co-pastor of all charges
Judge Sword, though, noted the time frame of the abuse, which began when Amber Richards was 14 and continued for nearly two years before she reported it to authorities, as well as David Richards’ abuse of his position of trust as the girl’s sole guardian.
David Richards’s new attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, signaled his intention to seek a new trial.
David Richards’s new attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, signaled his intention to seek a new trial.
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