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		</div><h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>Tennessee pastor </strong><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">David Richards </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">was found </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">guilty of nine felony counts, including incest, and child rape </span></strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">David Lynn Richards Jr</span></strong><strong>, 41, </strong><strong>was f</strong><strong>acing 72 years in prison for repeatedly raping his adopted daughter, 14 </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>He wa</strong><strong>s jailed for just 12 after dozens of parishioners show up to court to support him </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>At sentencing </strong><strong>Judge Steve Sword </strong><strong>cited longtime ministry and support he receives as mitigating factors</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>Judge Sword pointed to the fact he had started a Bible study for inmates </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>His victim was 16 when she reported two years of abuse by her sole guardian</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>&#8216;I wanted to throw my body away&#8217;, she said in an emotional victim&#8217;s impact</strong><strong> statement </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>Amber Richards chose to speak out publicly after the February verdicts</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>Authorities found her mattress stripped bare but say they recovered his DNA</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong>Richards continues to maintain his innocence and seeks a new trial </strong></span></h6>
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<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319146" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/David-Richards-1-274x300.png" alt="" width="596" height="653" /></strong><span style="color: #333333;">Abuse of trust: </span></span><span style="font-size: inherit; color: #333333;">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</span></h6>
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<div class="share-count">A former Tennessee pastor who repeatedly raped his 14-year-old adopted daughter has been given an effective 12 year prison sentence after dozens of parishioners showed up for sentencing at a Knoxville court to support him.<br /><span style="font-size: inherit;">Prosecutors had sought the maximum term of 72 years behind bars for 41-year-old David Richards, </span><a class="class" style="font-size: inherit;" href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2019/05/09/former-pastor-nets-12-year-prison-term-rape-adopted-daughter-david-lynn-richards/1143006001/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">The Knoxville News Sentinel reports</a><span style="font-size: inherit;">. <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">But a judge cited his longtime ministry and the support he still receives as mitigating factors after more than 30 people showed up to support Richards at the sentencing last week.<br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword also pointed to the fact he had started a Bible study for fellow inmates at the Knox County Detention Facility. <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">The Amber Richards was 16 when she reported the abuse by her dad who was also her sole guardian, saying it began two years earlier when she was just 14. <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">Amber who chose to speak publicly after the February verdicts, said in her victim impact statement: &#8216;I wanted to throw my body away.&#8217; </span></div>
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<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319152" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Amber-Richards-2-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="700" height="527" /></strong></span><span style="font-size: inherit; color: #333333;">&#8216;I wanted to throw my body away&#8217; : Victim Amber Richards gives her victim impact statement in court during David Richards&#8217; sentencing hearing in Knox County, TN on May 9</span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319145" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Amber-Richards-left-with-KCSO-lead-investigator-Allen-Merritt-1-300x216.png" alt="" width="749" height="539" /><span style="color: #333333;">Amber Richards seen here hugging KCSO lead investigator Allen Merritt outside of Knox County Criminal Court,</span></strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;"> said she can move on with her life after a jury found David Lynn Richards guilty of nine felony counts, including her rape</span></strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319148" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Megan-Richards-1-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="615" height="463" /></strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">Megan Richards,who is also an </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;">adopted daughter of David Richards, cries on the witness stand during Richards&#8217; sentencing hearing in Knox County Criminal Court </span></strong></span></h6>
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<div class="mobile-gallery-icon"><span style="font-size: inherit;">Joined by her biological parents she added: &#8216;Not a day goes by that I don&#8217;t, in some way, think of what he did to me. I firmly believe if given the opportunity, he would victimize another young girl.&#8217; <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">She told authorities where they could find DNA evidence at her home and said Richards had texted her about taking their relationship &#8216;to the next level.&#8217; <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">Authorities said they found her mattress stripped bare and his phone factory reset, but they were able to recover his DNA.<br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">But Richards, who continued to maintain his innocence, claimed his young victim made her allegations of sexual abuse because of his strict parenting.</span></div>
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<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319144" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/My-Fathers-House-Church-of-God-in-Lenoir-City-TN-1-300x240.png" alt="" width="603" height="482" /><span style="color: #333333;">30 parishioners from</span></strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong><span style="font-size: inherit;"> My Father&#8217;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</span></strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319150" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/David-Richards-2-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="847" height="638" /><span style="color: #333333;">The disgraced pastor </span></strong></span><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>continues to maintain his innocence and signaled the intent to seek a new trial </strong></span></h6>
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<div class="mobile-gallery-icon"><span style="font-size: inherit;">He said: &#8216;I stand before you convicted of crimes I did not commit. I simply believe the system just erred in this case.<br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">&#8216;I&#8217;m not sure why I&#8217;m here but I assume it&#8217;s for His purpose.&#8217; <br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">Richards was found guilty by a jury on nine felony counts, including rape, incest and sexual battery by an authority figure in February. He is seeking a new trial.<br />Pastor </span><span style="font-size: inherit;">David Thompson, who worked alongside Richards at My Father&#8217;s House Church of God in Lenoir City, said: &#8216;I find it impossible for me to believe he&#8217;s guilty of this. His business needs him. His family needs him. Our church needs him.&#8217;</span></div>
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<h6><span style="color: #241e1e;"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-319153" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/David-Thompson-1-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="653" height="492" /></strong></span><span style="color: #333333;">David Thompson, pastor of My Father&#8217;s House Church of God in Lenoir City, on the witness stand during David Lynn Richards&#8217; sentencing, was in support of freeing his co-pastor of all charges</span></h6>
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<div>Judge <span style="font-size: inherit;">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&#8217; abuse of his position of trust as the girl&#8217;s sole guardian.<br /></span><span style="font-size: inherit;">David Richards&#8217;s new attorney, Stephen Ross Johnson, signaled his intention to seek a new trial.</span></div>
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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
