by Balaamsass2 15 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
Now is the time if you're an elder,,,or anyone higher on the rungs,,, to walk away.
Step down. Relinquish that title. Its like you're on the railroad tracks.
If you're afraid of stepping down,, just become totally useless & unreliable.
You'll lose that eldership title within a couple of months.
Well, that was a quick trial. All over Google search for news the last few days. Glad to see it is ranking high and "Making Jehovah's name known". I hope more of these defendants plead out and roll on the Governing Body.
Norman Aviles-Garriga, 45, of Lancaster, was among five members of the Jehovah’s Witness church in Pennsylvania indicted by a state grand jury for using their clerical positions to sexually abuse children. He was convicted on charges of aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children.
Lancaster County PrisonLancaster County Court Judge Jeffery Wright told Norman Aviles-Garriga that if he thinks his sentence is unfair, he should look at it this way: It’s the same amount of time his victims had to wait for justice.
Wright sentenced Aviles-Garriga, a Jehovah’s Witness elder, to 11½ to 25 years in prison on 12 charges of sexual assault against children in families that were hosting him from 1999 to 2003.
Aviles-Garriga, 45, of Lancaster, was among five members of the Jehovah’s Witness church in Pennsylvania indicted by a state grand jury for using their clerical positions to sexually abuse children.
Three girls from the same extended family who Aviles-Garriga lived with accused him of molesting them while establishing himself in the United States from Puerto Rico. When two of the girls told their mother about what happened, she did not do anything about it, and Aviles-Garriga tried to discredit the girls, saying they were demons and delaying their baptisms.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigated and pressed charges in 2023 after the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office declined in 2010. A jury convicted Aviles-Garriga on June 5 of all 12 charges in the trial, including aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault and endangering the welfare of children, after a three-day trial before Judge Jeffery Wright.
On Friday, 25 family members and friends of both the victims and Aviles-Garriga watched as Aviles-Garriga was sentenced, with many of them giving testimonies, with the assistance of an interpreter.
Aviles-Garriga's mother, one of his children, friends, family and a sister-in-law testified to Wright on his behalf, saying he was a wonderful family man and church leader, and nothing in his character would indicate he would be capable of the abuse.
Another Jehovah’s Witness elder told the court that the girls were likely lying, and the judge should take that into consideration.
Many of the three victims’ family members testified as well, many saying they love Aviles-Garriga, but he refused to change or acknowledge the damage he did to the girls and the law needs to be honored.
“I have been waiting 24 years for justice, and now the justice is here,” the mother of two of the victims said.
All three girls spoke in court, outlining the damage Aviles-Garriga did in their lives and how he tried to shame and pressure them into silence, destroying their credibility. One spoke about suicide attempts and consistent panic attacks.
Before sentencing, Aviles-Garriga was deemed a sexually violent predator. Sexually violent predators are sex offenders whose lives include factors that make them likely to engage in predatory or violent offenses.
Assistant Attorney General Angela Sperrazza said professional evaluations showed Aviles-Garriga had characteristics that would make him a sexually violent predator, but she did not elaborate in court, and Wright agreed to sign it into the record.
Wright addressed the three abused women, calling them heroes and saying their persistence to seek justice despite the long road they faced put him in awe.
“At last, you and the truth both win,” Wright said.'
He then addressed the people supporting Aviles-Garriga, saying despite all the positive things they had to say about him, they never uttered a word of support for the three women who were vindicated in court or their families. He said it was a sign that not much had changed at the church in the years since the abuse began.'
So, is he still in “good standing”, or has he been disfellowshipped removed in an embarrassed attempt at damage control? 🤨
'They never uttered a word of support for the three women ..or their families '
That's how they roll Judge, and that's how they keep on rolling until someone stops them.
