A former pastor convicted of repeatedly raping his adopted teenage daughter was handed an effective sentence of 12 years in prison Thursday by a Knox County judge, who weighed the severity of the crimes against an outpouring of support for the man from friends and family in court.David Lynn Richards Jr. continued to maintain his innocence, as he had throughout his trial, while asking for leniency from Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword.
David Lynn Richards Jr. described himself as a divorced, single dad simply trying to rein in a defiant teen.
His
adopted daughter, Amber Richards, painted him as a vindictive
manipulator, who punished her when she spurned his offer to take their
relationship "to the next level," after she had endured nearly two years
of sexual abuse in his home.
After less than three
hours of deliberation, a Knox County jury of seven women and five men
found the one-time pastor and former staffer at Smoky Mountain
Children's Home guilty on nine felony counts, including rape, incest and
sexual battery by an authority figure.
Former pastor, foster care worker guilty of adopted daughter's rape
No comments:
Post a Comment