ABC26 WGNO News - New Orleans
August 22, 2008
by Jon Huffman
AMITE — THE TRIAL OF A FORMER PASTOR FROM PONCHATOULA ACCUSED OF MOLESTING HIS TWO YOUNG SONS TOOK A STRANGE TWIST THIS MORNING.
IN OPENING STATEMENTS, DEFENSE ATTORNEYS PORTRAYED THE CHARGES AS THE DEMENTED FANTASIES OF ONE POWERFUL CHURCH MEMBER WHO CONVINCED OTHER CONGREGANTS IT WAS TRUE.
THEY PAINTED A PICTURE OF THE HOSANNA CHURCH AS AN ALMOST JIM JONES-LIKE CULT HEADED BY A CHARISMATIC LEADER.
FIRST UP, PROSECUTORS PROMISED JURORS THEY WOULD SEE VIDEOTAPES OF FORMER PASTOR LOUIS LAMONICA'S TWO SONS DESCRIBING SEXUAL MOLESTATION BY THEIR FATHER IN GRAPHIC DETAIL.
AND, THEY ADDED, JURORS WOULD READ LETTERS OF CONFESSION WRITTEN BY LAMONICA HIMSELF.
BUT THEN THE DEFENSE GOT ITS TURN, PAINTING THE SHOCKING PICTURE OF A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH TURNED INTO A FANATICAL CULT HEADED BY A SELF-DESCRIBED PROPHET NAMED LOIS MOWBRAY.
DEFENSE ATTORNEY MICHAEL THIEL CLAIMED MOWBRAY VIRTUALLY IMPRISONED FORMER PASTOR LAMONICA INSIDE THE CHURCH AND SUBJECTED HIM TO SLEEP DEPRIVATION UNTIL HE MADE FALSE CONFESSIONS OF CHILD RAPE, ANIMAL SACRIFICES, AND SATANIC RITUALS.
THIEL SAID MOWBRAY TOLD THE DEFENDANT "IF YOU THINK OR DREAM ABOUT SOMETHING, THEN YOU'VE DONE IT. YOU MUST CONFESS...I'VE HAD A VISION WHERE GOD TOLD ME YOU ARE MOLESTING YOUR TWO SONS. YOU MUST CLEANSE YOUR SOUL BY WRITING A CONFESSION."
THE DEFENSE CLAIMS MOWBRAY HOUNDED THE FORMER PASTOR FOR MONTHS UNTIL HE BROKE DOWN AND CONFESSED TO FALSE ACCUSATIONS.
BOTH OF LAMONICA'S SONS WILL BE CALLED AS WITNESSES, AND DEFENSE ATTORNEY THIEL PROMISED JURORS BOTH WOULD TESTIFY THAT NO MOLESTATION EVER HAPPENED.
HOWEVER, PROSECUTOR DON WALL TOLD JURORS THEY WOULD SEE VIDEOTAPES IN WHICH BOTH BOYS DESCRIBE MOLESTATION BY THEIR FATHER IN GRAPHIC DETAIL.
THE TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO LAST WELL INTO NEXT WEEK.
This article was found at:
http://abc26.trb.com/news/wgno_news_082108sexabusetrialstarts,
0,790313.story
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