Jurors Deliberate Former Pastor's Sexual Assault Trial
If Convicted, Former Pastor Faces 20 Years
POSTED: Friday, May 7,
UPDATED: 5:41 pm CDT May 7,
2004
HOUSTON -- Jurors began deliberations Friday afternoon in the sexual assault trial of a former pastor.
Jim Tucker, 53, the former pastor of Abundant Life Church of North Houston, 713 E. Airtex, is accused of sexually assaulting the church's secretary in 1998. However, he was not officially charged with the assault until 2002.Friday morning, prosecutors urged jurors to find Tucker guilty. He was called a master manipulator who exploited the alleged victim's emotional dependency for sex.Prosecutor Paul Doyle said, "He puts on gold-rim glasses, his hair slicked back Jimmy Swaggart style. In order to manipulate you, you have to trust him, but you can't. He's nothing but a liar."Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin told jurors that Tucker and his alleged victim had a consensual relationship that was not criminal.He said, "You don't have to like Jim Tucker, but you don't have to convict him because the state has made him look like the devil." Prosecutor Kelly Siegler argued the case is about power and control, not sex. She quoted versus in the Bible for her closing statements."The Bible talks about the shepherd leading the flock. Jim Tucker is not just the wolf attacking the sheep, he's attacking the lamb," she said.Siegler called Tucker a rapist, the same as a buzzard circling his prey.Former followers of Tucker cried in the courtroom."I still love the man, but I can't come to grips with the reality that I believe he did this. I really believe he did this," said Bethny Scheuerman, a former church member. "I just believe he has a God complex. I really do, and I hate to say it, but I honestly believe he believes he's above it all."Tucker's supporters were also in the courtroom, but did not comment to News2HoustonIf convicted, Tucker could face up to 20 years in prison.Jurors have three choices -- not guilty, guilty of sexual assault or guilty of assault.Tucker is charged under a new state law that makes it a crime for a spiritual advisor to exploit emotional dependency for sex.
Previous Stories:
Copyright 2004 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jim Tucker, 53, the former pastor of Abundant Life Church of North Houston, 713 E. Airtex, is accused of sexually assaulting the church's secretary in 1998. However, he was not officially charged with the assault until 2002.Friday morning, prosecutors urged jurors to find Tucker guilty. He was called a master manipulator who exploited the alleged victim's emotional dependency for sex.Prosecutor Paul Doyle said, "He puts on gold-rim glasses, his hair slicked back Jimmy Swaggart style. In order to manipulate you, you have to trust him, but you can't. He's nothing but a liar."Defense attorney Dick DeGuerin told jurors that Tucker and his alleged victim had a consensual relationship that was not criminal.He said, "You don't have to like Jim Tucker, but you don't have to convict him because the state has made him look like the devil." Prosecutor Kelly Siegler argued the case is about power and control, not sex. She quoted versus in the Bible for her closing statements."The Bible talks about the shepherd leading the flock. Jim Tucker is not just the wolf attacking the sheep, he's attacking the lamb," she said.Siegler called Tucker a rapist, the same as a buzzard circling his prey.Former followers of Tucker cried in the courtroom."I still love the man, but I can't come to grips with the reality that I believe he did this. I really believe he did this," said Bethny Scheuerman, a former church member. "I just believe he has a God complex. I really do, and I hate to say it, but I honestly believe he believes he's above it all."Tucker's supporters were also in the courtroom, but did not comment to News2HoustonIf convicted, Tucker could face up to 20 years in prison.Jurors have three choices -- not guilty, guilty of sexual assault or guilty of assault.Tucker is charged under a new state law that makes it a crime for a spiritual advisor to exploit emotional dependency for sex.
Previous Stories:
May 6, 2004: Former Pastor Testifies In Sexual Assault Trial
May 5, 2004: Wife Testifies In Former Pastor's Sexual Assault Trial
May 4, 2004: Defense Faces Setback In Pastor Sex Assault Case
April 30, 2004: Prosecutor Performs R-Rated Reenactment In Pastor Abuse Trial
April 29, 2004: Husband Of Secretary Describes Pastor's Alleged Abuse
April 28, 2004: Preacher On Trial For Alleged Sex Assault On Church Secretary
Copyright 2004 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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