The pastor of a California church and a couple of other guys pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of beating and threatening the life of a 13-year-old boy.
Some unpleasant details ahead.
Lonny Lee Remmers, 56, Nicholas James Craig, 24, and Darryll Duane Jeter Jr., 30, tortured the boy in the church-run group home where he lived, according to a witness report in affidavits for search warrants.
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The March 2012 incidents included Craig and Jeter driving the victim to the desert and forcing him to dig his own grave. They then made him get in and threw dirt on him. They were responding to Remmers’ instruction to “scare” the boy, according to the affidavits.
While the boy was showering, one of the men rubbed salt into the cuts on his back, according to Steven Larkey, who lived in the group home and provided the witness report in the affidavit. He told investigators he could hear the boy screaming and saw blood all over the shower the next day.
The victim was later tied to a chair with zip ties and placed in the shower. Mace was sprayed on his face, causing it to bleed, and he was not allowed to rinse off for about 30 minutes, according to the victim’s account in the affidavit.
At a Bible study later that evening at Remmers’ home, Remmers asked the boy to sit in the middle of the group and then squeezed his nipple with pliers.
It’s always good to see the way religion makes people kind and compassionate.
screechymonkey says
Not that anything would justify it, but I was waiting for the story to explain why they thought they needed to “scare” him — was this just pure undisguised sadism, or sadism under the pretense of “correcting” some “ungodly” behavior?
Ophelia Benson says
The mother wanted him “scared” on the grounds that he’d sexually assaulted his 7-year-old sister.
Ed says
Apparently the world of Christianity is a bit of a rough atmosphere compared to the one we mere heathens inhabit.
If I was the type to get involved in violence and was told to “scare him”, the first thing to come to mind would be to maybe smack him around and threaten to do a lot worse next time if he doesn’t cooperate. Or put him up against the wall behind a warehouse or something and give him a lecture about how his present lifestyle is likely to get him hurt someday.
Take him out in the desert and make him dig his own grave is way beyond putting some fear into the guy. It’s creepy and sadistic as hell and shows a mentality comfortable with the idea of murder.
moarscienceplz says
It looks like the three of them are each going to get one year in jail and three years probation. I bet there are some people convicted of drug charges who would love to get a sentence so light. Interesting priorities this prosecutor seems to have.
Gregory in Seattle says
And we’ll know they are Christians by their love.
Claire Ramsey says
Pliers? Nope, I am pretty sure the in the old testament they were commanded to use a monkey wrench. . .
(PS what a bunch of sick fucks).
wordsgood says
Excuse me while I run off and puke now.
Decker says
I wonder if anyone running this group home could even read and write.