Church-Goer and Her Pastor Lover Killed Her Husband So They Could Be Together
(Disclaimer: I am a conservative, always have been. This does not mean I completely agree with other conservatives on all issues.)
This news story once more disproves several Christian and secular conservative assumptions, such as: marriage makes people more godly, mature, and responsible; that God will not grant an imperfect person a spouse, and that being “Equally Yoked” (marrying another Christian) means that your spouse will be up-standing, a decent person, loving, caring, etc.
(Link): Church-Goer and Her Pastor Lover Killed Her Husband So They Could Be Together March 2017, by Gail Shortland
Excerpts:
Cindy was devoted to the church and the clergyman who preached there…
…Accountant Cindy Reese, 40, lived with her husband Michael, also 40, in Morris, Alabama. They’d been married six years, and had met after Cindy’s first husband had committed suicide.
The couple had a seemingly normal and idyllic life in their picture-perfect white-painted house nestled under the shade of the trees.
…The couple were religious and regularly attended the local Sardis Baptist Church, where Cindy was also head of music. But things were far from perfect. In 2013, Jeffery Brown, 36, became senior pastor at the church.
Cindy was taken with the clergyman and they started an affair.
When the leaders at the church found out about the betrayal, Jeffery stepped down before the scandal got out, but he continued to see Cindy, who gave him money for a car and cash towards his apartment.
Did Michael know what his wife was up to? It’s not clear. But they were still living together in 2015 when Cindy continued to meet up with her lover.
On 18 February, Cindy and Michael went to church together. Afterwards, Cindy went to the local shop. When she returned at 8pm, she called 911.
She told the operator that she’d arrived home to find the house a mess and suspected there had been a break-in. Cindy had left the house while on the phone before exploring any further.
Shot in the head
When officers arrived, they made a shocking discovery. They went into the kitchen and found Michael dead on the floor next to the open back door. He’d been shot in the back of the head.
…It didn’t take long for investigators to find out about Cindy’s affair with Jeffery. Records even showed they’d called each other numerous times on the day Michael died.
…Police were convinced that the couple had conspired to kill Michael – and the pair were brazen about spending time together now he was dead. A month later, Cindy and Jeffery had been on a lunch date when police swept in. They were both arrested and charged with murder.
…Jeffery took the stand and testified that Cindy had often talked about killing her husband.
…The prosecution said that Cindy had shot her husband when they came back from church – just as Michael was letting the dog in the back door. She then went to the local Piggly Wiggly store where she bought ham and orange juice. Then she met Jeffery in a gas station to hand over the revolver, which he threw away on a highway. It was never found.
And there we go. Yet again.
I have (Link): many other news stories like this one on my blog, of church going, Bible reading Christian people who murder their spouses.
So to the Christian think tanks out there, and to the preachers and lay persons: stop insisting that being married will make culture better, or that being married makes a person more mature, caring, and ethical.
Christians and conservative: Stop over-selling marriage.
Related:
(Link): Please Stop Shaming Me for Being Single by J. Vadnal
(Link): Hey, Justice Kennedy: You don’t need to shame singles to uphold marriage by L. Bonos
(Link): Are Single Women – and specifically Never Married Women – More Likely To Be Victims of Abuse? Rebuttals to this view (advanced by W B Wilcox)
(Link): Myths About Never Married Adults Over Age 40
(Link): The Stupid Advice We Give To Single Women Over 40 (from the Current Conscience Blog)
(Link): First Time Marriage for Man and Woman Both Over Age 40
(Link): Never-Married Men Over 40: Date-able or Debate-able?
(Link): Singles Advocate DePaulo Responds to Right Wing, Conservative Critics of Singlehood, Who Blame Singles For Breakdown of The Family (reminder: I myself am right wing)
(Link): The Myth of the Gift – Regarding Christian Teachings on Gift of Singleness and Gift of Celibacy
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