Nationwide — Terry Reed, an African American pastor from the New Orleans area, has been sentenced to 80 years in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two boys. The case marked his third conviction involving crimes against minors.
A Louisiana judge handed down the sentence Thursday after a jury found Reed guilty in May of two counts of third-degree rape and two counts of molestation of a juvenile. Prosecutors said he abused the boys after gaining the trust of their families and bringing them into his home in Terrytown.
According to The Guardian, court records said Reed used his position as a pastor to manipulate the victims. Prosecutors said he cited Bible verses and religious teachings to convince the boys that his abusive behavior was normal.
The court also heard from the mother of one of the victims. She said she had known Reed since she was a child and trusted him to help her troubled son. As a single mother living outside Louisiana, she turned to Reed for support and allowed him to take her son into his care.
During the sentencing hearing, she described feeling deeply betrayed. She said Reed knew she had experienced sexual abuse as a child and that his actions reopened old wounds. The victim also shared a statement through his mother, calling Reed “an utter failure and a sorry excuse for a man” and telling him, “You disgust me.”
Judge Ray Steib imposed the maximum sentence available for the molestation convictions. Reed faced up to 40 years in prison for each count, resulting in the 80-year sentence.
The latest convictions add to Reed’s lengthy history of criminal offenses involving minors. He pleaded guilty in 1997 to indecent behavior with a juvenile. In 2017, he again pleaded guilty to indecent behavior with a juvenile and molestation of a juvenile.