Church leader faces retrial over alleged ‘homosexual demons’ beating
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A leader of a secretive North Carolina religious group is set to return to court on assault and kidnapping charges, more than nine years after her first trial ended without a verdict.
Word of Faith Fellowship leader Brooke Covington is accused of holding down and beating former church member Matthew Fenner during an alleged attack more than 13 years ago.
Covington, who has maintained her innocence, was first tried in 2017 on charges of second-degree kidnapping and simple assault. The case ended in a mistrial after the jury foreman brought outside research into deliberations.
A retrial has since been repeatedly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, legal disputes, the deaths or retirements of attorneys and the appointment of a new prosecutor in another jurisdiction.
Covington's new trial is scheduled to begin Monday in Buncombe County, according to court records.
Fenner joined Word of Faith as a teenager in 2010 with his mother. He alleges that during a service at the church's compound in Spindale, North Carolina, Covington and other members subjected him to what the church called a "blasting" session.
Fenner said members held him down, choked and beat him for two hours while others prayed to expel what they called "homosexual demons."
Word of Faith, a nondenominational Protestant church founded in 1979 by Sam and Jane Whaley, has denied allegations that its leaders abused members. Jane Whaley, whom members consider a prophet, has said any church discipline would be protected by constitutional religious freedoms.
The church has said allegations from former members are false and that it does not condone abuse.
The Associated Press published an investigation into Word of Faith in 2017 based on interviews with dozens of former members, secretly recorded conversations and law enforcement, court and child welfare records.
Former congregants alleged the church exercised extensive control over members' lives, including whom they married, what they studied and whether they attended college. Former members also described being slapped, choked and thrown to the floor during intense group prayer sessions.
The case against Covington was eventually handed to a special prosecutor following a bitter legal dispute over its handling.
Fenner's attorney, Andrew LaBreche, sought to remove District Attorney Ted Bell, accusing him of siding with Word of Faith and failing to investigate new evidence and witnesses. Bell disputed the allegations and produced evidence he said showed he had refused attempts by church members to discuss the criminal cases.
Superior Court Judge William Stetzer rejected the effort to remove Bell and ordered LaBreche's law license suspended for three years, citing what he described as "repeated acts of dishonesty." LaBreche is appealing, and the suspension has been stayed while that case proceeds.
Word of Faith had about 700 members in North Carolina a decade ago, according to the AP. A more recent sworn statement from a former church leader estimated membership had fallen to between 300 and 400.
