A Texas jury has convicted former Roman Catholic priest Anthony Odiong of sexually assaulting women he gave spiritual direction to, in a closely watched case that featured allegations he used his position as a clergyman to seek sexual relationships with vulnerable parishioners.
The Guardian writes that Odiong, 57, was convicted of one count of first-degree sexual assault and two charges of second-degree sexual assault involving two women who testified at trial in Waco. The jury consisted of eight women and four men.
Odiong, who has pleaded not guilty, now faces a possible life term on the first-degree allegation. Sentencing is set to start Monday before the same jury.
Each second-degree conviction carries possible jail terms of two to 20 years.
The jurors took nearly two hours to return their verdict.
Originally, the case also contained claims involving a third lady, however the prosecutors Ryan Calvert and Liz Buice abandoned that case after the complainant, who was described as being in a “extremely emotionally fragile” state, did not attend in court to testify. Prosecutors claimed they did not want to compel her to testify because of her “extremely tenuous” emotional state.
Odiong exhibited little outward reaction when Judge Thomas West read the verdict, according to courtroom testimony. During the proceedings he reportedly kept his eyes fixed straight ahead until deputies led him from the courthouse, at which point he bowed his head.
The indictment is based on claims initially reported by a group of women in February 2024 who accused Odiong of sexual coercion, unwanted groping and coercive financial control while he was a Catholic priest in Texas and then Louisiana.
One of the complainants, who used the alias Mary Doe, later provided a copy of a media piece outlining the claims to the Waco police and accused Odiong of assault during a three-year period beginning in 2008.
Investigators also discovered a second complainant, known as Jane Doe, who reported abuse during the same time Odiong was stationed in the Waco region. The age of the claims didn’t prevent other women from coming forward to help establish probable cause for his arrest and prosecution, authorities said.
At trial, Mary Doe said Odiong developed a long-term sexual relationship with her while she was going through a painful divorce and raising seven children, and he was acting as her spiritual adviser. The youngster, she and one of her sons told jurors, one time found them having sex in her bedroom after a family gathering.
Jane Doe testified that she sought spiritual direction from Odiong while ensnared in an abusive marriage. She said he persuaded her to allow sexual practices with her spouse that were painful for her and then had her talk about the experiences with him. Prosecutors maintained that such conduct constituted sexual assault under Texas law, even if Odiong was not directly involved in the sexual activity.
Both ladies stated they encountered Odiong when he was working at St Peter Catholic Center in Waco, a church popular with students and staff of Baylor University. Odiong’s pastoral range included their previous spouses, who were employees of Baylor.
Jurors also learned that DNA testing proved Odiong fathered a kid in 2023 with a woman known as Presley Jones, whom he had spiritually mentored while a pastor of St Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, Louisiana.
Odiong was not charged in connection with Jones because Louisiana does not have a law equivalent to Texas’ clergy sexual assault statute, but prosecutors noted the youngster appeared to have a pattern of sexual interactions with people he met through his employment as a minister.
Expert witnesses informed the court that clergy are required to establish professional and spiritual boundaries with those in their care. Jurors were also told about the Catholic Church’s rule that priests must be celibate.
The defence called just one witness, a former parishioner, who testified to Odiong’s character and remembered attending a 2011 meeting at Mary Doe’s home. Under cross-examination, however, the witness testified that Odiong’s actions were not consistent with the standards of a religious leader.
Odiong, a citizen of the United States by naturalization, was ordained a catholic priest in 1993 in his home Nigeria. In 2006, he was reassigned to the Diocese of Austin, which includes Waco, by then-Bishop Gregory Aymond.
By 2015, when Aymond became Archbishop of New Orleans, Odiong had moved to Luling after studying in Rome.
Church officials in Austin later said they suspended Odiong from ministry in 2019 after claims involving multiple women. New Orleans religious leaders were told about the suspension, which was not made public at the time, officials said. New Orleans Archbishop Aymond didn’t publicly announce a similar ban until late 2023.
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