Trial near for sect members accused of beating away demons
After countless twists and turns, the long-delayed, high-profile case finally appears ready to move forward in North Carolina Superior Court.
The defense has filed motions to move the trial out of Rutherford County, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains midway between Charlotte and Asheville, due to years of negative publicity about the church's practices.
The prosecution has argued that the usual procedure is to try to select a jury in the county where a crime was committed before deciding to move a trial or to bring in an outside jury.
If both motions are denied, or if the judge decides to try seating a jury before making a decision, the trial could begin Tuesday.
Based on exclusive interviews with 43 former members, documents and secretly made recordings, the AP reported in February that Word of Faith Fellowship congregants were regularly punched, smacked, choked, slammed to the floor or thrown through walls in a violent form of deliverance meant to "purify" sinners by beating out devils.
The AP also previously revealed that congregants were ordered by church leaders to lie to authorities investigating reports of abuse and that two assistant district attorneys and a veteran social worker were among those who coached congregants and their children on what to say to investigators.
After the AP report, the prosecutors, including one who is a son-in-law of a church founder, left their jobs, and the social worker resigned.