Conviction Christian institutions & contexts Evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, Mexico · 2023

Mexico: evangelical pastor sentenced to 53 years for abusing a disciple during spiritual retreats

Record class

Core record

Evidence status

Convicted

Authority role

evangelical pastor

Organization

unnamed evangelical congregation, Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua

Spiritual nexus

The Fiscalía General del Estado de Chihuahua's own account states the pastor, identified as Esaul L.H., used the trust his position as a religious pastor inspired in Cuauhtémoc to gain access to the victim, and committed sexual offenses on three separate occasions when the victim attended spiritual retreats he led between 2018 and 2020.

Pastoral or clerical authority
Ritual, oath, or initiation

Evidence structure

Proceedings

2023-07-18 · trial conviction and sentence

Chihuahua state court, Mexico. Convicted of sexual abuse of a minor across three retreat occasions in 2018 and 2020; sentenced to 53 years and 4 months' imprisonment.

Documented coercion mechanisms

trust inspired by his position as religious pastor
isolation of the victim during residential spiritual retreats
repeated access across three documented retreat occasions

Primary record

Sources

local newspaper court reporting criminal disposition and nexus El Diario de Chihuahua, 'Ejemplar condena de 53 años vs pastor' (July 18, 2023).: Reports the 53-year-4-month sentence and the spiritual-retreat setting of the three documented offenses.
official prosecutorial record criminal nexus Fiscalía General del Estado de Chihuahua, 'Vinculan a proceso penal a pastor religioso acusado por abuso sexual en Cuauhtémoc' (official case notice).: State prosecutor's official statement identifying the pastor's use of religious trust to access the victim during spiritual retreats, corroborating the mechanism found at trial.

Related record

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