Texas Jury convicts former Catholic Priest over sexual assault

A Texas jury has found former Roman Catholic priest Anthony Odiong guilty of sexually assaulting women who sought his spiritual guidance, in a case that centered on accusations that he used his position of trust as a clergyman to exploit vulnerable parishioners. 

The jury, made up of eight women and four men, convicted the 57-year-old on one count of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of second-degree sexual assault involving two women who testified during the trial in Waco. Odiong, who denied the allegations, now faces the possibility of a life sentence on the first-degree charge.

Sentencing is expected to begin on Monday before the same jury, with the second-degree convictions carrying prison terms ranging from two to 20 years, Very Nigerian reports.

The case initially included allegations involving a third woman, but prosecutors Ryan Calvert and Liz Buice dropped that portion of the case after the complainant, described as being in an “extremely emotionally fragile” state, did not appear in court to testify. Prosecutors said they chose not to compel her appearance, citing her “extremely tenuous” emotional condition.

According to courtroom accounts, Odiong showed little visible reaction as Judge Thomas West read the verdict. He reportedly looked straight ahead during the proceedings before lowering his head as deputies escorted him from the courtroom.

The prosecution stemmed from allegations first brought to public attention in February 2024 by a group of women who accused Odiong of sexual coercion, unwanted touching and abusive financial control while serving as a Catholic priest in Texas and later in Louisiana.

One of the complainants, identified by the pseudonym Mary Doe, later presented a copy of a media report detailing the allegations to Waco police and accused Odiong of assaulting her over three years beginning in 2008.

Investigators subsequently identified a second complainant, known as Jane Doe, who also alleged abuse during the same period while Odiong served in the Waco area. Authorities said additional reports from other women helped establish probable cause for his arrest and prosecution despite the age of the allegations.

During the trial, Mary Doe testified that Odiong initiated a long-term sexual relationship with her while acting as her spiritual adviser as she navigated a difficult divorce and cared for seven children. She and one of her sons told jurors that the child once discovered them having sexual intercourse in her bedroom following a family gathering.

Jane Doe testified that she sought spiritual guidance from Odiong while trapped in an abusive marriage. She alleged that he pressured her to permit sexual acts with her husband that she found painful and then required her to discuss the encounters with him. Prosecutors argued that such conduct constituted sexual assault under Texas law even though Odiong was not directly involved in the sexual activity.

Both women said they met Odiong while he served at St Peter Catholic Center in Waco, a church frequented by students and employees of Baylor University. Their former husbands were Baylor employees, placing them within Odiong’s pastoral reach.

Jurors also heard evidence that DNA testing established Odiong had fathered a child in 2023 with a woman identified as Presley Jones, whom he had counselled spiritually while serving as pastor of St Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, Louisiana.

Although Odiong was not charged in connection with Jones because Louisiana lacks a law similar to Texas’ clergy sexual assault statute, prosecutors argued that the child demonstrated a pattern of sexual relationships with women he met through his ministerial work.

Expert witnesses told the court that clergy members bear responsibility for maintaining professional and spiritual boundaries with those under their care. Jurors also heard testimony regarding the Catholic Church’s requirement that priests remain celibate.

The defence called only one witness, a former parishioner, who testified about Odiong’s character and recalled attending a 2011 gathering at Mary Doe’s home. Under cross-examination, however, the witness acknowledged that Odiong’s conduct fell short of expectations for a religious leader.

Odiong, a naturalised United States citizen, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1993 in his native Nigeria. He was transferred to the Austin Diocese region, which includes Waco, in 2006 under then-Bishop Gregory Aymond.

After studying in Rome, Odiong moved to Luling in 2015, by which time Aymond had become Archbishop of New Orleans.

Church officials in Austin later said they suspended Odiong from ministry in 2019 over allegations involving multiple women. The suspension was not publicly announced at the time, though officials said New Orleans church leaders were informed. Archbishop Aymond did not publicly disclose a similar suspension in New Orleans until late 2023.

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