Washington: An assault and kidnapping case against a leader of a secretive North Carolina religious group is returning to court Monday, more than nine years after her first trial ended without a verdict.
Word of Faith Fellowship leader Brooke Covington was first tried in 2017 on second-degree kidnapping and simple assault charges. Prosecutors said she held down and beat a former member of the group more than 13 years ago.
The case ended in a mistrial after the jury foreman brought his own research into deliberations. Covington has maintained she is innocent.
The COVID-19 outbreak, changes involving prosecutors and lawyers, and the transfer of the case to a new prosecutor in a new jurisdiction delayed the retrial.
Covington's trial is set to begin Monday in Buncombe County, according to court records. Both the new prosecutor and Covington's lawyer did not respond to messages seeking details about the trial.
Matthew Fenner joined Word of Faith as a teenager in 2010 with his mother. He said members, including Covington, held him down, choked and beat him for two hours during what the church called a ‘blasting’ session, while others prayed to expel ‘homosexual demons’.
Word of Faith is a nondenominational Protestant church founded in 1979 by Sam and Jane Whaley in North Carolina. Members consider Jane Whaley a prophet.
The church and Whaley have denied allegations of abuse. Whaley has said that any discipline would be protected by the Constitution's freedom of religion protections. The church has said allegations made by former members were false and that it does not condone abuse.
The case was turned over to a special prosecutor after Fenner's lawyer accused District Attorney Ted Bell of siding with Word of Faith in his handling of the case.
Attorney Andrew LaBreche said Bell failed to investigate new evidence and witnesses and had agreed to drop the felony kidnapping charge against Covington.
Superior Court Judge William Stetzer denied LaBreche's request to remove the prosecutor and said LaBreche's conduct had caused significant harm to the legal profession. The judge suspended LaBreche's law licence for three years and awarded Bell legal fees. LaBreche is appealing the ruling, and his suspension has been delayed pending the appeal.
