Hosanna Church debate continues

If you have any interest in the Hosanna Church case, you might want to check out the recent comments on the Hosanna Church index page.

Attorney gets copy of Hosanna suspect’s confession

Attorney gets copy of suspect’s confession

By DEBRA LEMOINE
Advocate Florida parishes bureau
Published: May 10, 2007 - Page: 4b

AMITE — Prosecutors have turned over a videotaped confession by Austin “Trey” Bernard III — one of seven people accused in the Hosanna Church of Ponchatoula child-rape case — to Bernard’s defense attorney, according to court officials and court documents.

Defense Attorney Al Benzabet told 21st Judicial District Court Judge Doug Hughes in a pre-trial hearing Wednesday he received the videotaped statement made by Bernard, 38, who is accused of one count of aggravated rape.

After the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Don Wall said that for more than a year he sifted through a voluminous amount of evidence before he could complete this phase of the prosecution.

Bernard’s trial is scheduled Aug. 27.

Trial dates for the other six defendants, indicted for aggravated rape and other sexual crimes, have not been set.

Bernard’s pending trial comes more than two years after fellow church member and pastor Louis D. Lamonica, 47, allegedly walked into the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office and confessed to raping three children as part of an occult ritual.

Following Lamonica’s arrest, eight other members of the now-defunct church were arrested; two of whom have not been charged by the District Attorney’s Office.

Bernard confessed to the crime in that taped statement, according to written reports from the Sheriff’s Office filed in the court record.

Benzabet told the judge he plans to file motions to suppress evidence at the next hearing, set for Aug. 14.

Bernard, who was released from the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on Nov. 22, 2006, in lieu of a $50,000 bond, is being monitored by an electronic-tracking device, court records show.

He had been given permission by the court to go to Florida, the minutes of a Feb. 12 court hearing indicate.

Bernard was present in court Wednesday, dressed in khaki slacks, tie and a blue sports coat.

D.C. Madam Scandal -- Fizzle or Coverup?

From the Center for American Progress:

"There are thousands of names, tens of thousands of phone numbers, and there are people there at the Pentagon, lobbyists, others at the White House, prominent lawyers -- a long, long list."
—ABC correspondent Brian Ross, 4/28/07, reporting on the D.C. Madam list

VERSUS

"As usually is the case in Washington, much of it is dull. There are no members of Congress we can find in these phone numbers, no White House officials. Quite frankly, but for the few exceptions, most of the men on this list just aren't newsworthy."
—Ross, 5/4/07

Second Chance for Hosanna Church

A second chance for Louisiana church
New assembly taking over site of alleged abuse

By DEBRA LEMOINE
The (baton Rouge) Advocate

PONCHATOULA, LA. — A Ponchatoula church shut down amid criminal allegations that some of its members engaged in ritualistic abuse of children is being reborn as a home for a new congregation.

Christian Life Assembly of God in Hammond is renovating the former Hosanna Church building in Ponchatoula and moving its church there, said the Rev. Gary Wayne Yates of Christian Life.

Seven members of the former Hosanna Church were arrested and charged in the sexual abuse of three children in April and May 2004. All are awaiting trial, and the first trial is scheduled for August.

The General Council of the Assemblies of God petitioned the 21st Judicial District Court in Amite last year to take ownership of the former Hosanna Church, which began as an Assembly member church.

Once the governing body obtained rights to the church, its officials offered the facility to Christian Life in exchange for its Hammond property, Yates said. By unanimous vote of its congregation, Christian Life decided to move to Ponchatoula, Yates said.

To Yates and his 150-member congregation, the move into the facility shows another way that God can turn something bad into good, the pastor said.

"There's going to be a great thing here," Yates said.

Early in the investigation, authorities alleged that the abuse was part of a satanic ritual but later said investigators found no physical evidence of such rituals.

Yates said that his church received the building as it was after detectives combed it for evidence. The church members also have found no evidence of occult rituals.

Yates, too, does not believe occult activities took place at the church. To him, it is simply a building that will once again be used as a church.

Yates said he believes his sentiment is shared by the Ponchatoula and Hammond residents who have called offering support. So far, the air conditioning units and the paint have been donated, he said.

The construction labor and expertise are being provided by Mission America Placement Services, also known as MAPS, a home missions arm of the General Council of the Assemblies of God, Yates said. Earlier this month, a half-dozen MAPS volunteers from across the U.S. worked on the sanctuary's newly installed drywall.

Hosanna Church Case Update - 9.29.06

I've received some interesting information about the case -- as always, with the caveat that this is secondhand information and I cannot vouch for its veracity. If anyone has confirmatory documentation, please feel free to send them to me (anonymously or otherwise).

According to my sources, a ranking detective in the Hosanna Church case left the Tangipahoa Parish sherrif's office because of the corruption he witnessed. According to the same source, five -- yes, five -- detectives resigned after the Hosanna investigation concluded.

One of the five was Michael DePhillips.

This story just gets stranger and stranger.

I'd like to encourage those living in Ponchatoula (and nearby) who are following this case to post any links from local media in the comments section. I'd also appreciate scans or clippings, since apparently some of the stories that get printed in the newspapers don't get published in the online editions -- which makes it difficult for me to stay up-to-date.

Hosanna Church Cult and Coverup - Index

Since I've been getting so much traffic to the individual Hosanna Church articles, I decided to archive them all in one spot, and make them always accessible from the main page (the right sidebar).

I am always looking for personal insights into this case from Ponchatoula residents or anyone else with a connection to the alleged crimes. Please email me, and I will maintain strict anonymity if requested.

UPDATE 10/22/2008: Ex-pastor gets concurrent life terms in child sex case (2theadvocate.com)

UPDATE: 9/24/2008: Thanks to the nitwit(s) who are spamming the blog's comments, I'm turning on comment moderation. Comments can still be anonymous, but they'll have to be approved by me.

UPDATE 8/24/2008: Trial of Louis Lamonica Begins

UPDATE: I hadn't seen this article from the Hammond Star, which is the first to describe the ritualistic aspects from a law enforcement official: Agents Graphically Describe Abuse (11/30/2007)

UPDATE: Guilty Verdict in Hosanna Church Rape Trial (Video, WWLTV)

UPDATE: Hosanna Jury Likely to Get Case (Dec. 3, 2007) (2theadvocate)

UPDATE: Witness: Bernard Would 'Confess': Ex-Churchmember Says He Also Recanted (Dec. 1, 2007) (2theadvocate)

UPDATES: Detectives Pray, Quote Scripture During Hosanna Case Interrogations (Nov. 30, 2007) (2theadvocate); Witnesses Deny Abuse at Hosanna Church (Dec. 2, 2007) (2theadvocate)

UPDATE: FBI Agent Testifies in Hosanna Trial (Nov. 29, 2007) (2theadvocate)

UPDATE: Child's Nightmares Launched Case (Nov. 29, 2007) (2theadvocate)

UPDATE: First Witness in Hosanna Church Case to Take the Stand (Nov. 28, 2007) (2theadvocate.com)

UPDATE: Jury Selection in Austin "Trey" Bernard's trial
Jury Selection Starts for Church Member Accused of Child Rape (KATC3)

UPDATE: August 15, 2007
Defense: Witnesses Recant (2theadvocate.com)

UPDATE: May 10, 2007
Attorney Gets Copy of Hosanna Suspect's Confession (2theadvocate.com)

UPDATE: December 23, 2006
I know some of my sources have spoken about shady dealings in regards to the church property. As always, feel free to contact me privately or post anonymously to the comments section if the full story is not being covered.

A Second Chance for Hosanna Church

UPDATE: November 16, 2006
First Trial Scheduled for August, 2007

September 29, 2006 - Resignations in the Sheriff's Department

March 5, 2006
Hosanna May Reach Trial in '06 (2theadvocate.com)

January 23, 2006
Coverup Continues

December 19, 2005.
DA: Hosanna trial priority

Hosanna Coverup (part 1)

Hosanna Coverup (part 2)

Hosanna Coverup (part 3)

Hosanna Coverup (part 4)

Hosanna Church Update - The Evidence Emerges

Hosanna Church Update -- Charges Put on Hold (Monday, September 19, 2005)

DA to Seek New Indictments in Hosanna Church Sex Case (Thursday, September 15, 2005)

Hosanna Church Cult and "Brainwashing"

Community-based Ritual Abuse and the Hosanna Church Cult

Related:

Is "Brother" Mike DePhillips "Detective" Mike DePhillips?

Hosanna Coverup, the DA, and Sadie Henderson

Rick A. Ross Institute's collection of related links

Rigorous Intuition