A suburban New Orleans pastor has been convicted of sexually abusing two teenage boys, marking his third conviction for similar crimes. Terry Reed, 66, was found guilty on 6 May after a jury deliberated for less than an hour. He faces up to 40 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Reed used biblical verses to manipulate his victims. One boy moved into Reed's home at age 16 in August 2021 after a family dispute, and was abused multiple times before reporting the pastor to authorities in 2023. That led to a second victim coming forward, who said he was abused after moving into Reed's home in May 2011, also at age 16.
Reed had previously pleaded guilty to indecent behavior with a juvenile in 1997 and to molestation of a juvenile in 2017, receiving probation both times. In the 2017 case, he told the victim that the acts were necessary to 'fight off demons'. At the time of his 2023 arrest, Reed admitted to being a sex offender but claimed medical ailments made him unable to perform sexually and that he had been celibate for a decade.
Prosecutor James Wascom described Reed as 'preying on these very, very troubled boys who don't have a father figure in their lives'. Co-counsel Eric Cusimano called him 'the worst kind of predator'. Reed's sentencing is scheduled for 18 June.
