A Texas priest accused of repeatedly exploiting his spiritual authority to coerce sex from vulnerable female congregants allegedly dismissed the severity of his actions with a casual shrug when confronted by a family member who caught him in the act.
Anthony Odiong, 57, is on trial in Waco for five counts of sexual assault, including first-degree charges that carry life sentences if he is convicted. The second day of testimony on Wednesday painted a portrait of a clergyman who used his position at a Catholic parish serving Baylor University to gain access to emotionally fragile women, then allegedly preyed on them with impunity for years.
The son of one of Odiong's alleged victims, now 29, testified that he was roughly 14 years old in 2011 when he walked in on the priest having sex with his mother on the bedroom floor during a party at their home. The witness said he burst through the locked door after hearing noises and found Odiong on top of his mother.
In a panic, the son ran to a neighbor's house. That neighbor happened to be Todd Still, the theological seminary dean at Baylor. Still then informed Burt Burleson, Baylor's longtime chaplain and spiritual life dean, who took it upon himself to confront Odiong at the Catholic diocese of Austin.
When Burleson challenged the priest about the incident, Odiong's response was striking in its casualness. "We are but men," Burleson recalled him saying, according to testimony delivered to the jury on Wednesday.
The alleged victim's son later spoke with a diocesan official but expressed reluctance to pursue the matter. He feared his mother could lose her job at Baylor if her conduct became public, since the university holds employees to Christian standards. He also told the official the encounter may have been ambiguous, and acknowledged he had been drinking that night as a minor.
Odiong's career faced little disruption. He spent time studying in Rome and transferred to a church in Luling, Louisiana, staying in the priesthood until late 2023. It was only after a news story emerged detailing accusations from other women that the mother came forward to police in Waco.
Prosecutors have identified as many as 10 women they suspect Odiong targeted during his years as a clergyman. Two additional women beyond the initial accuser led to formal charges. The state law under which Odiong is prosecuted makes it criminal assault for religious leaders to exploit congregants' spiritual dependency to engage them in sexual conduct.
During opening arguments, prosecutor Liz Buice signaled she and fellow prosecutor Ryan Calvert plan to call several of the alleged victims to testify, establishing a pattern of predatory behavior. Prosecutors have noted that Odiong fathered a child with one woman whose case did not result in formal charges.
Odiong's defense team, led by attorneys Gerald Villarrial and Carolina Truesdale, has sought to undermine witness credibility by highlighting other priests visited the home and questioning whether conduct occurring outside formal priestly duties can constitute clerical abuse. The defense also introduced the concept of sinful but non-criminal behavior under Catholic church law.
But prosecutors called John Paul Kimes, a canon lawyer from Notre Dame University, who testified that Catholic priests never truly leave their position of spiritual authority. Kimes, who has prosecuted over 1,100 clergy sex abuse cases for the Vatican, testified that priests are perpetually on duty and must carefully guard against exploiting their spiritual influence over congregants.
The trial is expected to continue through at least Monday.
Author James Rodriguez: "The casual 'we are but men' defense doesn't survive scrutiny when the law explicitly says priests can never clock out from their authority."
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