A Waco jury found Catholic priest Anthony Odiong guilty of sexual assault on Tuesday, delivering convictions on one first-degree charge and two second-degree counts involving women he manipulated through his role as a spiritual adviser. The 12-member panel deliberated roughly two hours before reaching its verdict.
Odiong, 57, faces potential life imprisonment on the first-degree conviction when sentencing begins Monday. The second-degree charges carry sentences ranging from two to 20 years.
The case stemmed largely from a February 2024 Guardian investigation that detailed a pattern of sexual coercion and financial exploitation across the priest's assignments in Texas and Louisiana. One of the women profiled in that reporting brought a copy to Waco police and filed her own complaint, triggering the investigation that eventually led to charges.
Prosecutors painted a calculated predator who weaponized faith itself. During closing arguments, prosecutor Ryan Calvert told jurors: "His weapon was faith. Devout faith. Sincere faith." He emphasized the deliberate nature of Odiong's conduct, rejecting the defense characterization of consensual relationships.
Two women testified against Odiong at trial. One, identified as Mary Doe, described a years-long sexual relationship that began while she sought spiritual guidance during a divorce. She had custody of seven children at the time. Her own son witnessed her with Odiong in her bedroom following a family gathering.
The second accuser, Jane Doe, testified that Odiong pressured her while she was trapped in an abusive marriage. She said he compelled her to engage in painful sexual acts with her husband, then forced her to report the details back to him. Prosecutors successfully argued this conduct qualified as assault under Texas law even without direct physical contact between priest and victim.
Both women had attended St Peter Catholic Center in Waco, where Odiong served. The church operated near Baylor University, and both accusers' husbands worked there, creating proximity that facilitated Odiong's access.
Investigators uncovered additional evidence of predatory conduct. DNA testing established that Odiong fathered a child in spring 2023 with a third woman, identified as Presley Jones, to whom he provided spiritual direction at St Anthony of Padua in Luling, Louisiana. Though Louisiana law did not allow prosecution in that case, authorities used the paternity finding to demonstrate a pattern.
Expert testimony at trial established that clergy members, not those under their spiritual authority, bear responsibility for maintaining boundaries. Catholic priests specifically take vows of celibacy.
Prosecutors initially charged Odiong with a third first-degree count involving another woman, but dropped that charge when she failed to appear for trial testimony. Prosecutors cited her "extremely fragile" emotional state and decided against compelling her attendance.
The defense called only one character witness, a former parishioner who attended the 2011 party at Mary Doe's home. Under cross-examination, the witness acknowledged Odiong's conduct fell short of expectations for a faith leader. Prosecutors capitalized with a pointed question: "Did you know that Father Anthony was really father Anthony," referring to the biological fatherhood revelation.
Defense attorneys Gerald Villarial and Carolina Truesdale sought to reframe the sexual encounters as "dating relationships" and challenged the women's credibility. Truesdale questioned why the women remained in contact with Odiong if he had truly abused them, and invoked a controversial line: "There is a responsibility on the women as well."
Odiong, a Nigerian-born naturalized U.S. citizen ordained in 1993, transferred to the Waco area in 2006 under then-bishop Gregory Aymond. He later studied in Rome and arrived in Luling in 2015, where Aymond had since become archbishop. Austin church officials suspended him in 2019 over multiple misconduct allegations but withheld that information from the public. Aymond did not announce Odiong's suspension from his New Orleans archdiocese until late 2023, months after the Guardian's reporting appeared.
Odiong is the second priest from St Anthony of Padua to be convicted of sexual violence in under two years. In December 2024, retired priest Lawrence Hecker, 93, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and raping a boy in 1975. He received a life sentence and died that same month. Hecker served at the same church in 1974.
The conviction coincides with ongoing debate within the Catholic Church about expanding the definition of vulnerable adults in abuse cases. The church currently recognizes only those over 18 with severe intellectual, developmental, or psychological disabilities as vulnerable. Advocates want to include adults under a priest's spiritual control who are then targeted for sexual contact.
Author James Rodriguez: "This conviction shows what happens when victims finally speak up and journalists ask the hard questions the church hoped would stay buried."
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