Jury orders state psychiatric care for ex-Arlington pastor convicted of sexual assaults
Terry Hornbuckle was only about a week away from freedom when a jury decided on Thursday that the once-popular Arlington preacher convicted of sexually assaulting three women should receive state-sanctioned psychiatric treatment for an unspecified amount of time.
Jurors in the civil commitment trial left the courtroom to deliberate about 10:30 a.m. Thursday and returned shortly after 3 p.m. after deciding that Hornbuckle was a sexually violent predator who was likely to assault other women if he was released from confinement.
Hornbuckle has already served most of the 15-year prison sentence handed down to him in 2006 for sexually assaulting women connected to the church that he helped to found, Agape Christian Fellowship.
Hornbuckle, 58, would have been released from prison around the end of August if jurors had not decided to commit him to a state facility for further treatment.
Hornbuckle can file an appeal, but if he does, he will not have an opportunity to be released while his appeal winds its way through the courts.
Hornbuckle will be going to a locked treatment facility in Littlefield, which is about 110 miles south of Amarillo, specifically designated for those who are deemed sexually violent predators.
“This is not about punishment,” said Marc Gault, with the state’s Special Prosecution Unit. “This is about helping Mr. Hornbuckle get the treatment that he needs and protecting society from someone who is a dangerous sexual predator.”
Hornbuckle showed that he has poor insight into his problems and the conditions which were at the root of him sexually assaulting three women, Gault said. There were also credible allegations that Hornbuckle sexually assaulted other women, Gault said.
The Littlefield facility opened with 184 clients in September 2015, after the passage of a new state law regulating sexual predators, according to an official with the Texas Civil Commitment Office. The Littlefield center now provides housing and treatment for 367 clients.
Eight people have been released from the Texas Civil Commitment Center since its opening, said Jessica L. Marsh, director of program operations. Another two clients are near release, but the process has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulty of finding jobs and housing during the coronavirus pandemic, Marsh said.
Previous attempts to have Hornbuckle assigned to the state’s civil commitment program resulted in a mistrial due to a hung jury, while two other attempts ended without successfully seating a jury.
During his closing arguments, Gault warned the jury not to be fooled by Hornbuckle’s smooth demeanor.
“He has a narcissistic personality,” Gault said. “Hornbuckle is a grandiose, manipulative person with a sense of entitlement who is intent on forcing his own desires upon others. One of his desires is forcing unwanted sex on women.”
Two experts took the stand and testified that they interviewed him, reviewed the evidence and records, and came up with the conclusion that left to his own devices, Hornbuckle will likely rape again.
Gault insisted that Hornbuckle suffers from a behavioral abnormality that predisposes him to sexually assault women and that evidence was presented during trial showing that is true.
It really does not matter that Hornbuckle has been locked away in the controlled environment of prison for the past 15 years, Gault explained to the jury.
“He (Hornbuckle) has a condition that predisposes him to sexually assault women,” Gault said. “This engaging persona that he has makes him more dangerous.”
The attorney representing Hornbuckle argued that prosecutors have painted the jury a picture of a man who may have been dangerous 15 years ago, but has changed.
Hornbuckle has a stellar prison record, said Jisha Jaganathan, an attorney with the State Counsel for Offenders.
“The worst thing he’s done in the past 15 years is use a pillow case to get commissary,” Jaganathan said.
Prosecutors constantly repeated details from his sexual assault trial in their attempt to convince the jury that Hornbuckle remains a danger to the public, Jaganathan said.
“That’s easy,” Jaganathan said.
Prosecutors ignored the testimony of three people engaged in prison ministry, who said they would welcome Hornbuckle’s participation in their missions to reach inmates, she said.
“Yes, he made a mistake, a terrible mistake,” Jaganathan said. “But for the last 15 years he’s been a model prisoner. He’s been a grief counselor.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 12:30 PM.
