Pastor who said Pulse nightclub victims ‘got what they deserve’ is found guilty of child molestation

This week, a Florida jury found 57-year-old Christian pastor Kenneth Adkins guilty on 8 counts of child molestation, relating to a relationship he had with a male and female who were underage seven years ago.

According to The Florida Times Union, Adkins was “grooming the two teens — youths he was supposed to be mentoring — to have sexual intercourse in front of him.”

Prosecutors say Adkins “methodically groomed” the two to have sexual intercourse, starting when they were just 15. After an hour of deliberation, the jury found hm guilty of eight child molestation-related charges.

From the Times Union:

The controversial, anti-gay pastor showed no emotion as the verdict was read. He will be sentenced April 25. Georgia has strict mandatory minimum sentencing laws; and because Adkins, 57, has a prior record, there’s a possibility he will never again be a free man. …

The male accuser told the jury last week that Adkins watched them have sex so many times that he lost track. He said the sex occurred in the church office, at the beach and in Adkins’ car. The male, according to testimony presented during the trial, initially told an Army investigator that his girlfriend was 16 and he was 15 when the activity first began. On the witness stand, the young man said his then-girlfriend was 15.

Adkins was widely condemned last year after comments he made about the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting went viral.

“I don’t see none of them as victims,” Adkins said in a Twitter post. “I see them as getting what they deserve!!”

In less than two month after he made the comments, he was arrested on child molestation charges.

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Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.