FORT WORTH (TX)
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By MARTHA DELLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH -- After a Tarrant County jury had heard three days of graphic testimony from his accusers, former Baptist pastor Larry Nuell Neathery took the stand Friday, repeatedly denying the sexual-abuse charges against him and suggesting reasons why each of five boys would falsely implicate him.
"I promise to God, and I'll put my hand on the Bible," Neathery said, "I did not touch those children or any children in my entire life."
Convicted child molesters should be executed for such heinous crimes, he said.
In Texas, the death sentence is not an option in such cases. If convicted, Neathery could be sentenced to life in prison, the maximum penalty for aggravated sexual assault. He is also charged with indecency with a child and sexual performance of a child, which carry maximum 20-year prison terms on conviction. He will also be eligible for probation if convicted.
Case by case, the 56-year-old former pastor of Westside Victory Baptist Church denied committing sexual acts with boys ages 5 to 14 between 1998 and 2004, the time frame of the charges.