BishopAccountability.org
	Church Member Confessed to Abuse, DA Says Testimony Begins in First Trial of Hosanna Church Sex Abuse Case WDSU November 28, 2007 http://www.wdsu.com/news/14715717/detail.html AMITE, La. — Opening statements are finished and testimony has begun in the trial for one of seven members of a now-defunct church accused of having sex with children as part of occult rituals. Austin "Trey" Bernard III, of Hammond, was a member of Hosanna Church in Ponchatoula. He is accused of three counts of aggravated rape, including two counts involving a 2-year-old girl and one involving a juvenile boy. The district attorney's office said in its hour-long statement that Bernard confessed to the FBI and the Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's office. Nicole Bernard, the ex-wife of the accused, will testify first for the prosecution. A girl who was 2 years old at the time of the alleged abuse will testify. She's now 7 and is a relative of Trey Bernard. Trey Bernard is expected to testify in his own defense. A 12-member jury, and two alternates, were seated Tuesday to hear the trial. State District Judge Doug Hughes told jurors he expects the trial to last four or five days.
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