By Gary V. Murray
Telegram & Gazette
February 19, 2011
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The former pastor of a Leominster church was found guilty yesterday of having sex with a 14-year-old female parishioner.
A Worcester Superior Court jury deliberated for about 5-1/2 hours over two days before convicting the Rev. Angel Morales of two counts of child rape aggravated by age difference, a crime carrying a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Rev. Morales, the 32-year-old former pastor of the Casa de Restauracion church at 134 Spruce St., Leominster, was acquitted on a third count of aggravated child rape.
Judge Richard T. Tucker postponed sentencing until March 11. The judge ordered that Rev. Morales remain in custody without bail pending sentencing.
Rev. Morales showed no emotion as the verdicts were announced shortly after 2 p.m. The victim’s mother sobbed openly and embraced her husband.
The victim testified during the three-day trial that she and Rev. Morales, the married pastor of the Pentecostal church she and her family had attended for more than two years, engaged in sexual intercourse three times in late 2009 and early 2010, when she was 14 years old. She said she and her pastor had sex once at her house while her parents were at work and twice at the Motel 6 in Leominster, after she snuck out of the house in the middle of the night to meet him.
The girl said Rev. Morales told her he would lose his church and his family if she informed anyone of their relationship.
In a videotaped interview with Leominster Police Officers Thomas M. Cuddahy and Kimberly Whitelin that was played for the jury, Rev. Morales, who was once a police officer in Puerto Rico, admitted to having sex with the teen on two occasions.
In his closing argument in the case, Rev. Morales’ lawyer, Leonard J. Staples, questioned whether his client’s waiver of his Miranda rights before agreeing to speak with police was truly voluntary. Mr. Staples noted that the rights were read to Rev. Morales in English, rather than in Spanish.
Rev. Morales was assisted by a Spanish-speaking interpreter throughout the trial, and police called upon a friend of Rev. Morales to translate for him in the middle of their interrogation.
Assistant District Attorney Anthony J. Marotta suggested that the waiver was valid and told the jury Rev. Morales’ statement to police only served to corroborate the victim’s account.
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