Jefferson County Jury Awards $1 Million Judgment against Former Youth Minister Who Had Sex with 15-year-old Girl
By Greg Garrison
A Jefferson County jury today awarded a $1 million judgment against a former youth minister at Word of Life Christian Center who was accused of sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old girl in the congregation. William David Webb pleaded guilty in 2009 of transporting a minor girl across state lines for sex. Webb, 39, is serving a five-year sentence at a federal prison in Forrest City, Ark. The victim in that case, Barbara Elizabeth Echols, now 24 and married, filed a lawsuit in 2009, alleging seduction of a minor, assault and battery. The jury today returned a verdict in Jefferson County Circuit Court for $500,000 in compensatory and $500,000 in punitive damages, said Echols' attorney, Johnny Brunson. "They found that she was 15 when he initiated contact," Brunson said. "She testified that he sexually assaulted and sexually abused her beginning when she was 15." Webb served as both youth minister and executive pastor at Word of Life Christian Center on Derby Parkway, where his father, Scott Webb, is senior pastor. In 2006, Word of Life moved from its previous building in Huffman and opened a $14 million, 174-acre campus and 1,300-seat sanctuary on Derby Parkway, off Interstate 459 in northeast Birmingham. David Webb testified by a deposition from prison and waived his right to be at the trial, Brunson said. While he was on staff at Word of Life, David Webb lived a lavish lifestyle, Brunson said. "He testified that at age 30 he was living in a home that was listed on the market for $1 million," Brunson said. Efforts to reach Webb's attorney, Jacqueline Morrette, for comment this afternoon were unsuccessful. ggarrison@al.com
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