Church Members Divided As Duval Judge Prepares to Decide Sentence in Sex Abuse Case

Florida Times-Union
December 21, 2012

http://m.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2012-12-19/story/church-members-divided-duval-judge-prepares-decide-sentence-sex-abuse

The victims of his extremely intimate hugs, now 18 and 24, want Darrell Vincent Moore to spend the maximum 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct on them when they were little girls.

But their family and leading members of the Jacksonville church the girls grew up in took Moore’s side Wednesday and asked Circuit Judge Adrian G. Soud to limit the 47-year-old defendant’s punishment to time served and probation.

The younger victim told the judge that the first “forced body contact” occurred in church when she was 12. The next time happened a month later when he hugged her to his lap.

“This defendant has taken my virtue and that of other little girls with no apology or expression of regret,” the 18-year-old woman read in a letter. “... Sitting in his lap was extremely wrong because I could feel his hands starting to roam to places of my body that nobody should be touching.”

See more photos from the hearing

The older victim said she had to flee to Orlando to get away after she was “isolated from my family” when they didn’t believe Moore also hugged and touched her intimately when she was a child.

“With all our clothes still on, he picked me up and [made inappropriate contact] … and held me there for a few moments, then set me back down,” the older victim said in court. “... I walked away and with every step I took, a different emotion flooded my mind.”

But Moore’s sister-in-law, Bonita Groover, was one of four church members who asked the judge to be lenient with him as 24 other church members sat there in support of him.

“I have never, ever felt that he was disrespectful to me or encroaching on my space,” Groover said.

“It is my hope and prayer that Darrell walks out of the courtroom today and goes home with his family.”

Moore was one of two men charged two years ago with sexually abusing children at the Greater Refuge Temple, a church off Lem Turner Road led by Bishop Gentle Groover Sr. He was originally charged with four counts of sexual battery and three counts of lewd or lascivious conduct.

Moore now faces sentencing on two of the latter after his Oct. 15 plea agreement. Paul Keith Groover, 56, awaits trial on three counts of sexual battery.

The Times-Union does not identify sex crime victims. Groover is the bishop’s son, and Moore is his son-in-law.

First up in support of Moore was church member Lillian Banks, who said she had known him for decades as a good church member, husband and father who never showed any disrespect to women.

“I would like to see justice served, but I would really like to see Darrell come home to his family,” she said.

Bishop Groover said he was made aware of one victims’ claims of “inappropriate hugging” years ago from her family and brought them and Moore into his office to discuss it. He said Moore apologized and no one reported it happening again.

“When the charge came forth, Darrell seemed very disturbed by it because he didn’t feel that what had happened was inappropriate,” the bishop said. “... A man like this man is what we need in this community.”

Assistant State Attorney Jessica Villella brought forward a longtime church member who learned about the “immoral acts” and reported it to authorities. Shirley Roberts, a retired state Department of Corrections investigator, said Moore “blatantly betrayed” the church’s trust by committing acts in the sanctuary.

“My actions resulted in violent threats and statements against my family,” Roberts said.

“... Where there is deception, there is no spiritual conviction. And where there is no spiritual conviction, the court should offer no mercy.”

When Villella gave her closing argument, she told Soud that the acts Moore committed against the women when they were girls “stripped” away their one place of peace — their church.

Defense attorney Jason Porter argued that since his client had confessed to the lesser charges, apologized and “done his time” after two years in jail, probation and sexual offender status should be his sentence.

Soud will announce his sentencing decision Thursday.

dan.scanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549