New Orleans pastor sentenced to 80 years for sexually molesting two boys

A suburban New Orleans pastor, Terry Reed, received an 80-year prison sentence on Thursday after being found guilty of sexually molesting two boys. This is the third time Reed has been convicted of abusing minors. The sentence was handed down by Judge Ray Steib in a Louisiana state court.

Reed was convicted on May 6 of two counts of third-degree rape and two counts of juvenile molestation, according to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney's office. The victims' guardians trusted Reed as their pastor, and he used biblical scripture to manipulate the boys into believing the abuse was normal.

During the sentencing hearing, the mother of one victim read a statement on behalf of her son, calling Reed "an utter failure and a sorry excuse for a man." She described how she had known Reed since childhood and trusted him as a grandfather figure, but his betrayal reopened deep childhood wounds. "It is done. It is over. And I couldn’t be more glad," the statement said, adding "You disgust me."

Reed had prior convictions: in 1997 for indecent behavior with a juvenile, and in 2017 for indecent behavior and juvenile molestation. For the latest convictions, Judge Steib imposed the maximum sentence of 40 years on each juvenile molestation count.

The New Orleans area has long struggled with sexually abusive religious leaders. At least five former Catholic priests in the New Orleans archdiocese have been convicted of sexually violent crimes. In February, Pentecostal pastor Milton Otto Martin III was sentenced to seven years for molesting a teenage girl.

A separate incident from 2002, involving the deaths of two boys aged 12 and 13 in a hot tub at Reed's home, was not part of this case. Investigators determined the boys were electrocuted but could not classify the deaths as homicide, suicide, accident, or natural causes.