Apparently, this anti-gay undercover homo bishop thing is nothing new in the religious community.
According to Rod 2.0, a formerly closeted anti-gay Pentecostal bishop was convicted of killing a young woman in his congregation in 2008.
Prosecutors say Bishop Robert Reaves murdered Latrese Curtis because she came between him and his male roommate whom he had the hots for.
I’m not making this up.
Reaves, a former minister at Cedar International Fellowship in Durham, NC, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutors say Reaves followed Curtis from NCCU in Durham to Raleigh, forcing her to pull over along I-540 and then repeatedly slashed and stabbed her with a knife. Her body was discovered by drivers passing on the highway January 30, 2008.
Curtis’s father said he’s still perplexed by the motive and that his daughter probably died confused.
“She probably don’t even know why this happened to her. And we probably will never know why it happened to her except the fact that he wanted the young man,” said Sherman Jones. [link]
The “young man” in question is former North Carolina Central University basketball star Steven Randolph, who testified that Reaves offered him free room and board in exchange for oral sex.
Curtis was the girlfriend of Randolph, who considers himself to be heterosexual. Randolph testified that he and Curtis had engaged in sexual intercourse about an hour before she was found dead.
He said the condom came off during intercourse and the two of them worried that she might become pregnant. But as it turned out, that was the least of her worries.
Prosecutors say Reaves stalked Curtis after she left his home and brutally killed her in revenge for sleeping with Randolph.
Reaves claimed he had an alibi for the night Curtis was murdered: he said he was at his church giving a sermon. But the congregation and videotape dispute that.
According to WRAL, investigators found the murder weapon in Reaves’ car and his DNA was on the victim’s steering wheel. Reaves car was also seen near the crime scene.
…the former minister at the fundamentalist Cedar International Fellowship in Durham, made “unsuccessful advances toward other male friends and [also] took revenge on their girlfriends.” Reaves has twice been charged with sexual misconduct with young boys.
Raleigh’s WTVD reported that during the murder trial, Reaves attorney asked a judge to keep jurors from hearing that Reaves was gay. But the judge overruled the motion, saying the defendant’s sexual orientation was relevant to the prosecution’s theory.
Embattled New Birth Missionary Church Pastor Bishop Eddie Long faces multiple lawsuits alleging he coerced young boys into performing sexual acts in exchange for cash and lavish gifts.
Long will address the charges at New Birth on Sunday.
Thanks to celebrity blogger Drew of Drewreports.com for bringing this story to my attention.
