Tennessee pastor sentenced to life in prison for r@ping 5-year-old girl, while wife is convicted of helping him

A Tennessee pastor has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted of r@ping a 5-year-old girl, while his wife was also found guilty of helping facilitate the ab¥se.

Benjamin Garlick, 35, was convicted of seven counts of aggravated r@pe of a child, six counts of aggravated s€xual b@ttery, solicitation of s€xual exploitation of a minor and other child protection violations following a two-week trial in Rutherford County.

According to the Murfreesboro Police Department, Judge Barry Tidwell sentenced Garlick to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on the aggravated r@pe convictions. He is expected to be sentenced on the remaining convictions on November 10.

His 32-year-old wife, Shaantal Garlick, was convicted of two counts of facilitating aggravated r@pe of a child and two counts of aggravated child neglect. She is also scheduled to be sentenced on November 10.

The investigation began in August 2023 after police received reports concerning the s€xual ab¥se of a 5-year-old child. Investigators later identified two additional victims and determined that Shaantal had knowingly neglected a child and assisted in the ab¥se, authorities said.

The couple were arrested in September 2023 and were later reindicted by a Rutherford County grand jury in March 2024.

Police said Benjamin had spent several years travelling across the United States as a minister, primarily working with the Hispanic community. He was also involved with La Espada, a Murfreesboro-based ministry for Spanish speakers.

Following the convictions, police urged anyone with information about the case, particularly members of the Hispanic community who may have been affected, to come forward.