About This Episode
What is this episode about?
The episode "Faith Fellowship Minister Back in Court, 13 Years Later" from PRETEND follows the long-delayed court case against a minister from Word of Faith Fellowship, accused of leading a 2013 attack on a then-19-year-old member. The young man says church members held him down, choked him, and beat him for two hours while trying to cast out what they called his "homosexual demons." Thirteen years, a mistrial, and repeated delays later, the minister is finally back in court.
Host Javier Leiva traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, to sit in the courtroom, where members of Word of Faith Fellowship filled three rows while some of the children the minister once raised sat alongside her accuser. The episode includes interviews with Matthew Fenner, the district attorney, and former church members who say they witnessed the events of that night, along with Leiva's own 2018 conversations with the accused minister, Brooke Covington, and church leader Jane Whaley. The church denies any abuse took place. Word of Faith Fellowship was the first story ever told on PRETEND, and this episode marks how that story ends, at least for now. Listeners new to the case are pointed back to The Prophet, the show's original season-long investigation into the church.
Hosts and release
Javier Leiva hosts, reports, and produces PRETEND, an investigative true crime podcast exploring the psychology and real stories behind con artists, fraudsters, and their victims, released weekly. This episode runs 40 minutes and is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Overcast.
