After the verdict was announced,Amy Duggar King— who isJim Boband Michelle Duggar’s niece and made appearances on TLC — praised the jury’s decision to convict and said her thoughts are with the victims.
“May the juror’s and Judge Brooks seek healing / counseling from all that was exposed to them. May the children grow up with real Godly men as father figures who will guide and protect them. May the people who were once in disbelief have their eyes opened for the first time,” she wrote on Twitter.
Derick Dillard, who was present in the courtroom when the verdict was read,told PEOPLEwhy he and wifeJill (Duggar) Dillard, Josh’s younger sister, had attended some parts of the trial. (Jill, 30, appeared at Wednesday’s proceeding but was not present for the verdict on Thursday.)
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“We just wanted to, among other things, see the facts for ourselves,” he said, adding, “America is the best country to get justice.”
Derick, 32, and Jill issued astatementlater on Thursday, writing in part, “Today was difficult for our family. Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse or any kind of exploitation.”
The pair went on to express the feeling that they “have been lied to so much that we wanted to hear the evidence for ourselves in court. After seeing all the evidence as it was presented, we believe that the jury reached a just verdict today, consistent with the truth beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“Josh’s actions have rippled far beyond the epicenter of the offense itself. Children have scars, but his family is also suffering the fallout of his actions,” they continued.
“Our hearts are sensitive to the pains Josh’s wife, Anna, and their seven children have already endured and will continue to process in the future. This trial has felt more like a funeral than anything else. Josh’s family has a long road ahead. We stand with them, we are praying for them, and we will seek to support them however we can during this dark time,” the statement concluded.
Josh Duggar.Kris Connor/Getty
ParentsJim BobandMichellealsobroke their silenceafter the verdict on Thursday.
“This entire ordeal has been very grievous. Today, God’s grace, through the love and prayers of so many, have sustained us. Our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through CSAM [Child Sexual Abuse Material],” the couplewrotein a statement posted to their family website.
“In the days ahead, we will do all we can to surround our daughter-in-law Anna and their children with love and support,” they added. “As parents, we will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children. In each of life’s circumstances, we place our trust in God. He is our source of strength and refuge. Thank you for your prayers.”
Jessa (Duggar) Seewaldand her husbandBen Seewaldspoke out on the matter on Friday, with Ben, 26, sharing a statement to his social media pages.
“From the moment we learned of this case against Josh we have prayed that God would cause the truth to be made known, no matter what it was, and that the facts would be followed wherever they led,” hewrote.
“We are grieved beyond words over the children exploited and abused in child sexual abuse material, and we arethankful for our justice systemin its punishment of such evils,” Ben continued. “Our hearts break for Josh’s family and we ask your continued prayers for them in the unfathomable grief and pain they are enduring.”
Another one of Josh’s sisters,Jinger, posted her and husband Jeremy Vuolo’slengthy statementlater on Friday.
“We are saddened for the victims of horrific child abuse. We are also saddened for Josh’s family, his wife and precious children,” they began in part.
“Yet, amidst our sadness, there is gratitude,” the couple continued. “We are grateful that God is a God of justice who cares for the innocent and the helpless. And, of all the people in this world, he especially loves children, who are among the most vulnerable. This reality makes the existence of sex trafficking and child abuse one of the most horrific evils imaginable. It is an evil God hates.”
“We are thankful to God for exposing Josh’s actions and to a legal system committed to protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty in this case. We are grateful for justice. We are praying for further justice, vindication, protection, and healing for all those who have been wronged,” they concluded.
Josh, 33, wasarrestedin April andpleaded not guiltyto the charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
The reality star, who previously faced achild molestation scandalrelated to his conduct as a teenager, was accused ofdownloading filesdepicting child sexual abuse on May 14, 15 and 16 of 2019 on thecomputer at his then-workplace, a used car lot in Arkansas.
Several of his family members appeared in court at various points during his 7-day trial, including his wifeAnna, dad Jim Bob and siblings Jill,Justin, Jessa andJoy-Anna. Derick and Joy-Anna’s husband Austin Forsyth also attended.
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Fottrelltold the jurythat he found evidence or remnants of dozens — if not more than 100 — images of child sexual abuse material, as well as several videos, on a partitioned part of the hard drive on Josh’s computer.
The defense, however, tried to prove that other people could have accessed the computer. In her testimony, Bush theorized that the criminal activity on the computer may have been a “hit and run” job, in which a hacker gained undetected remote access to a computer and then vanished after a window of time
His sentencing is expected in four months but a date hasn’t been scheduled pending a pre-sentence investigation.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
