Tennessee pastor sentenced to life in prison for raping girl, 5, with help from wife

See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google.

Key points

• Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell sentenced Garlick to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the aggravated rape convictions, according to the Murfreesboro Police Department.
• The case continued to grow, and a Rutherford County grand jury reindicted the couple in March 2024, according to Murfreesboro police.
• The station documented that videos and images posted online demonstrated Garlick and his sermons connected with churches in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota and Texas.
• Garlick's wife, 32-year-old Shaantal Garlick, was convicted of two counts of facilitation of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of aggravated child neglect.
• "The children of Rutherford County are safer because of the compassion, dedication, and commitment each member of the CPIT Team brings to their roles every day."

While his wife was discovered guilty of facilitating the abuse, authorities stated, a Tennessee pastor who spent years traveling the country for his ministry will spend the rest of his life behind bars after a jury convicted him of raping a child.

Benjamin Garlick, 35, was discovered guilty Monday of seven counts of aggravated rape of a child, six counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor and two violations of Tennessee's Child Protection Act after a two-week trial in Rutherford County.

Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell sentenced Garlick to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the aggravated rape convictions, according to the Murfreesboro Police Department. He still faces sentencing on the remaining convictions on Nov. 10.

Garlick's wife, 32-year-old Shaantal Garlick, was convicted of two counts of facilitation of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of aggravated child neglect. She is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 10.

When the Murfreesboro Police Department's Special Victims Unit introduced an investigation into the sexual abuse of a child who was just 5 years old at the time, the case began in August 2023. Police remarked the abuse had occurred over a number of years.

As detectives dug deeper, they identified two extra victims, according to police.

Investigators additionally determined that Shaantal Garlick knowingly neglected a victim in a way that affected the child's health and welfare and assisted in the sexual abuse, police stated.

"The Murfreesboro Police Department thanks all members of the Child Protective Investigative Team (CPIT) for their tireless work throughout this investigation and trial, ensuring the victims' voices were heard and justice was served, " Det. James Wilkinson, lead investigator, remarked after the convictions.

Garlick's life outside the courtroom stood in stark contrast to the crimes for which he was convicted. Murfreesboro police remarked their investigation demonstrated he had spent a number of years traveling as a minister, primarily focused on the Hispanic community, and that he and his wife had traveled nationwide. Start your day with all you need to know. Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

WSMV previously documented that Garlick assisted run La Espada, a Murfreesboro-based ministry for Spanish speakers.

For context, the station documented that videos and images posted online demonstrated Garlick and his sermons connected with churches in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota and Texas.

Notably, the couple additionally described deep family ties to the ministry in biographies that appeared on La Espada's former website and remain available through the Internet Archive.

Notably, the site remarked La Espada was founded by Garlick's grandfather, Rolando Garlick, and demonstrated Benjamin working with the ministry under the direction of his late father, Daniel Garlick, by at least 2015.

Benjamin Garlick wrote that he began traveling with his father as a child, felt drawn to the ministry at a young age and afterwards became an evangelist.

Shaantal Garlick wrote that she met Benjamin at a youth conference when she was 18 and described her calling as serving God full time alongside her husband and working with La Espada to reach the Hispanic community with the Gospel. Benjamin and Shaantal Garlick were arrested in September 2023.

In practice, the case continued to grow, and a Rutherford County grand jury reindicted the couple in March 2024, according to Murfreesboro police.

As investigators pursued the case, Special Victims Unit detectives publicly pressed potential victims to come forward, particularly residents in the Hispanic community, police noted.

Shaantal Garlick, who had been free on bond, was taken into custody after Monday's verdict, police stated. Both she and her husband are being held at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

For now, tennessee pastor sentenced to life in prison for raping girl, 5, with remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.