Texas man who claimed God told him to sexually abuse child gets life in prison

COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (TCD) -- A 46-year-old child predator who tried defending his actions because of his religious beliefs will spend the rest of his life behind bars for sexually assaulting a juvenile for nearly six years.

According to a March 25 news release from the Collin County District Attorney's Office, a jury found Christopher Caudill guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a child and assessed a punishment of life in prison. A sentence for the charge is not eligible for parole by law.

In November 2021, the then-18-year-old victim reported Caudill's crimes to a family friend, who later alerted law enforcement. Caudill, who had "ongoing access to the child," reportedly abused the victim when she was between 11 and 17 years old.

Prosecutors said Caudill justified the abuse by arguing, "God told him to do it," and "That’s what they did in the Bible."

Caudill eventually confessed to sexually assaulting the victim for years and said he did so "because they had a relationship that was 'a love like they had in the Bible,'" according to the district attorney's office.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said in a statement after sentencing, "It's revolting that this horribly evil person not only inflicted such prolonged pain and evil on a child, but also had the twisted nerve to use God and the Bible to justify it. We are thankful the jury saw through his deceit and delivered justice."

MORE: