Josh Duggar's Trial Begins Today... GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!

[RedAngie]

What I can't figure out is why so many people still blame the victims of the abuse....

That’s the “Good Christian” sense of morality.

 

[NotUrsula]

You know it really doesn't matter if Anna leaves him; when/if he eventually gets out, his family will find some sheltered young girl to replace her and re-populate the House of Josh.

A fair number of people in their circle probably think it best that Anna get on with her life with someone else so that she can have more children now, and that way all those additional fertile years wouldn't go to waste.

 

[tcufrog]

Doubtful. She’ll be about 45 when he gets out.

My dad was born at home in the country when his mom was 45. He weighed 10 lbs too.

 

[leebee]

It looks like he's going away for 12+ years. Of course his lawyer will appeal. I am actually surprised he didn't get away with a slap on the hand, although I know some will feel that anything less than the full sentence is too little.

 

[CdnCarrie]

He won't be allowed to be alone with minor children for 20 years of probation. If they had a post custody baby they will never cohabitate until they are really old.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

I was elated to hear he got 12.5 (many were saying it was gonna be shorter). And I’m happy the prosecution and defense did their jobs well enough that the judge made this ruling (I have friends who are lawyers. They were always taught being the defense in a situation like this is no easy feat, and if he got this large a sentence then they did something right that the prosecution was able to use and allow for the jury to find him guilty).

While I know not all the children and their spouses will ever get away from Jim Bob and Michelle, I hope more start to become like Jill and go to therapy, get help, have great partners. what those parents allowed to happen to their own children and then defend this pest up and down is disgusting. My thoughts are with the victims, and that they may find peace.

May the parents and the pest rot in hell.

 

[Once.Upon.A.Time]

Still makes my skin crawl that they were on TV all of those years and no one knew what he was up too!

 

[emily nicole]

I wish it could have been a life sentence. There is no rehabilitation for him, he has been doing this since he was a teenager. No doubt he will reoffend at some point during his 20 year probation and go back to prison, unfortunately that means he might hurt an innocent child again one day.

 

[nicolita3]

Still makes my skin crawl that they were on TV all of those years and no one knew what he was up too!

Unfortunately his parents, church friends, and I believe even Oprah knew.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Unfortunately his parents, church friends, and I believe even Oprah knew.

Oprah knew due to a whistleblower and promptly cancelled their appearance. While she could have done more, she at least didn’t give them a platform.
Said whistleblower is called Alice and passed away a few years ago.
If you want information without searching for them, I highly recommend Duggar Snark on Reddit. They are very knowledgeable and you can often find out stuff without giving clicks to other websites. They also have been raising funds continuously for Arkansas and the Duggars county Shelters and companies for victims of heinous crimes like these. Good people. Sometimes you get a laugh, but you also learn so much. It has also been somewhat therapeutic for a lot of people who have since left the IBLP (which is the religion the duggars belong too).

As I stated previously, my thoughts continue to be with the victims and their families (including those he is related to). May Jim
Bob, Michelle and the pest all rot in hell.

 

[RangerPooh]

Still makes my skin crawl that they were on TV all of those years and no one knew what he was up too!

Doubtful no one knew. I think the larger question is how many knew or suspected but were hushed? Or said something but were ignored due to local corruption or $.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

What I can't figure out is why so many people still blame the victims of the abuse....

Because protecting the cult is more important to them than is protecting people.

And the media was all too eager to normalize this cult as "good Christian people" that they ignored the warning signs and red flags right in front of their faces. Can't very well only mention the media though. All too many dissers did too at the time. And now, Mom and Dad and the rest of the those that brought this on their kids will never be punished for their misdeeds. You often see the same cult behavior in other walks of life too such as sports or schools. All too often, protecting the institution and state titles are more important than protecting kids and the perp skates.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Still makes my skin crawl that they were on TV all of those years and no one knew what he was up too!

People in their community knew what he was doing before the TLC cameras ever came on the scene. Josh had begun molesting his sisters *years* prior. According to court testimony, he started when he was 12, which would’ve been around the year 2000. The very first TLC special, 14 Kids and Pregnant Again, was filmed for Jackson’s birth in May 2004. Josh can be seen with a shaved head at one point during the special which was done to him as punishment when he was sent away to do manual labor as “rehab.” That rehab came after he’d been taken to speak with State Trooper Hutchins about what he’d done to his sisters. (Hutchins is currently serving a 56-year sentence for CSAM.) By the time TLC showed up, the family knew, friends knew, church members knew, Josh’s betrothal with Kayleigh Holt had been ended over it… Had anyone bothered to speak up, this whole freak show would’ve been over before it even started and who knows how many future victims may have been prevented.

 

[MrsPete]

I can't believe the judge said the family/friend letters were "nice". Gah! They never mentioned the victims, how they will help Josh rehab or keep kids away from him.

Did anyone read the letter from Cousin Amy? She was very clearly pro-victim /anti-cousin. I'm pretty sure she's broken all family ties.

I agree. I was hoping for closer to the maximum he could have received, but at least when he gets out his kids will be teenagers. Not that I don’t think he will reoffend. I would be very surprised if he doesn’t reoffend within a year of getting out.

Sex offenders are among the most likely to re-offend, even if (intellectually) they genuinely want to be different.

I hope it’s 12.5 years of nonstop hell and torment and if the Lord is good, he will drop dead while he is in there, hopefully just before his release. . Not sorry if I’ve offended anybody with that. 12.5 years is better than what I thought would happen. I’m ok.

How old is he? 30-something? He's not likely to drop dead mid-40s, even going in looking pudgy and eating a crappy carb-high prison diet for 12 1/2 years. However, he will almost certainly come out with his youth and health wrecked.

He's been in jail for -- what? -- 6-8 months? So that counts as "time served", bringing him down to about 12 in prison. I'd assume he's going to be a good prisoner -- he won't have access to his personal poison in prison, and I don't think he'd be inclined to do other things that'd get him in trouble in prison. So realistically he'll probably be out in a decade.

I could imagine him attempting suicide in prison -- he's lived a pretty cushy life and isn't used to being around people like he will encounter in prison. Once the reality of sleeping in a triple-bunk, pooping in public, etc. really kicks in, I could absolutely see him attempting suicide. I think that's more realistic than him kicking off from natural causes.

If he makes it through prison, I could see him either writing a book (with the help of a ghost writer) or selling his story for a made-for-TV movie. Jim Bob would back it financially, and people would buy it.

20 years probation as well; no internet access unless given permission by his probation officer. No unsupervised visits with his children. Supervised visits will be conducted with his probation officer, not Anna. No conjugal visits allowed in federal prisons, so no more children, hopefully. He will be under the thumb of the federal system until he is 70.

On the one hand, that is all positive -- less freedom, more supervision. But, if what we see on the internet is true, his family is "covering for him" and allowing him to "bend the rules". The best probation officer can't watch him 24 hours a day. I read somewhere that Anna totally believes he's innocent, and it's all a set-up.

That’s the “Good Christian” sense of morality.

Don't stereotype. This family is not representative of all Christians.

 

[RedAngie]

Don't stereotype. This family is not representative of all Christians.

That family is EXACTLY representative of those who need to tell the world that they’re “Good Christians.”

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Don't stereotype. This family is not representative of all Christians.

I believe that is why the OP had “good christian” in quotes. I take that as the cult like groups we are talking about here that actually believe they’re the good ones and all the mainstream/more progressive folks are the bad people.

There’s a huge difference IMO between a “Good Christian“ and a Good Christian

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Duggar also has to submit to polygraph tests during the 20 years of probation, at his probation officer's discretion. No devices capable of internet without permission, either.

 

[Once.Upon.A.Time]

People in their community knew what he was doing before the TLC cameras ever came on the scene. Josh had begun molesting his sisters *years* prior. According to court testimony, he started when he was 12, which would’ve been around the year 2000. The very first TLC special, 14 Kids and Pregnant Again, was filmed for Jackson’s birth in May 2004. Josh can be seen with a shaved head at one point during the special which was done to him as punishment when he was sent away to do manual labor as “rehab.” That rehab came after he’d been taken to speak with State Trooper Hutchins about what he’d done to his sisters. (Hutchins is currently serving a 56-year sentence for CSAM.) By the time TLC showed up, the family knew, friends knew, church members knew, Josh’s betrothal with Kayleigh Holt had been ended over it… Had anyone bothered to speak up, this whole freak show would’ve been over before it even started and who knows how many future victims may have been prevented.

I guess I meant the average TLC viewer.