Former Watauga Pastor Sentenced to 30 Years for Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child
A Watauga pastor will spend the rest of his life in prison after admitting to repeatedly sexually assaulting a young relative.
In a Fort Worth courtroom on Friday, November 7, 66-year-old Johel Antonio LaFaurie pled guilty to aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Given his age, LaFaurie is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
LaFaurie was the founder and pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Verdad Viviente, a Spanish-language church located in a shopping center at 6500 Denton Highway in Watauga. Despite his arrest, the church’s website and social media pages remain active and still display LaFaurie and his wife, Giovanna LaFaurie, as pastors. In a post on their site, LaFaurie says that he started the church after God visited him in 1994 and told him to teach His justice and truth.
Investigators say LaFaurie sexually assaulted a female relative multiple times over several years, beginning when she was five or six years old.
The Keller Police Department led the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Madeline Jones, with DA Investigator Mike McGuire and Victim Coordinator Candace Burnett providing support.
