A former Texas youth pastor has pleaded guilty to two counts of child sexual assault and bigamy and has been sentenced to 40 years in jail. Prosecutors also allege that while in jail, Luke Cunningham, 43, sought to develop a plot to have one of his victims murdered.
Editor’s note: This article contains information about child sex abuse and assault that some readers might find disturbing and/or triggering.
Luke Cunningham Convicted After Long History of Abuse Allegations
Cunningham was initially arrested in June 2024 and charged with two counts of sexual assault of a child and one count of aggravated sexual assault.
Prior to his arrest, Cunningham had been serving as a youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Granbury, Texas. However, the abuse of which he was convicted occurred while he was serving as a youth pastor at Turning Point Community Church in Lubbock, Texas.
Accusations that Cunningham engaged in grooming behaviors date as far back as 2013 when Cunningham worked as a youth pastor at North Fort Worth Baptist Church, another Southern Baptist congregation. Cunningham even had a run-in with law enforcement. However, no charges were filed.
Cunningham’s charges stemmed from accusations that he sexually assaulted a teenager in January 2017 and raped a different teenager in October 2018. In the second instance, he was accused of using his hands as a deadly weapon. These attacks are alleged to have occurred when Cunningham worked at Turning Point Community Church.
Cunningham was accused of manipulating his victims by telling them that he planned to leave his wife for them once they turned 18.
Cunningham reportedly resigned from Turning Point after the father of a victim became aware of his abuse and said that he would not report Cunningham to the police if Cunningham left the ministry. However, Cunningham soon took a role as youth pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church.
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Cunningham reportedly confided in another pastor at Lakeside about the sexual abuse claims against him during a sexual abuse prevention training in 2024. Cunningham was then suspended from Lakeside Baptist Church, and leaders contacted an alleged victim in Lubbock.
