Terry Hornbuckle is a former Arlington, Texas megachurch pastor who was convicted in 2006 of sexually assaulting three women he had drugged. He served a 15-year prison sentence, and in August 2020, days before his scheduled release, a Texas jury found him to be a sexually violent predator and ordered him committed to a locked psychiatric facility in Littlefield.
The Church He Built in Arlington
Hornbuckle began leading Bible studies in 1986 and formally established Agape Christian Fellowship in the early 1990s in a strip shopping center on Division Street in Arlington.1Dallas Observer. The Reverend Freak By 1999, more than 2,500 congregants were attending Sunday services in a warehouse-sized sanctuary.2Bishop-Accountability.org. Minister’s Sexual Assault Trial to Begin
He styled himself a “bishop” and cultivated an image of prosperity, with endorsements from religious figures including Bishop T.D. Jakes and social connections to professional athletes such as Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith. Smith later wrote a letter to prosecutors vouching for Hornbuckle’s character.1Dallas Observer. The Reverend Freak Hornbuckle and his wife drove luxury vehicles and built a million-dollar-plus mansion in Colleyville.2Bishop-Accountability.org. Minister’s Sexual Assault Trial to Begin
The Arrest and the Drugs Found in His Car
Hornbuckle was arrested on March 11, 2005, and charged with three counts of sexual assault.3Bishop-Accountability.org. Officer: Hornbuckle Tested Positive for Meth Police recovered approximately two grams of methamphetamine, Viagra, Valtrex, and other prescription drugs from his Cadillac Escalade, some of which were not prescribed to him.1Dallas Observer. The Reverend Freak
While out on bond, he twice tested positive for methamphetamine and violated the terms of his electronic monitoring 11 times. His bond was revoked on March 3, 2006, and he was held in the Tarrant County jail until trial.3Bishop-Accountability.org. Officer: Hornbuckle Tested Positive for Meth
The Trial and the Three Victims
The three-week trial took place in Fort Worth’s 372nd District Court before State District Judge Scott Wisch.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims Three women testified that Hornbuckle had drugged and raped them.
Krystal Buchanan, a former college basketball player and longtime church member, said Hornbuckle lured her to a Euless apartment in 2003 under the pretense of giving her a birthday present, served her a bitter-tasting fruit punch that left her unable to move, and raped her while she was unconscious.1Dallas Observer. The Reverend Freak One victim tested positive for benzodiazepine, a class of drugs known to cause drowsiness and memory loss.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims
A second victim, identified by the pseudonym “Jane Doe,” testified that Hornbuckle exploited her emotional vulnerability during counseling sessions and that she eventually submitted because resistance “seemed easier” to abandon. A third woman, identified as “Kate Jones,” met him at a health club where he used a false identity, claiming to be an NFL player who counseled Dallas Cowboys rookies. She testified that he smoked methamphetamine with her before drugging and raping her.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims
Defense attorneys Leon Haley and Mike Heiskell argued that Hornbuckle was an “awful husband and pastor” and a “meth addict,” but not a rapist, and that any extramarital encounters were consensual. They called no witnesses.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims
After roughly 33 hours of deliberation across nearly five days, the jury convicted Hornbuckle on all three counts in August 2006. He received 15 years for the assault of Kate Jones, 14 years for Krystal Buchanan, and 10 years for Jane Doe, all to run concurrently. He would not be eligible for parole until he had served half of the longest sentence, or seven and a half years.5Bishop-Accountability.org. Pastor Called a Predator
Other Accusers and Civil Lawsuits
At least five women publicly accused Hornbuckle of sexual assault beyond the three whose cases went to the jury.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims Two additional accusers, Joycelyn and Rosita, described assaults involving drugged drinks, pills, and the pastor-congregant relationship. An unnamed young woman testified during the sentencing phase that Hornbuckle performed a sexual act on her in a church van.1Dallas Observer. The Reverend Freak
Civil suits followed. Buchanan’s family sued for millions. Lisa Fuller, Hornbuckle’s former executive assistant, sued both Hornbuckle and Agape Christian Fellowship, alleging she was fired after resisting his sexual demands and refusing to lie to a grand jury.6Dallas Observer. Behind Closed Doors A broader case was filed on behalf of Joycelyn, Rosita, and Buchanan against Hornbuckle, the church, and several church elders.4Bishop-Accountability.org. The Reverend and the Victims
What Happened to Agape Christian Fellowship
Attendance collapsed from roughly 2,500 to about 500 by mid-2006.2Bishop-Accountability.org. Minister’s Sexual Assault Trial to Begin Hornbuckle was fired in September 2006, and his wife, Renee Hornbuckle, was installed as the new pastor in October 2007.7Religion News Blog. Agape Fellowship Fights to Survive In March 2007, the church filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and proposed selling 16 acres of land to fund victim settlements and clear more than $47,000 in back taxes owed to local taxing authorities.8Bishop-Accountability.org. Agape Fellowship Finds Way to Survive
The 2020 Civil Commitment
By mid-2020, Hornbuckle had served nearly all of his 15-year sentence and was scheduled for release by the end of August. Texas prosecutors moved to have him civilly committed under the state’s sexually violent predator statute, which allows indefinite confinement of individuals found to have a behavioral abnormality that makes them likely to commit future sexual offenses.9Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Former Arlington Megachurch Pastor Faces Civil Commitment Trial
Earlier attempts had failed. One ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury, and two others never got off the ground because a jury could not be seated.10Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Former Arlington Megachurch Pastor Found to Be Sexually Violent Predator
On August 20, 2020, days before Hornbuckle would have walked free, a jury found that he remained a dangerous sexual predator likely to assault other women if released. Prosecutors presented expert testimony about his narcissistic personality and his lack of insight into the factors that drove his crimes.11Dallas Morning News. Days Before Release, Jury Orders Former Arlington Preacher Convicted of Rapes to Undergo Psychiatric Treatment The jury ordered him committed to the Texas Civil Commitment Center in Littlefield, a locked facility, for an unspecified length of time. The court described the purpose as treatment and public protection rather than punishment, and under Texas law Hornbuckle would remain confined even if he chose to appeal.10Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Former Arlington Megachurch Pastor Found to Be Sexually Violent Predator
No publicly available reporting since 2020 indicates that Hornbuckle has been released from the Littlefield facility or that the commitment order has been overturned.