GRANTS, N.M. – Opening statements have begun in the trial for one of the leaders of a western New Mexico paramilitary religious sect accused of child sexual abuse.
The Gallup Independent reports prosecutors said Tuesday that former members of the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps will testify against leader Deborah Green and detail allegations of child abuse.
Prosecutor Brandon Vigil says the case involved an infant taken from Uganda who was mistreated throughout her life by Green and member of the isolated Pentecostal sect.
But defense attorney R. Don Lohbeck says the case is about former members who have vendettas against Green and an alleged victim who has changed her story over the years.
Last year, authorities raided the sect’s secluded Fence Lake, New Mexico compound over concerns about child abuse.
