The Reverend Freak

It's hard to say when drug addiction entered his life. Hornbuckle had a bad back and had been taking painkillers for a long time. But methamphetamine--which he had in his possession when he was first arrested for sexual assault in March 2005--is a step beyond painkillers. Since Hornbuckle, his wife and the church elders aren't talking to the media, it's anyone's guess when hard drugs became a part of the bishop's lifestyle.

But it became obvious after the arrest that Bishop Hornbuckle, not a wayward relative, was the one taking drugs. In addition to the meth that police confiscated from Hornbuckle's Escalade, they found Valtrex, a drug used to control the symptoms of herpes; Viagra; and a variety of prescription drugs. Some were valid prescriptions. Others appeared to have been prescribed to one of his elders. The bishop, it seemed, needed a lot of chemicals and had a hard time living without them--a condition of his bail.

Over the next year, Hornbuckle would have his bond revoked twice, fail two drug tests and refuse to take another. Police would book him in and out of jail four times for bail violations. Finally, after posting a $3.62 million bond in March 2006, Hornbuckle left the Tarrant County courthouse before the paperwork was finished. He was rearrested and would spend the rest of his time awaiting trial in a jail cell.

From tailored suits to jail garb, it was a long fall for Terry Hornbuckle. Terry and Renee had been at the top of the world, leading more than 2,000 people to the promised land from their 30,000-square-foot sanctuary. They were beloved, some said. Others described the congregation's dedication to Bishop Hornbuckle as something much darker.

Five women would publicly accuse Terry Hornbuckle of sexually assaulting them. The prosecutor and plaintiffs' attorney would allude to other victims, but only these five chose to subject their allegations to legal scrutiny. The accusations of three women--one of whom was also an accuser in the criminal case--are detailed in the pending civil case against Hornbuckle, the church and several of its elders. Joycelyn was an adolescent on the brink of womanhood whose sexuality had been called into question. Rosita was a grown woman expecting one of the bishop's blessings. Buchanan, the virgin, was the first to testify in the criminal trial. According to court documents, Terry Hornbuckle used his position as their bishop to lure each of them to him. After all, Agape was their church home.

The Bath

A well-meaning friend steered 17-year-old Joycelyn into Hornbuckle's hands, according to her complaint filed in court in December 2004. She claims the bishop sexually assaulted her on two occasions.

In July 2004, a friend of Joycelyn's called Hornbuckle to express concern that Joycelyn might be a lesbian. Hornbuckle reportedly told the friend to drop Joycelyn off at the Sonic near Mayfield Road and Highway 360 in Arlington. Come back at 10 p.m. to pick her up, he told the friend. At the Sonic, Joycelyn climbed into her bishop's car, and they started talking.

"Hornbuckle was very concerned about the possibility of [Joycelyn] being gay," court documents say. They drove to the bishop's house, where he told the girl to take half a pill and some water. Because Joycelyn "trusted Defendant Hornbuckle, as her Bishop," she did as she was told.

Then they drove to the run-down, one-story apartment building on Martha Street in Euless where, a couple of weeks later, Hornbuckle would rape Krystal Buchanan. On the way, Hornbuckle asked Joycelyn if the pill, which he'd told her was a muscle relaxer, had taken effect. Joycelyn said no, so Hornbuckle gave her the other half.

Once they arrived, Hornbuckle told Joycelyn his "homeboy" was thinking of buying the apartment property and had invested some money in it. Inside, Hornbuckle gave Joycelyn a drink--she initially thought it was water, but it tasted like "some sort of liquor." Hornbuckle asked Joycelyn to come into the bedroom to watch TV. After that point, court documents say, Joycelyn remembers only bits and pieces of what happened.

What she does remember: Hornbuckle being on top of her. Then, a flash recollection of being in the shower with Hornbuckle bathing her. She was too scared to say anything to her parents about what had happened, court records contend.