The Reverend Freak

Days later, Joycelyn was baby-sitting at an uncle's house when Hornbuckle called her cell phone. What was she doing? he asked. Watching TV, she said, because the children were asleep. Not long after they talked, Hornbuckle knocked on the front door, and Joycelyn let him in. He was smoking a pipe. He grabbed her arm and took her to the master bedroom, then asked her to take a puff and remove her clothes. When Joycelyn refused, documents say, Hornbuckle "forcefully removed [her] clothing and sexually assaulted her."

The Blessing

Money brought about the meeting between Rosita and Terry Hornbuckle. It was July 27, 2003, almost exactly a year before the alleged rape of Joycelyn. Hornbuckle wanted to give Rosita what most people in the church referred to as a "blessing"--a cash or check gift. It wasn't unusual for Hornbuckle to do such a thing. In fact, he was known for it. Agape members believed in planting monetary "seeds" of faith: Give unto others, and it will be given unto you.

This time, Hornbuckle wanted to meet in the parking lot of a Quality Inn in Grand Prairie. When Rosita arrived, there were other people around, so she didn't think it would be a problem to get in Hornbuckle's truck when he asked. Court documents say Hornbuckle was drinking a bottle of wine; Rosita turned down the offer of a drink.

Then, court documents say, Hornbuckle "took his penis out of his pants and fondled himself," eventually taking Rosita's hand and substituting it for his own. She told Hornbuckle it was wrong; she needed to go home. Hornbuckle then "pulled her dress up and pulled her panties down," court documents say, as she tried to resist. But it was hot in the car, and Hornbuckle was too strong for Rosita.

She claims he ejaculated inside her. But she left without her "blessing."

The Virgin

Krystal Buchanan's stepfather--one of the bishop's trusted friends--got the gears in motion for her encounter with Terry Hornbuckle. Dale Sheppard gave the bishop Buchanan's cell phone number in July 2004. That was nothing unusual, Buchanan would testify; Sheppard was the bishop's friend, and the bishop called kids in his church all the time. Maybe Hornbuckle could give her a paying job to help support her college studies.

Buchanan had attended Agape since she was a teenager. Now, at 21, she was a college basketball player, a point guard for the University of Texas at Arlington. "I got the Word from him," she'd tell the court.

The bishop called Buchanan, who'd just turned 21, saying he needed to give his "baby girl"--as he often called her--a birthday present. Buchanan figured he might give her a "blessing or a seed"--perhaps a motivational CD or a cash gift. Buchanan testified that Hornbuckle got specific, telling her he'd "maybe write me a check with some 0's at the end."

That afternoon, while Buchanan went birthday shopping with her mom, the bishop called a couple of times. Could she meet him at the Wendy's off Trinity Boulevard and Highway 360 at about 9 p.m.? Sure, Bishop. She heard his kids in the background. She figured they'd be there.

Before meeting Hornbuckle, Buchanan--who would tell the court she was a lesbian--dropped off her girlfriend, Alicia, at a strip club called Tomcats and headed to Wendy's. She got a burger and waited in her car. She expected to see the bishop pull up in his Escalade. Instead, it was a rental car--a silver Galant. People might be following him, he said. Then he told her he'd left his checkbook at his "homeboy's" place, and they had to go get it. Get in, he urged. She complied. After all, he's the bishop.

Almost immediately the public face of Bishop Hornbuckle vanished. "I'm a real nigga," he told her.

"Behind the scenes," Hornbuckle told Buchanan, "I like the licky-lick." She took it to mean oral sex and didn't respond. Hornbuckle quickly changed the subject, saying, "I'm just trying to be real with you."

Hornbuckle stopped at a liquor store, but it was closed. It seemed like they were driving forever, she thought, and she didn't recognize the streets. Finally, they arrived at a one-story apartment complex. It was dark, but Buchanan said she'd wait in the car. It wasn't safe, the bishop told her--come inside. Again she complied.

Hornbuckle carried two bags into the apartment--a duffel bag and a small, black rectangular satchel. Buchanan sat on the sofa, and Hornbuckle grabbed a bottle of water for her in the kitchen. Then, he started talking about the punch.

"My homeboy made some punch the other night," he said, heading back to the refrigerator, out of Buchanan's sight. He came back, handed the drink to her and began the emotional probing. He clutched her hand. Had her family "been struggling"? No, they hadn't, she told him. They were fine.