Texas jury convicts Catholic priest of sexual assault after Guardian reporting
A Texas jury found former priest Anthony Odiong guilty of sexual assault tied to his role as a clergyman. The case grew out of Guardian reporting and testimony from multiple accusers.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
A Texas jury convicted Anthony Odiong, a former Catholic priest, on sexual assault charges after testimony from women who said he used spiritual direction to pursue sex. The case was prompted in part by Guardian reporting and could now lead to a life sentence on the top count.
A former priest in Texas was found guilty of hurting women he was supposed to guide and help. The jury decided he crossed a serious line by using his church role in the wrong way.
Think of it like a coach who is trusted to help a team, but instead uses that trust to do harm. The important part is not just what he did, but the position he used to do it.
Now the court will decide the punishment. The biggest charge could mean he stays in prison for life.
Analysis
What happened
A Texas jury convicted Anthony Odiong, 57, of one first-degree sexual assault count and two second-degree counts after a trial in Waco. Jurors deliberated for about two hours before reaching the verdict. Odiong had pleaded not guilty.
How the case developed
The prosecution said Odiong abused his position as a Roman Catholic priest and spiritual adviser to pursue sex with women he was counseling. The case was tied to women who testified that they met him through church settings in Waco, including St Peter Catholic Center, which served Baylor University students and staff. One accuser, using the name Mary Doe, brought a Guardian article from February 2024 to police and said it helped prompt the case. Investigators later found another accuser, Jane Doe, and gathered enough additional allegations to arrest and charge Odiong.
The article says prosecutors dismissed one first-degree charge involving a third woman after she did not appear to testify and was described as emotionally fragile. Authorities said they chose not to force her into court because of that condition.
Evidence and testimony
Jurors heard from Mary Doe and Jane Doe, who described years of coercion and abuse tied to Odiong’s pastoral role. They also heard about DNA evidence linking him to a child fathered with another woman, called Presley Jones in the article, while he was serving in Louisiana. That conduct was not charged there, but prosecutors used it to argue there was a broader pattern.
Texas law was central to the case: prosecutors argued that a cleric exploiting someone in spiritual direction can amount to felony sexual assault. Odiong now faces sentencing before the same jury, with the first-degree count carrying the possibility of life imprisonment.
Key points
- A Texas jury convicted Anthony Odiong of one first-degree and two second-degree sexual assault counts.
- Prosecutors said he used his role as a Catholic priest and spiritual adviser to pursue sex with women he was counseling.
- The case was prompted in part by a Guardian article that one accuser brought to police.
- Jurors heard testimony from multiple women and about DNA evidence linking Odiong to a child fathered in Louisiana.
- Odiong faces a sentencing phase that could lead to life imprisonment on the top count.
