Benjamin Garlick, a 35-year-old traveling pastor who once begged congregations for $40,000 to buy a ministry van, will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury convicted him of raping three girls, all younger than eight years old.
A Rutherford County jury returned the verdict Monday after a two-week trial in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, convicting Garlick on seven counts of aggravated rape of a child, six counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of solicitation of sexual exploitation of a minor, and two violations of Tennessee's Child Protection Act. The judge imposed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His wife, Shaantal Garlick, 32, was convicted the same day of two counts of facilitating aggravated child rape and two counts of aggravated child neglect. She was taken back into custody immediately after the verdict.
The crimes stretched across nearly a decade, from July 2014 through August 2023, the Daily Mail reported. At least three incidents of sexual abuse occurred in July 2014 alone. All three victims, whose relationship to the Garlicks has not been publicly disclosed, took the witness stand during the trial.
Murfreesboro police opened their investigation in August 2023 after learning that a five-year-old girl may have been sexually assaulted by Benjamin Garlick in 2021. Detectives identified two additional child victims during the probe. Both Benjamin and Shaantal were arrested the following month, in September 2023.
The Murfreesboro Police Department said Shaantal knowingly neglected one of the child victims, "affecting the child's health and welfare, and assisted in the commission of the sexual abuse."
Benjamin Garlick remained in jail on an $825,000 bond throughout the proceedings. Shaantal's path through the system was more complicated. She was initially bailed out after her arrest, then saw her charges dropped, only to be reindicted. She posted a $75,000 bond and bailed out a second time before the trial. She has also filed for divorce from her husband.
Both defendants face sentencing on remaining charges November 10.
Benjamin Garlick presented himself as a devoted minister to Hispanic communities. He was connected to the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist movement, a loose network of churches that identifies with Christianity but operates outside any formal denominational hierarchy. His grandfather Rolando founded the Murfreesboro-based ministry La Espada, and the Garlick family had been connected to it since 2015. Benjamin preached in Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas, and Tennessee, often traveling with his father, Daniel Garlick.
Shaantal met Benjamin when she was 18 at a youth camp. The couple eventually had six children together. La Espada, the ministry at the center of their public life, is now closed.
The gap between Garlick's public persona and his conduct is laid bare in a 2022 GoFundMe campaign he created seeking $40,000 for a ministry van. Written in both English and Spanish, the appeal leaned heavily on faith and the generosity of fellow believers. Garlick described how his wife had prayed for a minivan and told him the money would come "from God."
He wrote to potential donors:
"We have 60 days of special financing with no interest. We are calling on you, our faithful supporter and prayer warrior, to help us raise the money to pay for this vehicle before that deadline expires."
Garlick calculated the ask down to the dollar, "as few as forty churches each giving one thousand, or eighty giving 500." He signed off with a postscript urging supporters to "look and pray what God would have you give." Whether the campaign reached its goal is unknown.
That fundraising pitch went out to congregations while, according to the timeline established at trial, the abuse of children under his care was ongoing.
Assistant District Attorney General Hugh Ammerman, who handled the case, praised the three young victims for their testimony. He told the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal:
"All three victims showed great courage and resilience when called to the witness stand."
Ammerman added that he hoped the jury's decision would "help them to heal and put these events behind them as they return their focus to the day-to-day of being kids."
Det. James Wilkinson, the lead investigator on the case, pointed to the broader team effort that brought the Garlicks to justice. Fox News reported his statement praising the child-protection unit:
"The children of Rutherford County are safer because of the compassion, dedication, and commitment each member of the CPIT Team brings to their roles every day."
The Daily Mail said it reached out to Benjamin Garlick's attorney and family for comment. No response was reported.
Shaantal Garlick's conviction on facilitation charges means the jury found she did not merely fail to act, she played a role in enabling the abuse. Her charge sheet included two counts of facilitating aggravated child rape, a charge that requires more than passive neglect. The aggravated child neglect counts address her failure to protect at least one victim.
Her repeated trips in and out of custody, arrested, bailed, charges dropped, reindicted, bailed again, raise questions about why the initial charges were dropped and what evidence prompted the grand jury to reindict. Those details have not been made public.
She now sits in custody awaiting her own sentencing on November 10, the same date her husband faces sentencing on his remaining convictions beyond the life term already imposed.
Three girls, all under eight, endured years of abuse from a man who stood behind a pulpit and asked strangers to trust him with their money and their faith. The jury made sure he will never stand behind one again.
