In an alarming revelation, a 57-year-old pastor from Texas, David Lloyd Walther, has pleaded guilty to possessing an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material with BDSM and bestiality themes.
Sexual Child Abuse Material
Recently reviewed court documents shed light on the alarming extent of Walther’s illicit activities, including the downloading and storing of explicit content on a computer connected to his church. According to Law&Crime’s article, Walther’s guilty plea, which took place on Tuesday, involved an enhanced count of child pornography possession. As disclosed in a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, federal investigators uncovered evidence demonstrating Walther’s intentional search, download, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Shockingly, some of the material featured prepubescent minors and was obtained through BitTorrent, a file-sharing network. During the investigation, authorities traced the IP address associated with downloading child sexual abuse material to the Faith Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas, where Walther served as the pastor.
Subsequently, search warrants were executed on Walther’s residence and vehicle on November 9, 2022. The search yielded two large computer hard drives containing over 100,000 images and over 5,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse. Disturbing details emerged from the prosecutor’s probable cause affidavit, revealing the existence of folders on Walther’s computer labeled “BDSM” and “Zoo.” These folders contained graphic content, including images depicting nude minors subjected to sexual abuse and bestiality acts. Particularly horrifying was the discovery of a video within the “Zoo” folder involving a dog and a female toddler, estimated to be under three years old.
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Furthermore, federal authorities uncovered videos showing young girls, some appearing prepubescent, sexually abused by adult men. During voluntary conversations with federal agents following the execution of the search warrants, Walther admitted struggling with a “pornography addiction.” He confessed to a pattern of downloading and viewing explicit content involving both adults and minors. Walther acknowledged that the child pornography he viewed depicted children ranging from 8 to 17 years old engaged in sexual acts with adults or other minors. As a result of his actions, Walther now faces severe legal consequences, including a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years and fines reaching $250,000.
This shocking case has deeply disturbed the community, raising concerns about the abuse of trust and authority within religious institutions. As the legal proceedings progress, the disturbing details that have emerged serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat child exploitation and safeguard the most vulnerable members of society.