Warning. This article contains disturbing content involving child sexual abuse.
A trial date has been set for disgraced pastor Jonathan Elwing, who is facing, at minimum, a life sentence for a slew of sex crimes against minors but could also be put to death under a recently passed state law.
Last year law enforcement received a tip that the senior pastor at Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida (SBC congregation) used cryptocurrency to buy child porn online. They executed a search warrant and seized multiple electronic devices that contained child pornography, including media that showed him sexually abusing a two-year-old child.
Elwing was charged with 14 felony counts related to sexual assault and child pornography, including two counts of capital sexual battery, six counts of production of child porn, and six counts of possessing child porn.
While a life sentence without parole is the minimum sentence he will receive if convicted, his life is also on the line. Ministry Watch explains:
A grand jury indicted Elwing on July 10 for sexual battery of a child. He faces a minimum sentence of life without parole if convicted, but prosecutors could also press for the death penalty under a 2023 Florida law that allows for the ultimate sentence for sexual battery of a child under the age of 12. Juries in Florida need just eight of the 12 to agree to execution.
In April 2023, the Florida Legislature passed a bill expanding death penalty eligibility for those convicted of sexual battery of a child under 12, following Governor Ron DeSantis’ push for harsher penalties. A month later, Gov. DeSantis signed the bill, and it became effective on October 1, 2023, enabling the state of Florida to pursue a death sentence for adult convictions of sexual battery of a child under 12.
A quick perusal of Elwing’s social media accounts shows that his church was enrolled in Founders Ministries church search (self-signe dup) and he frequently shared quotes from Voddie Baucham, Jonathan Edwards, Matt Chandler, and Mark Driscoll. He has also railed against Guidepost Solutions, the group the SBC tasked with rooting out sexual abuse within the denomination.
Elwing is married with four children, including one he recently adopted, and it appears he has absolutely destroyed their lives and turned them upside down.
His trial is set for April 20th.
