Florida Pastor May Receive Death Penalty for Child Abuse
The minister was outspoken against sexual abuse reforms in the SBC
Jonathan Elwing, 43, a pastor from Palmetto, Florida, is facing a minimum sentence of life without parole over harrowing child rape allegations. However, due to an updated Florida death penalty law, he could receive capital punishment if convicted.
Jonathan Elwing / Photo via Facebook
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, police initially charged the father of four with four counts of possessing child pornography for using cryptocurrency to buy explicit images of children from the dark web. Detectives began investigating Elwing after a crypto-currency company tipped them about the purchases.
Days later, police conducted a search warrant at Elwing’s home and the church where he pastored. On his cell phone, they found explicit images of him sexually battering a 2-year-old. The images included his face and made obvious the identity and age of the child, court records show.
Nearly a month later, police found enough material to charge Elwing with over 20 counts of possession of child pornography.
For five years, Elwing has been the senior pastor at Palm View First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida. Elwing resigned from Palm View shortly before his arrest.
Detectives found two hidden cameras in Elwing’s home and eight in the church office, whose building links with the Educational Harbor private Christian school, where his wife Krystal Elwing is a teacher.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.
Palm View FBC is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), which has struggled to properly resolve issues that have arisen from a scathing 2019 report accusing the convention of mishandling sexual assault cases. Elwing has reportedly opposed SBC reforms against sexual abuse, including the recommendation by the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) to pay Guidepost Solutions to maintain a website of people credibly accused of sexual abuse in the SBC.
In a Facebook post from February 2023, Elwing said the church would not give “one dime” to Guidepost Solutions, adding that “this very well could be the straw that breaks the back of the SBC.”
Palm View FBC issued a public statement confirming Elwing’s resignation and the church’s cooperation with authorities during the investigation.
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 for 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.
Elwing remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail. The investigation is ongoing.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Why does MinistryWatch report on sex crimes? These stories are tough to read and sometimes even tougher to report, but we think they are vital to our mission to bring transparency, accountability, and credibility to the evangelical church. To read more about why and how we report these stories, read “Why MinistryWatch Reports On Sex Crimes.” You can find that story here.
TO OUR READERS: Do you have a story idea, or do you want to give us feedback about this or any other story? Please email us: [email protected]
