Bit More on the Pastor Who Plunged to his Death/Sequoia
tiny dancer
POSTED: 8:42 am EST November 23, 2005
PORTERVILLE, Calif. -- Federal authorities tried to determine whether a
clergyman awaiting trial on charges of raping two teenage sisters fell,
jumped or was pushed when he plunged 400 feet to his death in Sequoia
National Park.
The Rev. Santos Teixeira, 54, plunged from a 1,500-foot granite dome known
as Moro Rock, landing on a ledge. His body was discovered after one of his
parishioners reported the death, said park spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet.
The death happened on Sunday under "uncertain circumstances" and on federal
land, so the FBI was called in to join the National Park Service
investigation.
"The one thing we want to do is to make sure we don't leave any questions,"
John Gliatta, spokesman for the FBI in Fresno, said Tuesday.
Authorities questioned Teixeira's friends and family members, including a
25-year-old parishioner who was with him at the time of his fall. Picavet
would not identify the man or say whether he was a suspect.
As for whether Teixeira was pushed, fell or jumped, "we have no idea,"
Picavet said. "That's the investigation."
Authorities asked anyone who was at Moro Rock on Sunday afternoon to call
park rangers. The spot is a popular park destination and offers a view of
some of the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
Teixeira was the pastor of Iglesia Del Nazareno, a Protestant church in
Porterville. He was scheduled for trial in December on charges of raping two
sisters who attended his church.
Prosecutors said Teixeira, who had been pastor of the church for eight
years, befriended the girls and their mother shortly after the family moved
to the area from Mexico.
On Tuesday, the large stucco and brick building remained shuttered, its
massive wooden doors closed to parishioners. Santos' home in nearby Lindsay
was also locked and empty. Neighbors said they rarely saw anyone there.
Church members said they couldn't believe the pastor would have gone to the
park to commit suicide, according to the Fresno Bee. He didn't tell his
wife, children or parishioners that he planned to go to Sequoia on Sunday,
Frank Olmedo, Iglesia Del Nazareno's assistant pastor, told the newspaper.
"I don't believe there was a suicide with this pastor," Dr. Paul Israel, a
Porterville chiropractor who attends services at the church, said during an
interview with the Bee. "He had too much to live for."
Although Teixeira was held without bail after his preliminary hearing in
August, a judge granted him bail about a month ago, said church member
Ericka Zuniga. He lived in Lansing, Mich., before moving to Porterville.
Teixeira's lawyer in the rape case, Debra S. White, has said that there was
no physical evidence of a crime and that the girls' statements were vague
and inconsistent. White did not immediately return calls Tuesday.
Teixeira could have gotten 45 years to life in prison if convicted.
http://www.nbc17.com/news/5389312/detail.html
cro...@earthlink.net
"tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:stShf.56013$xK1....@bignews7.bellsouth.net...
tiny dancer
<cro...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:hHShf.927$YT3...@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> hmmm, I did not realize someone was with him at the time...
Makes it sound a lot more suspicious, doesn't it? This is the first I heard
about a wife, children, family, etc.
td
cro...@earthlink.net
cliff...as long as Person B does not leave handmarks/footprints/bruises that
are incriminating...and keeps his wits about him and refuses to answer
questions...well, he will prob. still get caught because his negative
relationship with the victim will be known and the victim will have wounds
on his hands where he tried to grab onto trees as he fell, and a man walking
a dog on his way to WalMart will have seen the whole thing...
"tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:EGShf.56018$xK1....@bignews7.bellsouth.net...
Nancy Rudins
> <cro...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:hHShf.927$YT3...@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>
>>hmmm, I did not realize someone was with him at the time...
>
>
>
> Makes it sound a lot more suspicious, doesn't it? This is the first I heard
> about a wife, children, family, etc.
>
>
> td
>
It does sound more suspicious now. I wonder what they were doing out
there. Talking? About what? Is this the person who reported the
fall?
Kind regards,
Nancy
--
Flame War is over ... If you want it
nru...@ncsa.uiuc.edu
eartha...@yahoo.com
Autopsy on pastor kept under wraps
Santo Teixeira said he would commit suicide if he got caught, says girl
he is accused of molesting
By David Castellon
Visalia TImes Delta
November 24, 2005
No information was released from an autopsy report completed Wednesday
on the Porterville pastor who fell to his death from Moro Rock over the
weekend in Sequoia National Park. Neither Tulare County Sheriff's
Department nor National Park Service officials would disclose their
findings.
The pastor was facing child rape charges in a trial that was scheduled
to begin Dec. 12.
"They've asked us not to discuss the case," sheriff's Lt. David
Galloway said. "It's [the Park Service's] investigation."
All National Park Service spokeswoman Jodie Lyle would say Wednesday
was that park rangers and the FBI were continuing their investigation
into the death of Santo Teixeira, 54, who fell Sunday from the east
summit of Moro Rock to a ledge 400 feet below.
Charges
Teixeira, pastor of Iglesia Del Nazareno in Porterville, was to be
tried on three counts of rape by force, five counts of sexual battery
and three counts of lewd acts with a child after two girls -former
members of his congregation - claimed he had sexually assaulted them
several times in 2003 and 2004.
Park officials said a member of Teixeira's congregation was with him at
the park when he fell and there were witnesses.
But Lyle said Park Service and FBI investigators had not determined
whether Teixeira committed suicide, fell accidentally or met with foul
play.
Testimony
One of the girls he is accused of molesting testified during Teixeira's
Aug. 19 preliminary hearing in Tulare County Superior Court in
Porterville. She said the pastor told her he might commit suicide if he
got caught.
The girl, who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Teixeira
several times, said, "He would always tell me not to tell anybody about
anything," according to a hearing transcript.
She said Teixeira didn't threaten to harm her if she told anybody but
said she couldn't report the sexual abuse "because he was a pastor at
the church, and they were going to put her in jail, and that if he
would go to jail, that he would kill himself."
The other girl, who also testified that day, said that when she was 16
or 17 years old Teixeira drove her to a place in Sequoia, "and we got
out of the car, and he said he was going to show me a place where he
writes his sermons."
Once there, she said, the pastor fondled her.
Under questioning, the girl could not say exactly where in the park the
incident occurred.
The girls reported the alleged sexual abuse to Porterville police in
July.
They said the abuse occurred multiple times within a two-year period at
places that included hotels in Visalia and Bakersfield and Teixeira's
home in Lindsay.
eartha...@yahoo.com
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/n/a/2005/11/22/national/a140749S81.DTL&o=0
http://www.myopr.com/articles/2005/11/23/news/local_state/news01.txt
FBI continues probe into pastor's death
By Sarah Elizabeth Villicana, The Porterville Recorder
Was the death of the Rev. Santos Teixeira an accident, homicide or
suicide?
The answer remained a mystery Tuesday as National Park Service
officials released no additional information on the investigation of
Teixeira's unexpected and unusual death.
Santos, 54, fell 400 feet from the granite dome in Sequoia National
Park, known as Moro Rock, on Sunday. His body came to rest on a rock
slab.
The FBI is assisting the Park Service in the investigation. Authorities
reported they have conducted interviews with friends and family members
of Teixeira, as well as the 25-year-old parishioner who witnessed the
fall.
On Monday, the Park Service reported no one had been detained in the
investigation.
An autopsy on Teixeira's body, by the Tulare County Coroner, was
scheduled for Tuesday.
A close friend of Teixeira said he finds the circumstances surrounding
the pastor's death to be "very unusual."
Porterville resident Dr. Paul Israel is a parishioner and friend of
Teixeira. He had contact with Teixeira several times in the week
leading up to his death, including the Sunday morning church service.
"He was really upbeat, really involved," Israel said, describing
Teixeira's recent behavior. "On Friday night, we had a Thanksgiving
dinner and fashion show and he went around and took pictures of
everybody. Even that morning, I had been at his home. He was very
lively and full of conversation."
Israel said the last time he saw the pastor was Sunday morning, as he
handed Israel a picture he had taken at the Friday gathering.
Details of the death don't add up, according to Israel.
"For us it was very unusual for him to travel that distance on a
Sunday and he had responsibilities at the church," Israel said.
In recent weeks, Israel said he had become concerned over the pastor's
safety and had personally advised Teixeira not to go alone with anyone
and to call if he needed someone to accompany him.
The pastor of Iglesia Del Nazareno was scheduled to go to trial Dec. 12
for allegedly committing rape and other sexual crimes against two
sisters who formally attended his church.
Teixeira's lawyer, Debra S. White, has said she was surprised the
minister's case was bound over for trial.
"There is no evidence of force," White said in previous reports.
She also claimed the two girls' "statements were extremely
inconsistent and unreliable."
During Teixeira's Aug. 16 preliminary hearing, the younger sister of
the two accusers testified Teixeira told her he'd kill himself if he
was sent to jail.
A number of visitors near the Moro Rock area witnessed portions of
Teixeira's fall, but officials report only the 25-year-old parishioner
was witness to what caused him to fall from the granite dome.
eartha...@yahoo.com
where a rock juts out over the trail, requiring walkers to stoop or
crouch down to get around it, Picavet said. She didn't know whether
this obstacle contributed to the accident.
Accused Lindsay pastor falls to death
Man who died in Sequoia park was awaiting molestation trial.
By Tim Bragg / The Fresno Bee
Published 11/22/05 00:00:00
VISALIA - A Lindsay pastor awaiting trial on charges he molested two
girls in his congregation fell more than 400 feet to his death Sunday
in Sequoia National Park in an incident park officials continue to
investigate.
The Rev. Santos Teixeira, 56, was walking down a stairway that takes
visitors to the summit of 1,500-foot Moro Rock about 4 p.m. Sunday when
he fell from the eastern face of the granite monolith, said National
Park Service spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet.
Teixeira landed on a ledge not immediately accessible to rangers or
witnesses.
A park team specially trained in rock rescue techniques reached
Teixeira about 9 p.m. but found him dead. A park ranger stayed with the
body on the ledge overnight, and park rangers were able to take it down
by foot late Monday afternoon, she said.
Teixeira, who was pastor of Iglesia Del Nazareno church in Porterville,
was scheduled to go on trial Dec. 12 on charges of sexual assault
involving two sisters who are now 17 and 19 years old.
Tulare County District Attorney officials had yet to hear any details
about Teixeira's death Monday, said Assistant District Attorney Don
Gallian.
Prosecutors said Teixeira befriended the two girls and their mother
shortly after the family moved to the area from Mexico, giving them
jobs at the church.
The oldest sister was 15 when the alleged abuse began in 2002,
officials said.
Teixeira pleaded not guilty to the crimes. Although he was originally
held without bail after a preliminary hearing in August, he had since
been granted bail, but Gallian wasn't sure of the circumstances.
Park officials haven't yet determined whether the death was an
accident, a homicide or a suicide, Picavet said.
A member of Teixeira's church was on the stairs with him at the time of
his fall, said Picavet.
She said park officials were interviewing the man. Park officials were
not sure why the men were visiting the park Sunday, she said.
At the time of the incident, Teixeira was in an area of the stairs
where a rock juts out over the trail, requiring walkers to stoop or
crouch down to get around it, Picavet said. She didn't know whether
this obstacle contributed to the accident.
Despite Teixeira's fall, Picavet said the stairs that climb more than
300 feet up Moro Rock are not generally considered dangerous and no
special knowledge in climbing or hiking is needed to use them. Hundreds
of park visitors travel the stairs daily to the top of the rock in the
summer, for its panoramic views of the scenery.
No deaths have occurred there in recent years. At least one fatality in
the area in the past was blamed on recklessness from alcohol.
Picavet said park officials haven't determined whether alcohol was
involved in Sunday's incident.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation because the incident occurred
on federal land and because of the uncertain circumstances surrounding
the pastor's death.
Park officials said anyone who visited Moro Rock between 3:15 and 4
p.m. Sunday is asked to call the park with information at (888)
NPSCRIME.
===============
Man, 25, questioned in pastor's death
By Tim Bragg / The Fresno Bee
Published 11/23/05 00:00:00
PORTERVILLE - Sequoia National Park authorities Tuesday would not
confirm the identity of a 25-year-old man who was with Porterville
pastor the Rev. Santos Teixeira, 56, when he fell more than 400 feet
down Moro Rock.
Investigators are still looking into the circumstances of Teixeira's
death on Sunday, park spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet said.
Park officials are still trying to determine whether the fall was an
accident, homicide or suicide.
The man with Teixeira has been questioned by investigators but isn't in
custody, Picavet said.
Teixeira, who was pastor of Iglesia Del Nazareno in Porterville, was
scheduled to go on trial Dec. 12 on charges of sexual assault involving
two sisters who attended the church. They are now 17 and 19 years old.
Teixeira didn't say anything to his wife and children or members of the
church about taking a trip to the park that day, said Frank Olmedo, the
assistant pastor of the church.
Church members said they doubted that Teixeira would have traveled to
the park to take his own life.
"I don't believe there was a suicide with this pastor," said Dr. Paul
Israel, a Porterville chiropractor who attends services at the church.
"He had too much to live for."
Israel said he didn't believe the allegations of sexual abuse against
the pastor were true.
"He was on fire for the Lord," said Ericka Zuniga, a member of the
church.
Although the pastor was originally held without bail after his
preliminary hearing in August, a judge granted him bail about a month
ago, she said.
Teixeira, who originally came to the United States from Brazil, had
been pastor of the church for the last eight years, Zuniga said. He was
in Lansing, Mich., before moving to Porterville. About two years ago,
Teixeira's home burned down under suspicious circumstances, Israel and
Zuniga said.
Support for the pastor continued despite the serious criminal charges
against him.
"A person is innocent until proven guilty," said Mark Pitcher, pastor
of Porterville's First Church of the Nazarene, which is the mother
church to Teixeira's congregation. "The tendency is to ... sometimes
think people are guilty until proven innocent."
The FBI is being kept up to date on the investigation into Teixeira's
death because it occurred on federal land and because of the
circumstances involved, Picavet said.
Teixeira was walking down a stairway that takes visitors to the summit
of the rock when he fell.
Funeral arrangements for the pastor are pending.
tiny dancer
<eartha...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1133049925.6...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for the photo and more detailed information. I wonder if the 25 yr.
old has any connection to the girls. Relative/friend, etc. This doesn't
feel like a suicide nor an *accident* IMO.
td
>
cro...@earthlink.net
accompanied the dead man was male...
"tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:iTaif.29013$s92....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
dimes
> It took the authorities forever to even say the "church member" who
> accompanied the dead man was male...
>
> "tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:iTaif.29013$s92....@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> >
> > yr.
> > old has any connection to the girls. Relative/friend, etc. This doesn't
> > feel like a suicide nor an *accident* IMO.
> >
> > td
Wait a minute. The original story says one of the girls accusing him
of rape testified back in August that the pastor took her to Sequoia:
--- The other girl, who also testified that day, said that when she was
16 or 17 years old Teixeira drove her to a place in Sequoia, "and we
got out of the car, and he said he was going to show me a place where
he writes his sermons."
Once there, she said, the pastor fondled her. ---
Coincidence?
dimes
newfie...@gmail.com
chael...@gmail.com
chael...@gmail.com
newfie...@gmail.com
alexa....@gmail.com
May you burn in hell, Santos!
bvald...@gmail.com
Greg Carr
> i attended the church. the person with him was related to the two girls and i have no doubt he was pushed. pastor santos died innocent, and those two girls have to live knowing that their false accusations led to the death of someone who had so much to live for.
One of the accusers had said the dead man would kill himself if exposed. He was exposed and charged and was soon dead.