HairyHeGoat

Former elder / pioneer. #exJW, incognito at the moment.
aka: Ethan Wolfe

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

Thanks brother Gillies!

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

From a major Swedish newspaper:

Left a cult, betrayed by society.

Johanna Wester & Jenny Küttim show how Sweden fails to support those leaving controlling religious groups — isolation, trauma & no safety nets.

https://t.co/LamGpz7Zkk

Translate in browser

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

They didn’t get the blood policy “exactly right previously”…

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

https://t.co/TzoAI0DNPJ

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

Here’s the exchange about shunning between Angus Stewart and Jackson at the ARC:

[Mark O'Donnell @Mark_J_ODonnell]

BREAKING:

Earlier today, Judge Stephen D. Nelson pronounced final sentencing on former Jehovah's Witness Elder and convicted child molester Ernest Fyans.

Previously, on February 23rd, 2024, Judge Nelson imposed a 20-year sentence on behalf of victim #1, who was raped by Fyans when she was between 4 and 6 years of age, and a 5-year concurrent sentence on behalf of victim #2, who was molested repeatedly from age 10-13. Many of the crimes against victim #2 occurred during field ministry breaks at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Fort Kent, Maine.

Fyans, using court-appointed counsel, appealed the jury's verdict.

On August 19th, 2025, the Maine Supreme Court upheld the jury's verdict as to victim #1, but overturned the 5-year sentence due to a complex issue with the State's statute of limitations guidelines.

This reversal required that the State re-sentence Fyans for his crimes, and that occurred today.

Both the State and defense counsel for Fyans agreed to a 15-year sentence, with no provision for parole - in part due to Fyan's disqualification, as he continues to proclaim his innocence for his crimes against victim #1.

Judge Nelson affirmed a 15-year sentence for 86-year-old Fyans, who appeared in court wearing grey sweatpants and a grey sweatshirt.

This ruling today ends years of work, beginning with a large trove of documents taken from a Massachusetts congregation in 2017, and sent to me by a confidential informant.

Those documents detailed horrific crimes against children, committed by Fyans and other members of the Fort Kent Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. I turned over these files to the State Police detective responsible and worked with the State as they launched a multi-state investigation into Fyans and other alleged perpetrators.

The District Attorney filed charges against Fyans in August 2021 and arrested Fyans. Fyans was released on bail, but the Court revoked his bail in 2022 after Fyans sent a letter of intimidation to a close family member he molested when she was a young child.

[Note that according to congregation documents, Fyans molested 2 closely related siblings prior to the crimes against the women who testified at trial. Church documents indicate that he allegedly molested additional children over several decades.]

Fyans was immediately arrested and imprisoned to await trial. The trial was held in September of 2023, and he was found guilty on all charges.

Today, final criminal justice was served in the case of Fyans, but the documents I received detail many more crimes that may never be adjudicated, as the documentation in many cases has sat for so long - unreported - in Kingdom Hall filing cabinets, that the criminal justice system cannot prosecute them.

This has left abusers to roam the streets and Congregations across the country, with families left unaware, and unprotected.
___________________
footnote:

I would like to especially thank the many hard-working, compassionate, and dedicated women and men of the State of Maine for not giving up on this case. They were severely limited for numerous reasons, including complex statute of limitations laws, travel restrictions from COVID, lack of cooperation from the Church, and other challenges.

Despite all that, they refused to say no to these survivors, and they overcame the hurdles at great expense, and served justice.

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

1/5 Social Isolation is described as a form of bullying in an article on JW org.
#JW use social isolation as punishment because they practice shunning.

Therefore they bully.

https://t.co/OmDKsCEGvS

[Larchwood @Larchwood20]

#JW org has replaced the FAQ article where they said they shunned those who used to belong to their religion…

[Mark O'Donnell @Mark_J_ODonnell]

Jehovah's Witnesses Sue Reporter Over His Investigation Into Child Abuse.

This is my public statement:

On Sunday morning, February 11th, 2024, I was served with a civil lawsuit by 11 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Pennsylvania, suing me for several million dollars in relation to my reporting on the criminal Statewide Investigation of child sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witness Church. I am scheduled to go to trial in October of this year in Philadelphia.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses filed this case in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The JWs filed the case under seal, meaning the public had no access to this case. My attorneys and I were able to get the case unsealed on November 25, 2024. The case is now available to the public on CourtListener and Pacer.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses allege that in the course of my work as a reporter, I invaded their privacy and violated wiretap laws. My response to their complaint addresses these claims.

In the litigation, the JWs have demanded that I name every Jehovah’s Witness I have communicated with in the last five years regarding the faith of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Clearly, I have an obligation to protect whistleblowers and journalistic sources, and I will not reveal those sources.

As a reporter, protecting my sources is essential. Because of this, I have been forced to hire expert legal counsel for my defense, with costs expected to be more than $150,000.

The investigation and publishing of accurate information about child abuse within the Jehovah’s Witness Church is essential, and reflects similar reporting about other organizations and religious groups. Without this reporting, the cries of victims often go unanswered, and their stories buried beneath layers of injustice.

My mission has always been to shed light on these crimes, force change, and do so without cost to the public. While I am limited in what I can say right now, I am grateful that the public can see for themselves what has happened.

[Mark O'Donnell @Mark_J_ODonnell]

Another defendant has been sentenced in connection with the ongoing Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigation of child abuse within the Jehovah's Witness church.

David Balosa, 61, was found guilty on September 17th, 2024 of the abuse of a child under the age of 13, and was sentenced this week to 2-4 years of incarceration.

The terms of his future post-release parole include "No leadership roles in religious communities", "No coaching, ministering, or in any way having contact with minors through work, attendance at religious institutions, or volunteering" and *No in-person proselytization in communities," but the judge added "Telephone is okay."

https://t.co/tKmIjyHSkY

[HairyHeGoat @HairyHeGoatt]

@jfnilsen You are a truly extraordinary human amongst the rest of us. Thank you for your courage to speak out.

[HairyHeGoat @HairyHeGoatt]

@Mark_J_ODonnell @Mark_J_ODonnell we are grateful for all of your hard work. This cannot be easy for u to take all of this on. The silent majority doesn't speak up enough (in appreciation) and I'm guilty of this as well. Thank you for all u do 🙂❤️

[Mark O'Donnell @Mark_J_ODonnell]

TRIAL UPDATE:

January 17th, 2025

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania versus Shaun Sheffer

After four days of intense testimony, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the defense team for Shaun Sheffer have rested their cases before a jury of 12 in Butler County Pennsylvania.

The case revolves around whether the jury believes the testimony of one victim, a female who claims Sheffer raped her as many as 75 times during a 5-year period, when the victim was 7-12 years of age.

In closing arguments, State Prosecutor Alicia Werner told the jury that the evidence of only one witness is sufficient for a conviction if the jury examines all of the testimony and believes the victim.

The defendant’s attorney however summed up the evidence presented over four days and told the jury that there is simply too much reasonable doubt to convict Sheffer.

The courtroom has been visibly divided by members of the Jehovah’s Witness Church, seated on the defendant’s side in support, and reporters and family of Sheffer’s brother Brandon, who testified against Sheffer, on the other side.

Brandon, the younger brother of Shaun Sheffer, testified on Tuesday that when he was a teenager, the alleged victim told him that Shaun was doing “sex stuff” to him. The victim told Brandon that this occurred numerous times in various rooms of the Sheffer home.

The Defense strategy centered around attacking the credibility of Brandon Sheffer, who is no longer a Jehovah’s Witness. Brandon testified that after he left the Church, he heard about the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Investigation into Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he and his wife Jessica called the 800 Tip Line to report what happened between 1995 and 2000.

The victim's father, Tim Sheffer was called to the stand on Wednesday and testified that he knew of the allegations of the sexual assaults against the victim years prior, but he never once spoke to the victim about what happened.

Also called to the stand was Elder Steven Chappel of the Zelienople Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Butler County. Chappell stated that the Defendant, Shaun Sheffer asked him to meet to disclose the fact that allegations of rape were being made against him.

Chappel called the Legal Department of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York to “Find out what [they] would like us to say." The Commonwealth offered Exhibit 1, a 2016 letter from Watchtower to the local elders about the sexual abuse allegations. The defense objected to this letter, and Judge Kubit denied the motion to admit the letter as trial evidence.

Chappel also stated that Shaun Sheffer’s statement to the elders was not a confession, since he denied everything. He was also asked if he spoke to the victim, and Chappel stated that he did not speak to the victim, and suggested that the victim’s status as a non-baptized member may have influenced that decision.

Neither Church Elders nor any family members reported the rape allegations to law enforcement at any time, until Brandon Sheffer came forward after leaving the Church, and after hearing about the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Investigation into Jehovah’s Witnesses.

[HairyHeGoat @HairyHeGoatt]

@RChichuk @Jerome16235677 Yes, and I find it amusing they can refer to articles back 20, 30 years, or even 'all the way back to 1879'. But, if u show them something derogatory, or something that shows the folly of the organization, then going back even 10-15 years is 'old light' & 'apostate thinking.'

[HairyHeGoat @HairyHeGoatt]

@Ron_POMO @kimmyemail Imagine the hundreds, possibly thousands, of young people Watchtower put at risk due to hiding the facts on this one person. To not bring reproach on Jehovah's name? OK, they didn't want bad press.. but, at what cost? And, would they consider THIS good press?

[Stop Mandated Shunning @SMShunning]

Billboard Gives a Voice to the Voiceless

Read more at https://t.co/NJYjNUEj00

#billboard #jw #exjw #stopmandatedshunning #shunning

[Ron POMO @Ron_POMO]

Do you, like me, ever think:
How did I not fully wake up when they made a song and music video from the perspective of an anthropomorphized literature display cart?

[Mark O'Donnell @Mark_J_ODonnell]

Since the launch of the investigation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Pennsylvania over 5 years ago, we have seen at least 16 arrests of individuals who have abused children.

In most cases, information learned by JW Elders was kept secret, locked inside filing cabinets across the State, and possessed by Church headquarters in New York.

With rare exception, elders have not reported these crimes to the police. Rather, they are treated by the JW Church as confidential internal matters protected by clergy-penitent privilege.

The investigation continues as the local courts engage in the lengthy process of convicting child abusers for crimes committed years, or even decades ago.

The Office of the Attorney General has announced the conviction of Luis Manuel Ayala-Velasquez for at least 5 felony crimes that occurred more than 23 years ago.

While the Catholic Church investigation that preceded the Jehovah's Witness investigation yielded many predator priests, The JW probe goes far beyond the scope of investigating elders (clergy). The criminal data collected by the Witnesses spans the entire spectrum of baptized members, including case files on abusers and their victims.

The latest conviction of Ayala-Velasquez is just the beginning of justice for victims of abuse within the Jehovah's Witness Church.

https://t.co/KtlTDKLYE9

[HairyHeGoat @HairyHeGoatt]

@SDeanBraieoux So happy to hear. You're a true hero to my wife and I. All the best 😊❤️

[Shelly Rose Braieoux @SRoseBraieoux]

Update:
It’s been challenging, and I’ve got a lot more to deal with but I’m still alive and still smiling.

Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of encouragement, kindness and support 🌻