God’s Will Is Perverted
Michael Mercado was caught by his then wife having sex with a 17 year old girl whom he pressured into a sexual relationship using “God’s will.” This relationship started when the victim was only 13 years old.
She said she met Mercado when she was 13, and he said he wanted to get to know her better. He told the victim he had prayed, and God told him they should marry.
This is what happens when your beliefs do not coincide with reality. Predators like this use God as a shield because of the reverence people show this imaginary being. The victim stated that she was afraid to oppose Mercado who also brainwashed her into believing the rape was okay. His lawyer offered a rather poor defense:
John Thomas, Mercado’s defense attorney, acknowledged the unusual nature of the case, but said his client’s actions would not have been a child sex abuse crime if he waited six months.
This would have still been rape and a is prime example of his predatory nature. He had been grooming the victim for three years before the sexual assault started. Luckily the prosecutor in the case agreed that the manipulative behavior shown by Mercado made the case more serious than just a 17 year old having sex. Mercado was sentenced five to 20 years for sexual abuse of a minor.
Seems like God’s will was trumped by our societal morality once again.
( via Idaho State Journal )
