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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On May 25, 34-year-old Joshua Duggar was sentenced to over 12.5 years in prison following his December 2021 conviction of possession of child pornography.
Some of his family members spoke out after the sentencing.
His brother jason duggar22, wrote a lengthy statement after the court handed down the 151-month sentence.
“In my opinion, Judge Timothy L. Brooks was fair in his decision to give Josh a sentence that would be less than the median for the crimes he committed,” he said. “My heart is saddened by the choices my brother made.”
Duggar’s sister, Jill Dillard31, and her husband Derick posted a response on their own website.
The last few weeks and months have been emotionally difficult. Yesterday was one of those hard days again. We’re neither pleased nor disappointed with the verdict, but we’re grateful it’s finally over. The Bible clearly says that God works justice and vengeance through the governmental authorities. Though some believe Josh should have received a greater sentence, and fewer still believe he should have received a lighter sentence, today God exacted His vengeance for his untold criminal activity.
For now, he has yet to be held accountable to the extent necessary to bring about a change in his dangerous pattern of behavior. It’s unfortunate, but it seems that it may be over a decade in federal prison and even longer on probation before Josh has the potential for rehabilitation before he can safely return to society. Hopefully Josh can actually start getting treatment and working toward a lifestyle that makes him less likely to re-offend. Last but not least, the notoriety of this case has hopefully helped deter potential criminals and will help protect children by reducing demand for CSAM. We continue to love Josh and his family and will be there for them wherever we can.
Jill and Derick Dillard
Longtime family friend Bobby Holt testified at the trial and spoke about Duggar’s admission to molesting underage girls when he was a teenager. In a social media post, she said: “Because he’s been trusted, privileged, coddled, protected and favored all his life, he’s only gotten worse. He was really just impersonating someone else.”
Amy Rachelle King35, Duggar’s cousin, was openly on social media until sentencing.
“Josh’s illness stemmed from somewhere and eventually we will hear about the trauma,” she said in an official statement. “I don’t know when or how or who, but eventually I think more will come out. But hopefully tonight, for the first time ever, I can get some sleep knowing that another monster will be put behind bars, which will ease my heart a little bit.”
Anna Dugar33, his wife, has not posted to social media since 3 Februaryas she said, “There’s more to the story.”
His parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, issued a statement on her family website following his conviction in December 2021. There was no such post after the verdict was pronounced.
Duggar was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release. He is being held in the Washington County Jail awaiting transfer to a federal correctional facility.
