Jermol Gentry found guilty, jury recommends 560 years

A Tulsa County District Court jury found Jermol Gentry guilty of rape and lewd molestation charges Thursday afternoon and recommended he serve 560 years in prison. <br><br>After deliberating just under

Thursday, February 14th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A Tulsa County District Court jury found Jermol Gentry guilty of rape and lewd molestation charges Thursday afternoon and recommended he serve 560 years in prison.

After deliberating just under 4 hours, the jury found Gentry guilty on 2 counts of first-degree rape and 8 counts of lewd molestation. The jury returned a â€˜not guiltyâ€™ verdict on an animal cruelty charge.

Gentry was accused of running a religious sex cult. During the trial, two men testified they spent time with Jermol Gentry and joined his so-called religious group. They say he used sexual acts to punish them when they misbehaved. A Tulsa Police detective testified Gentry confirmed the boy's stories in a videotaped confession. Two friends of Gentry told the jury they never saw him engage in sexual acts with the victims.

Formal sentencing will be March 26th