July 31, 2014
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While volunteering at a Kenyan children’s home, 19-year-old Matthew Lane Durham committed the unthinkable when he raped and molested a number of young children. According to court records, Durham confessed to raping several young girls, forcing several young boys to perform oral sex on him and even making other kids watch. Sadly, at least 1 of the children is infected with HIV.
Durham volunteered with the group Upendo (an organization that assists neglected Kenyan kids by providing food, housing, clothes and religion) and traveled overseas several times within the last 2 years. During his last visit, the criminal complaint alleges, “Durham requested to stay at the children’s home in an ‘overflow bunk’ rather than at an offsite facility.” It was during that visit that several alleged victims claimed Durham “often touched them in a sexual manner or told them to touch themselves while he watched.”
Once confronted, Durham came clean.
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“A caretaker at the orphanage noticed something wasn’t right and confronted Mr. Durham. He admitted to some of the acts,” said United States Attorney Sanford Coats. “This is a young man in our community that made choices to exploit children in an orphanage,” Coats added. “It’s a true tragedy all the way around.”
However, Durham’s attorney, Steven Jones, has come forward with a rather “interesting” defense strategy.
“The events that occurred in Kenya the last maybe five six days that Matt was there frankly reveal some sort of pseudo-tribal psychological voodoo practiced on him, including confiscating his passport, false imprisonment, keeping food from him one day, delay in allowing him to depart from the country, misleading his parents,” Jones said. “I don’t think Hollywood could make up what happened at this so-called orphanage.
Prosecutors say that although the sex crimes were committed overseas, Durham can and will be held accountable for the crimes in Oklahoma. He is currently being held without bond.
Sadly, there's just so much human tragedy unfolding in the world today (i.e., Gaza and Ukraine) that a tragic story such as this story, IMO, doesn't get nearly the coverage that it should….and used to.
As for claiming some so-called tribal "psychological voodoo" defense?! Spare. Me.
Aside from the obvious bullsh*t of such a defense…..
I doubt the young African orphans are his first victims. My guess is this guy started messing with kids quite some time ago. And if I'm right(?)…there' a least one American child (perhaps also an orphan) who can tell you, first hand, about the reprehensible acts this guy is capable of committing.