A teen missionary from Edmond, Oklahoma, was accused last year of raping and molesting children at a Kenyan orphanage. Now, his federal sex crimes trial is scheduled to begin next week.
Matthew Lane Durham, now 20, was 19 years old when he made his fourth mission trip to the Upendo Children's Home in Kenya last April. Federal prosecutors say that during the latest trip, Durham requested to stay at an overflow bunk in the orphanage rather than with a host family. They say that Durham took advantage of his proximity to the children in order to sexually assault 8 children ranging in age from 5 to 14.
When an official with Upendo Kids International questioned Durham about the alleged sex abuse, he confessed. The Upendo official gave the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi a statement signed by Durham admitting that he was involved in sexual activity with the children, but defense attorneys say the signed confession was coerced. They note that Durham was only 19 years old, thousands of miles from home, and kept in isolation with his passport confiscated until he confessed.
The former missionary is charged in United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. His charges include eight counts of aggravated sexual abuse with children, eight counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, and one count of travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday morning. A judge has determined that the courtroom will be closed when the children involved in the case testify.
Travelling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places (18 U.S. Code § 2423) are federal sex crimes sometimes called "sex tourism." When a person travels to another country to engage in sex acts which would be illegal in the United States, including child prostitution or child sexual abuse, the act is a violation of federal law even if the act is not prohibited in the foreign country. These acts are punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison.
Aggravated sexual abuse with children (18 U.S. Code § 2241) involves any sex act against a child under 12, or the sexual abuse of a child aged 12-15 by use of threat, force, rendering the victim unconscious, or use of an anesthetic or narcotic to impair "ability of that other person to appraise or control conduct." Aggravated sexual abuse with children is a federal sex offense punishable by 30 years to life in prison.
