Cops say Fulwider killed self at home
Former minister was arrested for repeatedly raping teenage girl
The Rev. Bryan Fulwider, a former Winter Park minister who was recently arrested on charges that he repeatedly raped a teenage girl while he was her pastor, was found dead Sunday evening at his Altamonte Springs home where he had killed himself, according to police.
Emergency crews were called to Fulwider’s home in the 600 block of Post Oak Circle about 11:50 p.m. Sunday for a possible suicide. Fulwider was pronounced dead there, ASPD spokeswoman Michelle Sosa said.
Fulwider, 59, had been out on bail since Oct. 17. The former ‘Friends Talking Faith’ co-host faced a slew of charges including sexual battery on a minor by a person in custodial authority. He could have faced life in prison, if convicted. He had pleaded not guilty.
The Medical Examiner’s Office for Seminole County ruled the death a suicide, their records show.
The woman who had accused Fulwider of sexually abusing her for years said on Monday that she was not shocked by his suicide,
and thanked the Winter Park Police Department for its work on the case and “belief in victims.”
“Fulwider’s day in court will never come because he knew all the truths I could tell,” the woman wrote in a statement, shared with the Sentinel on the condition of anonymity. “My story doesn’t stop with his cowardice though; I will work in the coming months to get justice for myself and any other victims impacted by Fulwider’s abuse.”
“I’m thinking of Fulwider’s other victims and hope they are well tonight,” she wrote. The Sentinel does not typically identify victims of child sex abuse. Fulwider had not been accused by police of abusing anyone else at the time of his death, though WPPD said detectives were investigating whether there could be additional victims.
Prosecutors had described the case against Fulwider as “extremely strong,” pointing to an almost hourlong recorded call between Fulwider and his accuser, in which Fulwider admitted the woman was a victim and he was a predator in the “eyes of the law.”
In that controlled call, Winter Park Police Department detectives said they recorded Fulwider admitting to a “sexual relationship” with the victim for years when she was younger than 18.
“[T]here was never anything salacious or bad about it and you were always too damn mature for your own good and I have always loved you,” Fulwider told his accuser in the call, according to police. “It wasn’t like I was off hunting people. It was a connection.”
Arrest documents said that Fulwider raped the girl well over 100 times between 2005 and 2010, beginning when she was 14, after he had started grooming her when she was only 13. Police said the girl had attended his church, First Congregational Church of Winter Park, Fulwider was senior minister.
Jacob V. Stuart Jr., Fulwider’s attorney, has said he and his client “vehemently deny each and every allegation.”
On Monday, Stuart said Fulwider’s death leaves him with a “heartache that will never mend.”
“We have been informed of the untimely and unfortunate death of Rev. Bryan G. Fulwider,” Stuart, who was a congregant at Fulwider’s church and called him his spiritual adviser, wrote in a statement. “For his family and his friends, I pray they will find comfort and consolation during this time of sorrow and grief in always remembering the many ways Rev. Fulwider offered his support and solace to others.”
Stuart also criticized the way Fulwider was treated by the legal system, the media and the community after his arrest, pointing out that Fulwider was facing criminal charges and should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“This was not the case when it comes to Reverend Fulwider, especially when the ‘charges’ were measured against his innocence and when the salacious sensationalism of the accusations were compared to the facts,” Stuart said. “Reverend
Fulwider’s rights were denied.”
Rev. Shawn Garvey, the current senior minister at First Congregational Church of Winter Park, said their church family remains in shock Monday “trying to absorb the impact of all the events that have transpired in recent weeks.”
“For now, all we can do is pray for Bryan’s family and the victim [to] at some point, find a path to healing,” Garvey wrote in a statement.
Prior to his arrest, Fulwider was known as one of the “Three Wise Guys,” along with Imam Muhammad Musri and Rabbi Steven Engel, who cohosted “Friends Talking Faith,” broadcast weekly on 90.7 WMFE. The show, which was produced independently, went on indefinite hiatus after his arrest.
An unsigned statement posted to the show’s Facebook page Monday afternoon expressed shock over Fulwider’s suicide.
“Our sympathies are with his family in their time of anguish,” the statement said. “We stand in solidarity with the victim or victims in this case that will now not have their day in court and receive the justice due to them. We will do what we can to give a voice to all victims of abuse and will work diligently to bring healing to the wide range of people who have been adversely affected.”
Along with his co-hosts, Fulwider was a finalist for the Orlando Sentinel’s 2018 Central Floridian of the Year award. He has also written guest columns for the newspaper.
The Winter Park Police Department has asked anyone with information about the case or who may have been victimized by Fulwider to call 407-599-3211. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
“My story doesn’t stop with his cowardice though; I will work in the coming months to get justice for myself and any other victims impacted by Fulwider’s abuse.” The woman who had accused Fulwider of sexually abusing her for years in a statement shared with the Sentinel on the condition of anonymity