Penelope Rivera

What are the defendants saying about the charges?

Well, prosecutors called the shooting an ambush and a coordinated attack against law enforcement.

And I've communicated with six of the individuals and arrested in connection to the protest.

That includes Megan Morris.

She told me that she attended to show support for those detained at the Prairieland Detention Center and had no indication that anything violent was meant to occur that night.

She pled not guilty and maintains her innocence.

So what could the repercussions of this case be?

So there's no federal criminal statute to charge people for domestic terrorism like there is for foreign terrorism.

And it's still unclear whether the president has the authority to designate people or groups as domestic terrorists.

According to former federal prosecutors I've talked to, if the government succeeds in getting these individuals convicted, it could have nationwide implications for how alleged left-wing movements are prosecuted.

Thank you.

Robert Morris started Gateway Church in 2000 and built it into one of the largest congregations in the country.

Following his guilty plea, he was given a 10-year sentence but will only serve six months in jail in Oklahoma, where the abuse took place.

He will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender and pay $270,000 to the victim, Cindy Clemishire.

Clemishire went public about the abuse she endured for Morris in June of 2024.

Since then, Gateway has faced a drop in attendance and donations and multiple lawsuits.

Clemishire said the abuse started when she was 12 and lasted more than four years.

For NPR News, I'm Penelope Rivera in Dallas.