Jarrett Booker New Hampshire pastor kills self two days after being fired by Nashua Baptist Church following allegations of child sexual abuse.
‘Tempted by sin.’ A much liked and popular New Hampshire pastor killed himself just two days after his church fired him following accusations of sexual abuse of minors.
Jarrett Booker, 37, was adopted at 18 months and raised in Virginia – before attending Liberty University. He moved to New Hampshire to work as a pastor at the Nashua Baptist Church.
Booker’s employment was terminated on November 25 after church officials learned of an investigation into child sexual abuse allegations against the pastor.
On November 27 – two days after his termination – Booker took his own life, the Christian Post reported.
‘Unfaitful and unholy sinner’
In his Facebook profile, Booker described himself as ‘just an unfaithful and unholy sinner changed by a faithful and Holy God.’
The pastor recently celebrated his 11-year-anniversary with his wife Rachel – with whom he shared a son, Eddie.
Booker’s wife Rachel wrote on Facebook that the last two weeks had been a ‘blender of emotions’ for her.
Rachel said that she and her son Eddie are ‘eternally grateful’ for every prayer and words of encouragement as they are starting to build a life as a team of two.
Wrote Rachel: ‘Sin is dark, and it destroys. We hate it, we are grieved by it, and we continue to pray for all of those who have been hurt. JB had his demons, I won’t pretend that he didn’t. His choices caused harm.’
Nashua Baptist Church released a statement addressing their decision to fire Booker and their response to the news of his suicide.
‘On November 22 we became aware of a criminal investigation concerning credible allegations of sexual abuse against minors, implicating Jarrett Booker.
‘Jarret had been an integral part of our church, serving as Pastor of Worship and Youth Ministry for nearly a decade.
‘These allegations prompted an internal review which revealed further evidence of misconduct.
‘Regardless of the outcome of any criminal investigation, this behavior undeniably violated the moral and ethical standards we expect of our leaders and did not uphold the standards of our faith.
Investigation ongoing of credible allegations of child sex abuse
Church officials revealed that they made the decision to immediately terminate Booker’s employment on November 25, three days after they became aware of the investigation.
The Elders and Deacons of Nashua Baptist Church said in response to the news of their former-employee’s suicide: ‘Regrettably, on the evening of November 27, Jarrett Booker took his own life, refusing to face the consequences of his actions. This event added immeasurably to the complexity and pain of the situation.’
‘Nashua Baptist Church unequivocally condemns all forms of abuse. It is evil and our God hates it,’ the statement said.
There was an outpour of support for Booker on social media as friends and family learned of his suicide.
One friend even described the pastor as ‘one of the best guys I knew’.
A family member said Booker was ‘one of the most gentle, loving, kind, Godly men I know!’
Sgt. John Cinelli, the public information officer and communications division supervisor for the Nashua Police Department, confirmed Booker was being investigated for child sex offenses.
‘We learned of the alleged crimes through an investigation by another police department,’ he said. ‘The investigation is still ongoing even though the suspect is deceased.’
The late pastor’s obituary said Booker was adopted when he was 18 months old and left behind his parents, wife, son and other family members.
