Woman Says Amish Sect Leader Father-in-Law Coerced Her Into Sex
he leader of an Amish splinter group who faces hate crimes charges over accusations he masterminded a series of beard-cutting attacks coerced a daughter-in-law into having sex with him on the pretext she needed “sexual counseling,” the woman testified on Thursday.
Samuel Mullet Sr. and 15 other sect members are accused of planning or carrying out attacks on nine Amish men and women last autumn in southeastern Ohio, cutting off their hair and beards in assaults meant to humiliate the victims.
Witnesses have testified the attacks were revenge for a dispute between Mullet and other Amish religious leaders for accepting the daughter-in-law’s family and others into their communities after he shunned them. That followed their departure from his group over actions such as those described by the daughter-in-law.
Amish men and women refrain from cutting their hair as a mark of respect for God.