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Amy Duggar Says She’s Praying Judge Will Hand Down ‘The Ultimate Sentence’ For Cousin Josh Duggar
“Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord, I will repay thee,” Amy Duggar King wrote on Instagram as the federal child pornography trial for her cousin, Josh Duggar, got underway. “Please pray for the victims and for the truth to be revealed.”
Amy Duggar King said she is praying a judge will hand down the “ultimate sentence” for cousin Josh Duggar as his federal child pornography trial gets underway this week.
Duggar King—who has appeared on both “19 Kids and Counting” and the TLC spin-off “Counting On”—took to Instagram Tuesday to comment on what she said was a “heavy day” for her family.
“Today is a heavy day,” she wrote on her Instagram Story, according to People. “This whole week will be. Next week will be too. Until justice is served.”
Tuesday marked the start of Josh Duggar’s federal trial for felony child pornography charges with jury selection, which wrapped up Tuesday evening. Opening statements in the trial were expected to begin on Wednesday.
Amy referenced her cousin’s ongoing legal troubles again in another slide on Instagram.
“Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord, I will repay thee,” she wrote. “Please pray for the victims and for the truth to be revealed. Pray that the judge will give the ultimate sentence.”
Duggar was arrested in April on charges of possession and receipt of child pornography after investigators said they discovered more than 200 images of child sexual abuse material on a computer at his Arkansas workplace.
Homeland Security Agent Gerald Faulkner later testified during a bond hearing for the former reality star that the images found on the computer involved minors ranging from 18 months to 12 years old and were some of the “worst of the worst” he had seen in his career, People reported earlier this year.
Josh has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
After his arrest, Josh’s famous parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar called the accusations against their oldest son “very serious.”
“The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious,” they said in a statement to US Weekly. “It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light, and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner. We love Josh and Anna and continue to pray for their family.”
Controversy around the couple’s oldest son began in 2015 after allegations surfaced that Josh had molested five underage girls—including several of his sisters—while he was a teenager.
TLC responded by canceling the family’s reality television show “19 Kids and Counting,” but the new spin-off “Counting On” continued to follow the Duggar’s large family on camera.
“Counting On” was canceled by the network earlier this year just months after Josh’s arrest.
Amy, who appeared on both shows, applauded the network’s decision to cancel the spin-off at the time, writing on Instagram, “I stand with the network in this decision!” along with a series of photos from her time with the network.
Amy has had a complicated relationship with the Duggar family and opened up in 2020 to Entertainment Tonight about being estranged from most of the family members.
"I think we are all just trying to find our path and we're all just doing things differently," she said at the time. "I'm doing things differently and I'm happy where I'm at. I'm happy for them. Things are definitely different, but I'm happy for everybody.”
Amy said at the time that she had stayed in contact with Josh’s sister Jill, who is one of 28 potential witnesses who could take the stand in the trial, local station KNWA reports.
It’s not clear whether Jill would be called as a witness for the prosecution or the defense.
If convicted of the two felony charges against him, Josh could face up to 20 years behind bars.
