A so-called traveling preacher just found out that no scripture, and no title can shield you from the law when you put your hands on a child!
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Benjamin Garlick, 35, was handed life in prison without the possibility of parole this week after a Rutherford County jury convicted him on seven counts of aggravated rape of a child, six counts of aggravated sexual battery, and additional charges tied to exploiting a minor and violating Tennessee’s Child Protection Act. Now, it wasn’t just him, his wife, Shaantal Garlick, 32, got convicted right alongside him on two counts of facilitating the aggravated r*pe of a child and two counts of aggravated child neglect.
This man wasn’t some random predator lurking in the shadows, he was allegedly out here traveling the country, ministering primarily to the Hispanic community, building trust in the name of faith while allegedly abusing a little girl who was just 5 years old when it all started. According to investigators, the abuse stretched on for years before anybody stepped in.
Murfreesboro police opened the investigation back in August 2023, and what started with one victim turned into three once detectives dug deeper.
Prosecutors say his wife Shaantal knowingly neglected one of the victims in a way that damaged the child’s health and wellbeing, all while helping cover for her husband’s crimes. She was out on bond during the case, but the second that verdict came down, she was cuffed and hauled right back to the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center to sit next to her husband behind bars.
Circuit Court Judge Barry Tidwell didn’t play with this one. After a grueling two week trial that forced the victims to relive their trauma in front of a courtroom, he came down with the maximum on the rape charges, life, no parole, no second chances. The rest of the sentencing, covering the remaining charges for both Benjamin and Shaantal, is set for November 10, and Rutherford County isn’t expecting any mercy in that courtroom either.
Shaantal said she met him at a youth conference at 18, swept up in the idea of serving God by his side. All that image, all that “faith family” branding, was a front for something monstrous happening behind closed doors.
The Murfreesboro Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and their Child Protective Investigative Team put in real work to get justice for these kids. Lead detective James Wilkinson credited the whole team for their effort, saying the investigation was about “ensuring the victims’ voices were heard and justice was served.”
Detectives say they’re still reaching out to see if more victims are out there, especially within the Hispanic community Garlick ministered to during his travels.