Peggy Valentine, a 44-year-old Louisiana woman, has been convicted of attempted murder this week after confessing to her pastor, who also serves as a major in the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The case is related to a pre-dawn box cutter attack on her fiancé’s girlfriend’s mother, leading to a home invasion charge.
Prosecutors revealed that on May 4, 2022, Valentine forcibly entered the victim’s home and attacked the sleeping woman.
While the victim’s attorney, David Belfield, claims that Valentine had initially gone to the residence to catch her fiancé “in a lie,” the situation quickly escalated into violence.
According to Belfield, the victim’s daughter recently gave birth to Valentine’s fiancé’s child, and Valentine’s intent was not to harm anyone physically.
He explained:
“She didn’t go over there with the intention to murder or kill anybody. No doors were broken in. No locks were tampered with. No windows were broken. None of that. She was just there to catch [her fiancé] in the lie.”
After the incident, Valentine reached out to her pastor, who also serves as a major with the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. He recommended she speak to investigators.
Belfield stated that Valentine voluntarily spoke with a sheriff’s deputy. However, at some point, she decided to terminate the conversation and demanded to speak with her pastor.
It was during this conversation, in the presence of another officer, that she confessed to the reason for her visit and the unexpected escalation of the situation.
Belfield argued that the conversation should be protected under pastoral privilege, but the judge ultimately ruled it admissible. Louisiana’s pastoral privilege is subject to a three-pronged test, with the third prong requiring that the conversation be confidential.
Valentine is now awaiting sentencing, scheduled for February 27. The district attorney’s office for Ascension Parish was not available for comment at the time of reporting.
This case highlights the complex issues surrounding pastoral privilege and its application in legal proceedings.
