Former Cobb Co. So-Called “Church Director” sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to sex crimes involving teen boy

February 20, 2026 by admin Leave a Comment

Over the course of five months, they exchanged 12,691 text messages, including sexually explicit content that Turner solicited and shared with him, the DA said.

Author: Alvieann Chandler
Published: 12:13 PM EST February 20, 2026

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former metro Atlanta church leader will remain behind bars for more than two decades after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child sex crimes involving a teen.

According to the Cobb County district attorney’s office, 34-year-old Marcus Kendall Turner invited a middle school teen boy to join a new church youth group and within months, started sexually abusing the child.

On February 9, 2026, Turner plead guiltuy to 11 counts os sex crimes, including:

2 counts of aggravated child molestation
2 counts of child molestation
1 count of enticing a child for indecent purposes
1 count of obscene internet contact with a child
4 counts of sexual exploitation of children
1 count of cruelty to children in the first degree

He was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by lifetime on probation with sex offender special conditions, including sex offender registration.

According to the DA’s office, Turner held a leadership role in Worship With Wonders, a Cobb County church, where he initiated the relationship.

SOURCES:

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/da-former-church-director-sentenced-to-25-years-after-pleading-guilty-to-sex-crimes-involving-teen-boy/85-19d6f113-7f51-4afa-9c58-93028e276eee

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/former-cobb-county-church-leader-pleads-guilty-child-sex-crimes?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=699a7136874746000130e043&fbclid=IwY2xjawQJdvZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETJOQUZ0WWlXc0hxVlJPcTVrc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHst4ki3vjjp5D0Clt-zvOrpiI1dWcj47udbiLL0u8PDzdaXwSKNgruScpoUs_aem_ATxAwegJg8oJqoCRQBF0vw

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4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Matthew 24:4 New International Version (NIV)
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3 New International Version (NIV)
10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Matthew 24:10-11 New International Version (NIV)
22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable. Leviticus 18:22 New International Version (NIV)
13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:13 New International Version (NIV)
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Romans 1:27 New International Version (NIV)
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 New International Version (NIV)
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7: 15-23 New International Version (NIV)
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matthew 23:13 New International Version (NIV)
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 1 Corinthians 6:9 New International Version (NIV)