Por on of Rose Park UMC Member Corina Barden’s Vic m Impact Statement Read in Court, 112923

Early one Sunday morning in January of this year, Pastor Liz contacted me saying that David was in the
church. I was immediately afraid for the well-being of my pastor. I was also afraid for the well-being of
the members of my church family who would soon be arriving at Rose Park.

The last I had heard about him, he wanted to kill my friend, and I did not trust his inten ons. I knew that
there was a restraining order against him, and he was supposed to stay away from Marty. I called 911,
again. David was removed from the church by law enforcement that morning.

They helped him access his funds, he was checked into a hotel, arrangements were made for him to have
his truck back.

David had access to his money, food, shelter, and transporta on, and he willfully blew it.

He broke into our church. Our church, which prior to his arrival on that Sunday morning had been kept
unlocked. Our church, where people had been allowed to go pray any hour of the day or night, whenever
they needed spiritual sanctuary. Our church, where upon occasion people found refuge from the cold,
where local law enforcement was welcome to go in at night while on patrol, use the bathrooms and help
themselves to some candy that was kept on a table for that purpose. Our church, a place of refuge and
hospitality for those in need, that had once welcomed David as family, was locked in response to David
willfully a emp ng to violate his restraining order.

David broke in, and knowing that it would hurt his wife, her family, the congrega on, and the people in
the community who found refuge there, he set fire to the church. It was awful to see the destruc on
that David caused to our church, but it was far worse to see the raw emo ons of anger and grief on the
faces of my church family.

It has been grueling to have long intense mee ngs, talking about the damage, the litany of decisions
regarding what to repair, what to replace, how to navigate insurance claims and building inspec ons.

We are moving through liminal space, between le ng go of what we once had and held dear and not
yet grasping what we will have in the future. The emo onal toll of going through this process as a group
of hur ng people who did not ask for or plan for a project of this magnitude has been staggering, and
exhaus ng.