Content Warning: graphic descriptions of child sex abuse, pedophilia
The Church Sex Abuse Scandal That Inspired ‘True Detective’
The pastor of the church is currently serving four life sentences
True Detective by Nic Pizzolatto is one of my favorite TV shows of all time, with very philosophically rich lines from protagonist Rust Cohle.
But what few people know if that True Detective is based, largely, on a real story in 2005— the Hosanna Church sex abuse scandal in Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana. Ponchatoula, Louisiana, was the site of the church, with once had thousands of members and supported schools for children. It was run by a charismatic pastor, Louis Lamonica. In the 1980s, the Hosanna Church was, according to Rick Lyman at the New York Times, one of the fastest-growing congregations in the Tangipahoa Parish.
“He was an awesome local icon,” local Bill McCormack, who attended the church said.
However, the church was later divided after there was a division between Lamonica and his son, Louis Lamonica Jr., who was also a pastor. The church went from nearly 1,000 members to 10 to 15 members.
In 2005, Lamonica Jr. and a 24-year-old deputy sheriff and others were behind bars and accused…
