Derick Dillardis speaking out amid brother-in-lawJosh Duggar’s child sexual abuse material trial.
Early on Wednesday as the jury began their deliberations in the case, the 32-year-old old husband ofJill (Duggar) Dillardsaid that he was “praying for justice this morning” in astatementhe shared on Twitter.
Derick’s tweet was met with support from Jill’s cousin,Amy Duggar King, whorespondedto him: “Praying as well. Lord may justice be served ice cold.” King alsotweeted, “JUSTICE FOR THE CHILDREN,” that same day.
Derick has been in regularattendance at Josh’s trialsince it began last week. During the second day of the trial, Derick sat next to Josh’s wife,Anna Duggar, in the courtroom. The pair appeared to be amicable and were speaking as they sat down and afterward.
Josh is the eldest ofJim BobandMichelle Duggar’s19 children, who were previously featured on TLC’s19 Kids and Counting. He wasarrestedin April and laterpleaded not guiltyto the charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Josh, who previously faced achild molestation scandalrelated to conduct as a teenager, has been accused ofdownloading filesdepicting child sexual abuse on May 14, 15 and 16 of 2019 on thecomputer at his then-workplace, a used car lot in Arkansas.
During the trial, both the defense and prosecution haverelied on expert witnessesto argue their respective cases to the jury.
The prosecution has tried to prove that Josh is the only one who could have committed the alleged crimes on the computer in question, while the defense has suggested that other people could have been responsible and that the government was not thorough in investigating the case.
The prosecution rested on Monday and the defenseon Tuesday. Jury deliberations began Wednesday after each side presented their closing arguments.
derick dillard/ instagram; Patsy Lynch/Shutterstock
Along with Derick, several otherof Josh’s family members have appeared in court, including his wifeAnnaand siblingsJustin,JessaandJoy-Anna. Joy-Anna’s husband Austin Forsyth has also attended.
On Tuesday, dad Jim Bobgave Josh a warm side-hugin the courtroom gallery’s front row, across the divide separating attendees from the defense and prosecution.
If convicted, Josh faces up to20 years of imprisonmentand up to $250,000 in fines.
RELATED VIDEO: Josh Duggar Child Porn Trial: As Defense Rests, the Jury Must Decide Which Expert They Believe
Most of the Duggar family has refrained from speaking publicly about Josh’s case since he was arrested earlier this year. Ina brief statement to PEOPLEat the time, Jill and Derick said: “It is very sad.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
