Popular New Hampshire pastor Jarrett Booker, 37, kills himself two days after he was fired for ‘sexually abusing minors’
A popular New Hampshire pastor committed suicide just two days after his church fired him for “sexual abuse of minors.”
Jarrett Booker, 37, was adopted at 18 months and grew up in Virginia before attending Liberty University. He moved to New Hampshire to serve as pastor at Nashua Baptist Church.
Booker’s job was terminated Nov. 25 after church officials learned of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the pastor.
On November 27, just two days after being fired, Booker committed suicide.
The pastor recently celebrated his 11th anniversary with his wife Rachel, with whom he has a son, Eddie.
Jarrett Booker, 37, was adopted at 18 months and grew up in Virginia before attending Liberty University. He moved to New Hampshire to serve as pastor at Nashua Baptist Church.
Booker’s job was terminated Nov. 25 after church officials learned of an investigation into sexual abuse allegations against the pastor.
The pastor recently celebrated his 11th anniversary with his wife Rachel, with whom he has a son, Eddie.
Booker’s wife Rachel wrote on Facebook that the past two weeks have been a “mixture of emotions” for her.
Rachel said she and her son Eddie are “forever grateful” for every prayer and word of support as they begin to build life as a team of two.
In an emotional post, she said: “Sin is dark and it destroys. We hate it, we are saddened by it and we continue to pray for everyone affected. JB had his demons, I won’t pretend he didn’t. His choices caused harm.”
The Nashua Baptist Church released a statement addressing their decision to fire Booker and their reaction to the news of his suicide.
“On November 22, we became aware of a criminal investigation into credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving Jarrett Booker.
“Jarrett has been an integral part of our church, serving as Pastor of Worship and Youth Ministries for nearly ten years.
“These allegations prompted an internal review that uncovered additional evidence of misconduct.
“Regardless of the outcome of any criminal investigation, such conduct undoubtedly violated the moral and ethical standards we expect of our leaders and was inconsistent with the standards of our faith.
Church officials said they decided to terminate Booker’s employment immediately on Nov. 25, three days after they learned of the investigation.
On November 27, just two days after being fired, Booker committed suicide.
Nashua Baptist Church released a statement about its decision to fire Booker and its reaction to the news of his suicide.
Booker’s wife Rachel wrote on Facebook that the last two weeks have been a “mixture of emotions” for her.
There was an outpouring of support for Booker on social media as friends and family learned of his suicide. One friend even called the pastor “one of the best guys I’ve ever known.”
Elders and deacons of Nashua Baptist Church said in response to news of the suicide of their former employee: “Sadly, on the evening of November 27th, Jarrett Booker took his own life after refusing to acknowledge the consequences of his actions. This event has made the situation immeasurably more difficult and painful.”
“Nashua Baptist Church unequivocally condemns all forms of violence. It is evil and our God hates it,” the statement said.
When friends and family learned of his suicide, there was an outpouring of support for Booker on social media.
One friend even described the pastor as “one of the best guys I’ve ever known.”
A family member said Booker was “one of the most gentle, loving, kind and godly people I know!”
Sergeant John Cinelli, public information officer and chief of communications for the Nashua Police Department, confirmed that Booker is being investigated on suspicion of sex crimes against children.
“We learned of the alleged crimes through an investigation conducted by another police department,” he said. “The investigation is still ongoing even though the suspect has died.”