The federal case involving former Southwestern Seminary provost and evangelism professor Matthew Queen has been set for trial on Dec. 9.
On May 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had charged Queen with obstruction of justice through falsifying records and failing to notify the FBI of a conspiracy related to an instance of sexual abuse.
The recently unsealed indictment from a grand jury in the U.S. Southern District Court of New York alleged Queen sought to obstruct a federal investigation by forging notes and lying to investigators about a conversation between two employees regarding a case of alleged sexual abuse. Southwestern President David Dockery has since identified those employees as former Southwestern Chief of Staff Heath Woolman and Southwestern Dean of Women Terri Stovall.
Matthew Queen
Court documents show Queen was arrested on Thursday, May 16. He was released on bond in the amount of $50,000. He was arraigned and pled not guilty, issuing a statement through his attorney: “I fully cooperated with this investigation and have pleaded not guilty to the charge against me. As a Christian, a seminary professor, and now a pastor, my integrity is everything to me and I will cling to that integrity and seek to be vindicated by God and man. Until that day, I do not intend to comment or discuss this matter further.”
Queen was released on the condition that he surrender his passport and refrain from contacting victims and witnesses. He may only travel within the district of his residence except to Manhattan to confer with his attorney and appear in court. The court, however, did approve his request to travel to South Carolina for a family vacation in September.
The court also has ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation and, if necessary, treatment.
The case in question revolves around the arrest of former Texas Baptist College student Christian Flores, who, according to a booking record and incident report, was arrested on Jan. 24, 2023, on a charge of felony sexual assault via forcible sodomy through the use of a personal weapon. Flores’ case status remains unclear as the Tarrant County district attorney’s office indicated via their clerk they had no responsive documents to BNG’s request for current information.
A definitive timeline
Based on seminary statements, court documents and verified sources, BNG has recreated this timeline of the events and alleged events in question.
August 2022: The Department of Justice launched an investigation into the entities of the Southern Baptist Convention. The investigation followed release of the Guidepost Solutions report, which detailed allegations of mishandling of abuse by the SBC’s Executive Committee and an alleged act of abuse by former SBC President Johnny Hunt, who has since filed a suit for defamation against Guidepost and the SBC.
October 2022: The Department of Justice issued a subpoena to Southwestern Seminary requiring the production of “all documents in the seminary’s possession related to allegations of sexual abuse against anyone employed by or associated with the seminary.” This subpoena likely touched on reports of abuse made during both the Adam Greenway and Paige Patterson administrations. It required the seminary to immediately notify the FBI and DOJ of any new allegations of sexual crimes.
October 14, 2022: Flores’ off-campus alleged victim called 911 to report two sexual assaults, one she said happened a month earlier and another more recent. The Burleson Police Department responded to the call.
Terri Stovall
November 2022: Southwestern Dean of Women Terri Stovall was somehow notified of the alleged assault, although details remain unclear of how this happened. Stovall immediately notified Southwestern Chief of Police Kevin Collins, who appears to have taken no action on the allegation despite having been informed directly by Dockery to preserve and produce all responsive documents.
January 24, 2023: Southwestern released a statement indicating it became aware of an outstanding felony warrant for Flores. It reported helping the Burleson and Fort Worth police departments track and arrest him. Flores was arrested at the seminary police station and booked that same day on one count of felony sexual assault.
January 25, 2023: For reasons unknown, Stovall created a document describing, in the words of the indictment, “among other things, the allegation of sexual abuse involving (Flores) and the seminary’s failure to take action.”
January 26, 2023: After a service of worship in MacGorman Chapel, Stovall, Queen and Woolman held a meeting and conducted a conversation. Woolman allegedly directed Stovall to destroy the document and make it “go away.” Stovall appears to have either refused or feigned compliance by destroying the original, but not before copying the document for herself and turning it over to the proper authorities.
David Dockery
Spring 2023 term: President Dockery interviewed Stovall, Queen and Woolman. Stovall insisted to Dockery that Woolman directed her to destroy the document, while Queen and Woolman said no such thing had been said. Dockery said his administration “operated within the tension of knowing that employees in whom we had confidence had differences of recollection.”
April 2023: Woolman began looking for a way out of Southwestern Seminary. He became a candidate for a pastoral position in Florida. Dockery provided a recommendation to the church partly because Woolman was his former doctoral student and served as his chief of staff. Woolman resigned from the seminary staff on May 5, 2023.
May 23, 2023: Queen was summoned to the FBI field office in downtown Fort Worth. During that meeting, he stated he did not hear Woolman direct Stovall to destroy the document. After that meeting, Queen allegedly forged notes regarding the conversation between Stovall, Woolman and himself. The indictment said those alleged false notes were “purportedly contemporaneous.” They stated Woolman had only told Stovall to provide the document to authorized personnel at Southwestern.
May 26, 2023: Queen told an unnamed seminary employee he had found notes of his conversation with Stovall and Woolman and provided them in conjunction with the subpoena.
June 2023: Queen provided the DOJ with a copy of his alleged conversation notes.
June 2023: SWBTS Police Chief Kevin Collins left Southwestern Seminary and Assistant Police Chief Dave Austin became acting chief.
June 20, 2023: Queen was summoned to FBI field office. There, he provided the original alleged notes of the January conversation.
June 21, 2023: Queen testified under oath that he had heard Woolman instruct Stovall to make the document “go away.” Southwestern placed Queen on administrative leave, and he resigned as interim provost.
February 25, 2024: Queen announced he was leaving Southwestern to return as pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church of Greensboro, N.C.
Wednesday, May 8: A grand jury in Manhattan indicted Queen on one count of obstruction of justice by falsifying and destroying records.
Thursday, May 16, 2024: Queen was arrested and released on a $50,000 bond. He was arraigned and pled not guilty.
Sunday, May 19, 2024: Leaders of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church announce Queen has been placed on administrative leave: “Dr. Queen has committed to resolve this matter responsibly, and we support his full cooperation with the authorities. To this end, Dr. Queen is on administrative leave from his pastoral responsibilities. He will step away to devote his attention to his family and to assist authorities in their inquiry.”
May 21, 2024: A trial date for Queen’s case is set for Dec. 9, 2024.
Related articles:
Former seminary administrator pleads not guilty, is placed on leave by his NC church
Former Southwestern administrator indicted for falsifying sexual abuse records
Dockery comments on indictment, names two other employees involved