Woman’s confession to pastor was used against her in court, attorney says

DONALDSONVILLE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) – A Louisiana woman convicted of attempted murder says her confession to her pastor was used against her in court.

An Ascension Parish jury found Peggy Valentine, 44, guilty of attempted first-degree murder and home invasion for stabbing her fiancé's other girlfriend with a box cutter last year.

According to Valentine’s attorney David Belfield III, Valentine was invited inside the house when she went there on the morning of May 4, 2022, attempting to make amends with the woman who had just had a baby with her fiancé.

“There was no sign of forced entry, no doors broken, no windows broken. Somebody had to open the door,” Belfield said.

He argues Valentine was let inside the house before the women got into a fight.

However, prosecutor Brant Mayer said Valentine broke into the house and attacked the woman while she was sleeping in her bed.

After Valentine left, the woman was taken to a hospital and treated for her injuries.

Valentine reportedly called her pastor, who happens to also work for the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office. He advised her to talk to investigators.

Her attorney said she voluntarily went to speak to investigators because she believed she had only defended herself.

“It was obvious they had interrogated Peggy for a moment. She was very, very distraught at the time. She stopped talking to him, shut down and demanded to speak to her pastor,” Belfield said.

Valentine then confessed to her pastor, but another deputy was still present in the room. She admitted to going to the house to try to catch her fiancé with the other woman.

Her attorney tried to have the conversation removed from evidence, arguing pastor privilege.

Belfield said the pastor never clarified to Valentine that what she said could be used against her.

“Are you working as a pastor or a deputy? He never once told her, ‘Peggy, you have to be careful in what you say because I’m working as a police officer. What you say will be used against you,’” Belfield said.

Belfield explained that there are three prongs of the pastor protection clause. First, the pastor must be a member of the clergy. Second, a conversation must be one where a person is seeking spiritual guidance.

“There was no question she was seeking spiritual guidance,” Belfield said.

And third, the conversation must be in confidentiality, which Belfield argued it was.

However, the state argued the conversation wasn’t confidential since another deputy was in the room.

The judge agreed with the state and ruled there was no expectation of privacy since Valentine wasn’t alone with her pastor.

The judge allowed the jury to hear the confession multiple times.

“If you can’t trust your pastor in this day and age, who can you trust?” Belfield said.

The jury returned a guilty verdict on both home invasion and attempted first-degree murder charges on Monday night.

Valentine is currently being held at the Ascension Parish Jail. Her sentencing date is set for Feb. 27.