Gospel Singer Pleads Guilty to Assaulting His Wife
Grammy-nominated gospel singer James Fortune pleaded guilty to abusing his wife this week.
According to ABC 13, Fortune attacked his wife with a vanity stool, kicked her and threw her against a wall. A judge sentenced him to five days in jail, 175 hours of community service, “batterer’s intervention” and to stay away from his wife.
“I hope in all of this you get help. Serious help. Although this probation might be like a slap on the wrist, I hope you look at it as a moment to better yourself and change something within you for your future,” Cheryl Fortune wrote in a note read in court.
The “We Give You Glory” and “I Believe” singer has been in court before. In 2002, Fortune pleaded guilty to whipping his stepson before scalding him with boiling water, leaving the preschooler permanently disfigured.
Fortune’s sentence was the result of a plea deal with his wife.
According to ABC 13, Fortune’s wife agreed to the plea deal this time because she didn’t want to put their three kids through the stresses of trial and the possibility of testifying against him.
