SAN JOSE (CA)
KNTV - NBC Bay Area [San Jose CA]
November 21, 2025
By Brandon Pho | San Jose Spotlight
A jury has exonerated a San Jose youth pastor accused of sexually abusing two minors.
The verdict was handed down Wednesday in a Morgan Hill courtroom, more than a year after former River Church youth ministry leader Brett Bymaster was arrested on charges of molesting a girl starting when she was eight years old until she was 13. After the case advanced to trial, the accuser’s sister came forward with her own allegations, adding to the charges.
“After over a year of waiting, the truth has finally come to light. I am grateful that the jury saw past the lies and prevented a miscarriage of justice,” Bymaster said in a statement. “I am ready to get back to the hard work of serving Jesus and loving our neighbors in the downtown San Jose Washington community. Our family continues to pray blessings and healing for all those involved — both our accusers and our supporters.”
The lead prosecutor on the case, Deputy District Attorney Christopher Paynter, aired displeasure with the verdict.
“I am disappointed by the results of the jury’s verdicts in this case but deeply respect the criminal justice process and the jury’s dedicated service in this trial,” Paynter told San Jose Spotlight. “This was a difficult but righteous case on behalf of the victims that went to jury trial. I would ask at this time for the privacy of the victims and their families to be respected at this time.”
Bymaster served as a youth pastor and director at The River, nestled on Lincoln Avenue, for five years beginning in 2014. Bymaster, a former tech worker, is also a founder and executive director of the Healing Grove Health Center, a clinic that serves low-income families. Bymaster quit the church after getting a critical job review in August 2019 based on complaints about his leadership from church families.
The church launched an internal inquiry two years later, which found that Bymaster was a “toxic leader who was spiritually abusive,” and encouraged church leaders to summarize her findings in a letter. The probe from Marks, which included interviews with 25 individuals, also questioned the church’s management of Bymaster.
Yet five parishioner families say the probe failed to uncover the extent of Bymaster’s alleged wrongdoing and excluded one of the most serious claims — sexual abuse. Bymaster was arrested shortly after the church announced plans for another investigation.
During the trial, Bymaster’s attorneys, Dana Fite and Renee Hessling, argued that financially-motivated church families induced the children to form false memories of abuse.
Last year, Bymaster’s troubles notably drew attention from the area’s then-councilmember, Omar Torres, who publicly vowed to make sure that people accused of sexual abuse cannot utilize city-run youth spaces. The following November, Torres himself was arrested on child molestation charges. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in August.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by San Jose Spotlight.