Evangelist Juanita Bynum, in the midst of a divorce that became very public when she was allegedly beaten, choked and stomped by her estranged husband in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel, said Wednesday that her heart is healing.
“I’m very conscious to keep my heart on schedule to heal properly,” Bynum said during a nationally-televised interview on ABC’s Good Morning America.
When GMA’s Robin Roberts asked Bynum about an abusive first marriage, and her seperation from her second husband, Thomas Weeks III, she said, “My first marriage is something that, he repented for what he did, and I made a vow that I would not talk about that situation because it was over 20 years ago.
“I think right now my focus lately has been on why have I allowed this kind of behavior for a second time,” she said. “I’m really focusing on my own healing rather than looking at the faults of the individuals because I can’t do anything about their actions; I can only do something about my own.”
Weeks, who is also a preacher, faces felony charges alleging that he attacked Bynum on Aug. 21 in the parking lot of a Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport-area hotel. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Weeks, 40, on charges of felony aggravated assault, felony terroristic threats and two counts of simple battery.
Bynum, 48, filed for divorce earlier this month in Ware County, where she has a ministry. Her complaint for divorce was dismissed, but she plans to refile it in Gwinnett County, where Weeks lives.
“I believe that spirituality needs to be used in a proper manner, to the degree that we forgive and we pray, but by the same token, you have to take the responsibility to remove yourself out of harm’s way while you’re praying,” Bynum said Wednesday.
Weeks’ attorney, Randall Kessler, said he was contacted by Good Morning America Tuesday night for a comment on “our position on the current status.”
Kessler released a statement saying, “We have suggested private mediation, or even a settlement conference to expedite resolution, and to prevent any unintended miscommunication or leaks to the press. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more apparent that Rev. Bynum wants to keep this matter public and to expand her career and public persona by doing so.”