The disgraced reality star's cousin shared via Instagram that she does not believe the sentence is severe enough.
Amy Duggar King is releasing a sigh of relief after her cousin, Josh Duggar, was sentenced to 151 months, more than 12 years, in prison for child pornography. The former 19 Kids and Counting family member took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the case and be transparent with her followers about her emotional process throughout the proceedings.
“I can breathe,” Amy said in a video that she noted was purposely unfiltered. “I knew him getting the maximum sentence wasn’t going to be the easiest to prove since it’s his first offense in the judge’s eyes -- which I hate -- but at the same time, he cannot have his computer, he cannot hurt [and] exploit any more children and when he sees his kids, he has to be supervised,” she explained.
Josh shares seven children with his wife, Anna, 12-year-old Mackynzie, Michael, 10, Marcus, 8, Meredith, 6, Mason, 4, Maryella, 2, and 7-month old Madyson.
Josh was initially found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography, a federal charge, in December 2021. The former TLC star was then arrested in April 2021 after detectives in Little Rock, Arkansas traced child porn files being shared by a computer owned by him.
On Wednesday, the day of Josh's sentencing, Amy shared an interview with The Sun, where she requested the maximum sentence from the judge. She wrote, "This in no way equals justice for his victims and the innocence that was stolen from them, but it is necessary for Josh to finally pay for the sinful crimes he has committed."
This was not the first time Josh had been accused of child-related sexual crimes. As a teenager, he was accused of sexually abusing five underage girls, including his sisters, and fellow 19 Kids and Counting stars Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar.
TLC canceled the reality show in 2015 due to the accusations.
"Josh’s sickness stems from somewhere, and eventually we will hear about the trauma," Amy said in her Instagram video. "I don’t know when, or how, or who but eventually I think more will come out. But hopefully tonight, I can sleep for the first time ever and rest assured that another monster will be put behind bars makes my heart feel a little lighter.”
Josh stood trial for six days and faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for the crime. According to court documents previously obtained by ET, Josh allegedly downloaded files that contained images of sexual abuse of children under the age of 12 on his work computer at a used car dealership.
Josh's family members at the courthouse for his sentencing included his father, Jim Bob Duggar, his wife, Anna Duggar, his brother, Jason Duggar, and his sister, Joy-Anna Duggar.
While Amy believes the over 12-year sentence may not be strict enough, she noted that the case against her cousin is "far from over," and that “where he’s going … the prisoners are going to take care of him.”
Though Josh's lawyers have maintained their client's innocence and documented plans for an appeal, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks denied Josh's request for an acquittal or a new trial.
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