Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania vs. Justin Rutherford’ of the podcast ‘Betrayal,’ the listeners are provided a detailed account of the crimes of an Amity Township-based doctor named Justin Rutherford. While the primary focus is on two teen victims who were on the receiving end of sexual abuse at the hands of the doctor, the podcast episode also covers the other crimes that he was involved in, giving the listeners all the intricate details.
Justin Rutherford Installed a Hidden Camera in His Bathroom to Record People Without Their Consent
In July 2021, a 13-year-old Amity Township boy noticed a black cube plugged into a wall outlet while taking a shower in the second-floor bathroom of a friend’s house. As he thought it was a camera, he took pictures of it and sent them to his mother to confirm his suspicions. After inspecting the photographs carefully, she also believed it was a camera. So, she asked him to retrieve it. But first, he chose to talk about it with another male friend at the place, who checked the bathroom and took the camera.
The two friends managed to leave the residence with the device. The 13-year-old boy and his mother then went to the police and submitted the camera, after which an investigation was launched. Upon digging deeper, the authorities learned that the house belonged to Justin Rutherford, a physician at West Reading-based Tower Health. For the next step, the caseworkers brought the doctor in for questioning, but he denied knowing anything about the camera in his bathroom. Still suspecting him of the wrongdoing, the investigators examined the camera and discovered many videos of undressed people.
The device seemed motion-activated, and the footage could be accessed through an app. When they looked around the house for more clues, another black cube device was discovered inside a nightstand. It turned out that Justin used to record people in his bathroom with the hidden camera without their consent. They recovered more than 2,800 videos and 1,400 still photographs from Justin’s data card of the camera. Out of the multiple people who were recorded, only six of the children and two adults could reportedly be identified.
Justin Rutherford Sexually Assaulted Two Teens and Planned to Get One of His Victims Killed
Moreover, two teen male victims came forward and told the detectives that they were sexually abused and assaulted by the doctor. One was a 17-year-old boy who was given marijuana and alcohol before getting sexually assaulted. The other was a 16-year-old boy who had been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of Justin for several years, for about five years. In light of all the evidence, the authorities managed to get an arrest warrant for Justin, and he was arrested on October 2, 2021, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia while he was returning from the United Kingdom. After Justin Rutherford was charged with sexual assault, Tower Health terminated his employment and ended all the ties with him.
While he was in custody awaiting trial, Justin tried to get someone to get rid of one of his victims. The detectives were able to intercept the conversations related to that. He suggested an individual that a Monday evening would be the ideal time to kill the victim as he would be home alone at the time. Justin also advised him to wear gloves and proper clothing to prevent getting his DNA found at the crime scene. He reportedly told him to knock out the boy first and then kill him in a painless manner. Justin gave out a couple of suggestions to the would-be conspirator — either to bury the victim deep into the forest or burn in a barrel to avoid leaving any evidence behind. When the detectives learned about it, Justin was further charged with criminal solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
Justin Rutherford is Held up at a Pennsylvania Prison Facility
Initially, Justin’s wife, Stacey, also suffered the consequences of her husband’s actions as she was also named as a defendant in the case. But she defended herself by issuing a statement in which she claimed that she had no part in her husband’s crimes and she and her children were victims. In October 2022, Justin Rutherford pleaded guilty to rape of an unconscious person, rape of a child, invasion of privacy, and sexual abuse of multiple children.
Since it was a non-negotiated plea, he was in no position to work out a sentence with the prosecution despite admitting to the charges against him. Several months later, on May 1, 2023, the 34-year-old former physician at Tower Health was sentenced to 26 years and 10 months to 70 years in prison. In addition, he was also ordered to serve another 12 years of special probation once his prison term ended. Currently, he is serving his sentence at State Correctional Institution – Albion at 10745 PA-18 in Albion, Pennsylvania.
Read More: Brian Peck: Where is the Convicted Child Sex Offender Now?
