Richard Rossi

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Richard Rossi (b. March 2, 1963, Pittsburgh, PA,) is an American filmmaker, actor, producer, musician, church planter, convict, and healing evangelist. His 1995 trial for the attempted murder of his wife, who recanted her original identification of Rossi as her attacker and espoused his innocence, ended in a mistrial and was front-page news in Pittsburgh[1] and widely covered by syndicated television news programs.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early years

The son of Richard Rossi Sr., a professional jazz guitarist. As a teenager, his father was put into a mental institution for a bipolar disorder, which by all accounts devastated Rossi.[2] Turning to religion, he became a born-again Christian, and toured as a rock and roll preacher, usually in tandem with songwriting partner Johnny Walker, playing a unique brand of gospel rock. He was featured on The 700 Club and in the CBS documentary Teen's Songs Turn Youth to God. His music from this period was released on the album New Wine.

[edit] Ministries

Rossi moved to Lynchburg, Virginia at age 18 to study at Liberty University, where he earned a Bachelors and Master's degree in Biblical Studies. He married his classmate Sherrie Lynn Plaugher on May 11, 1984. In his senior year, he started his first church, "The Fellowship."

His second church, created with partner Jack Sims, was called "Matthew's Party", the name taken from the biblical story about Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Matthew, the gospel writer. In 1986, Rossi started First Love, a charismatic church. He rented movie theaters and showed films as an evangelistic outreach. Dramatic faith healings allegedly occurred. In April 1991, Rossi reportedly suffered depression.[2]

In September 1991, Rossi began broadcasting his nightly radio show Rich Rossi Live. According to his account, he drew opposition from established clergy who said the miraculous signs and wonders the press reported were not biblical, because "healing miracles were unique to Christ and the Twelve Apostles to authenticate their message, and had not occurred since the first century." (Pittsburgh Press, July 11, 1990, Megan O'Matz, "Rock Assuages.") Rossi, again according to his own account, was criticized by other clerics for his use of rock and roll music, his casual attire, and his criticism of conventional Christianity. (Pittsburgh Press, "Rock Assuages," 7/11/1990)

[edit] Attempted murder charge

On June 24, 1994, Rossi's wife, Sherri Lynn, was found near death in a coma on the side of a Pennsylvania road; she had a crushed skull and was left covered in blood.[3][4] Ms. Rossi initially identified her attacker as her husband.[3] Richard denied the allegation, telling authorities that a man who looked just like him, driving a car just like his, had hijacked his wife's car and beat his wife.[5] Press accounts claimed that Rossi attributed the attack to a Satanic cult, but Rossi denies this.[5][6] Sherri Lynn received an order of protection from a court, but, in October 1994, withdrew her accusation.[3][5] (Again, press accounts claimed that Ms. Rossi stated that her attacker was a demon in human form, but the Rossis deny they said this.)[3][5][6] Sherri's stepbrother, Mark Plaugher, accused the Rossi family of pressuring her to change her story.[1]

Rossi was charged with attempted murder, but a trial ended in a hung jury, with the vote 9-3 in favor of conviction.[1] Before retrial, Rossi pled no contest to a count of second-degree aggravated assault, and received a four-to-eight month sentence in Butler County Jail plus four years probation and required domestic-violence counseling, and served 96 days.[1][7][8] Domestic violence workers criticized the short sentence.[9][10] The Rossis renewed their wedding vows after his release.[7]

Sherri Rossi, who had campaigned for her husband's exoneration, sued state and county officials for abridging her civil rights when courts refused to lift a bond restriction forbidding her husband to contact her while he was out on bail; the suit was dismissed by a federal court.[8] In 1996, Sherri self-published Assault of Justice: The Richard Rossi Mystery, defending her husband and proclaiming his innocence, and claiming that charges were retaliation for exposing police corruption and a Satanic cult. A press release alleged Rossi was innocent based on physical evidence and the testimony of eyewitnesses.[6]

While charges were pending and Rossi served his sentence, membership in his church dropped from 300 to 12.[8]

[edit] California: acting and ministry

Rossi relocated to Hollywood in 1997. He first role was in the 1998 short film Jesus 2000.

In 1998, he appeared on stage in his own adaptation Elmer Gantry, mounted by Immanuel Community Church in Long Beach, where he was pastor.[11] In 1999, six trustees of the church filed a civil lawsuit against Rossi, accusing him of "changing the church bylaws", defrauding the church of $15,000, and failing to disclose his criminal conviction.[4] Rossi denied the charges, and the case was settled out of court.[12]

He started house churches for actors and celebrities, operating under the name "Eternal Grace." [1]

In 2001, Rossi wrote and directed Saving Sister Aimee,[2] a short documentary film about 1920's evangelist Aimee McPherson. The film won the Golden Halo Award from the Southern California Motion Picture Council.

In 2005, Rossi revisited Sister Aimee's story in the feature biopic Aimee Semple McPherson. Filmed for under $75,000, it starred actress Mimi Michaels as Aimee, and Rance Howard as Aimee's father James Kennedy. Christianity Today[3] and Charisma magazine praised the film, though the latter noted the movie's "shoestring production values."[13] The Screen Actor's Guild honored the film with an exhibition as part of their SAG Conversations Series. Rossi and Rance Howard spoke at the event in the James Cagney Auditorium.[2] [14]. The movie was voted one of the top guerrilla films of all time and has generated mostly positive feedback since it's worldwide release by Maverick Entertainment under the new title "Sister Aimee: The Aimee Semple McPherson Story." [4]

[edit] Discography

  • "Ballad of Johnny Walker" (Aircraft Records, 1982)
  • "New Wine" (SisArt Music Audio Cassette, 1993)
  • "Live At Graffiti's" (SisArt LiveConcert VHS Cassette), 1994
  • "Full Circle" (Eternal Grace Records cassette, 1996)
  • "Richard Rossi Raw" (Eternal Grace Records, Five Cassette Anthology, 1998)
  • "Songs of Worship" (Eternal Grace Records, 2002)
  • "More Heaven" (Eternal Grace Records, 2007)

[edit] Filmography

  • "Aimee Semple McPherson:aka Sister Aimee:The Aimee Semple McPherson Story" (Maverick Entertainment, 2006)
  • "Judy" (2005)
  • "Saving Sister Aimee" (2001)
  • "Jesus 2000" (1998)
  • "Quest for Truth" (1992)
  • "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" (1979)

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

 The references in this article would be clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.
  1. ^ a b c d Karen Kane. "No-contest plea entered for assault", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1995-05-19, p. A1. 
  2. ^ a b c d Donnally, Ed. "Filmmaker Tells Story of 'Wounded Healer'", Charisma, October 2005. Retrieved on 2007-07-31. 
  3. ^ a b c d Karen Kane. "'My Husband Is Not To Blame'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1994-10-13, p. A1. 
  4. ^ a b Kim Phillips. "Pastor Wins By Default", Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1999-11-21, p. A2. 
  5. ^ a b c d Alyssa Gabbay. "Is villain Satan or man. . . ?", Houston Chronicle, 1995-01-15, p. A4. 
  6. ^ a b c Ethel Bernstein (2007-07-14). "The Trauma Of Being Falsely Accused". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-31.
  7. ^ a b "Rossi renewal blocked", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1995-06-26, p. C4. 
  8. ^ a b c Karen Kane and Mark Belko. "'Lucky' man is out of jail", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1995-08-30, p. B1. 
  9. ^ Associated Press. "Rev's 4-month jail term for beating wife ripped sends bad message, Victims Center says", Philadelphia Daily News, 1995-05-20, p. 9. 
  10. ^ Cindi Lash. "Domestic violence workers score 'obscene' Rossi term", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1995-05-19, p. A9. 
  11. ^ "Pastor faces suit for revising bylaws of church", Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1999-11-20. 
  12. ^ Displaced pastor finds grass is greener on the outside
  13. ^ Charisma magazine review
  14. ^ SAG Foundation | Conversations | Roll Film