WACO, Texas (KXXV) — A former theology professor and librarian at Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced.
Charles Kilby Bellinger, 63, was arrested in October 2024 after TCU IT staff flagged pornographic files with concerning names—such as “infant” and “toddler”—on his work computer. Fort Worth police later recovered multiple explicit images of prepubescent minors from a hard drive and SD card found in his office.
Bellinger pleaded guilty in January 2025 to one count of possession of child pornography. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman sentenced him to 121 months in prison and ordered $6,000 in restitution to victims. Bellinger was remanded into custody following the hearing.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, Fort Worth Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and TCU Campus Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Saleem prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
