Sobbing missionary admits he raped girl, 15, in Tesla because he was going through a breakup... as judge who let him get married while on bail allows him to walk free

A Latter-day Saint missionary who tearfully admitted to sexually assaulting a teenage girl because he felt 'miserable and sad' after splitting from his now-wife has been spared from serving any time behind bars. Krew Zaugg, 22, of Idaho, appeared in Bonneville County court on Monday, where he was formally sentenced for sexually assaulting an unidentified 15-year-old girl inside his Tesla last year, East Idaho News reported.He was arrested less than a month after the attack, facing felony charges of rape of a victim under 16 and lewd conduct with a child under 16. He was released on a $75,000 bond that same day.Just six months later, Zaugg married his fiancée, Meriden Zaugg, whom he had proposed to a month earlier, according to photos shared by his mother on Instagram.The photos showed the couple tying the knot on a beach surrounded by towering cliffs and rock formations, with Zaugg placing a gold band set with a huge diamond on his bride's finger as loved ones watched. 'We adore her. What a blessing she is to our son - and to all of us!' his mother captioned the post. 'We couldn’t be happier for these two and the wonderful life ahead of them!'Now married, Zaugg appeared in court on Monday, where he blamed his relationship troubles for the sexual attack.He told the judge he had broken up with his girlfriend-turned-wife that night and, feeling 'lonely and missing her,' made an 'impulsive decision.' Krew Zaugg (pictured), 22, of Idaho, appeared in Bonneville County court on Monday, where he was formally sentenced for sexually assaulting an unidentified 15-year-old girl inside his Tesla last year Zaugg, a Latter-Day Saint missionary, blamed his relationship troubles, telling the judge he had broken up with his girlfriend that night and, feeling 'lonely and missing her,' made an 'impulsive decision''I was feeling sad, lonely and miserable. Instead of dealing with those things in a mature and responsible way, I made an impulsive decision,' Zaugg said, East Idaho News reported.'I opened up a snap from a girl online without taking the time to really get to know her, asking her questions or understanding her circumstances,' he added.Zaugg's defense attorney cited his clean criminal record in arguing for a more lenient sentence. Prosecutors, however, stressed that he was college-aged while the girl was just a freshman in high school, urging the court to consider a sentence of up to 20 years.District Judge Michael Whyte ultimately declined to hand over a lengthy prison term, instead requiring Zaugg to enter a 'rider program' where he will undergo treatment in custody for up to a year.He will also register as a sex offender, pay at least $4,000 in court fines and fees and have no contact with the victim for 14 years. 'What you did was horrible. You can’t take it back, you can’t fix it,' Whyte said, according to the outlet. 'All you can do is try and make you a better person, and you move forward, and hope that the victim is able to somehow find peace.'The ruling comes after a June plea deal, in which Zaugg agreed to admit guilt to an amended felony battery charge, with prosecutors dropping the separate lewd conduct charge. Zaugg was arrested less than a month after the attack, facing felony charges of rape of a victim under 16 and lewd conduct with a child under 16. He was released on a $75,000 bond that same day Just six months after posing bail, Zaugg married his fiancée, Meriden Zaugg, whom he had proposed to a month earlier But with neither side recommending a specific sentence, the plea deal left Judge Whyte free to decide Zaugg’s fate. After the program, Whyte can decide whether to send him to serve his underlying sentence of four to 14 years behind bars. 'If this had happened to Krew Zaugg, if he was the victim of the brutal and violent rape that my daughter endured, Krew’s parents would be paying the most top-notch attorneys to get the perpetrator sent to life in prison or sent to the firing squad,' the victim's mother said, East Idaho News reported.'This has caused my daughter to be socially withdrawn and highly hypervigilant given her severe trust issues with any man, and have panic attacks,' she added. In court on Monday, Zaugg further recounted his version of events from the night of May 4, 2025, claiming he had been seeking comfort after his brief breakup. While insisting he never intended to hurt the girl, he admitted he had lied to investigators when he was first taken into custody. 'I was scared, I made another decision I regret. I wasn’t completely honest with the police at the beginning,' Zaugg said. 'I should have had the courage to tell the truth right away.'Meanwhile, the victim and four of her relatives shared letters detailing the devastating impact the sexual assault had on the teen's life.In a statement read to the court by Pam Millhouse, a victim coordinator with the Booneville County Prosecutor's Office, the girl's sister said their grandfather had recently passed away when the teen met Zaugg. District Judge Michael Whyte ultimately declined to hand over a lengthy prison term, instead requiring Zaugg to enter a 'rider program' where he will undergo treatment in custody for up to a year The victim's stepmother voiced her outrage at Zaugg, pointing out that he had recently returned from a Latter-day Saint mission to share the gospel with othersThe 'vulnerable' girl had been looking for a friend when she connected with him on Snapchat. She told him she was 15, but he still took her out that night. 'No girl should go out seeking a friend to come home traumatized permanently,' her sister said, recalling how the teenager came into her bedroom in the middle of the night and told her she had been assaulted.'Looking at you makes me sick. This is not a young man who made a mistake. This was a deliberate and evil act to feel powerful,' she said.The victim's mother told the court that her daughter was trapped inside the Tesla during the attack, unable to figure out how to unlock the doors of the unfamiliar newer model. 'I do not want to repeat all the torturous things he forced upon my child to engage in with him. All I will say is it was brutal, it was violent and highly forceful, which left her with bruises, physical marks and all,' her letter read.'I know the people sitting in this room right now have not seen those pictures, nor do they know much about this case except what they are told by their friends or Krew himself.'The girl's stepmother voiced her outrage at Zaugg, pointing out that he had recently returned from a Latter-day Saint mission to share the gospel with others. 'What also bothers me is that Krew was a missionary and a member of the LDS church. He devoted part of his life to serving the Lord and representing Christian values,' she said, according to the outlet. While insisting he never intended to hurt the girl, Zaugg admitted he had lied to investigators when he was first taken into custody Prosecutor Steven Haderlie called for Zaugg to be sent to prison, telling the court: 'At best, this defendant didn’t care if the victim was a minor. At worst, he was seeking out a minor''Yet, his actions were the complete opposite of what those values stand for,' she added. 'Being a missionary or a religious man doesn’t make someone a good person, and it shouldn’t excuse what they’ve done.'Millhouse then read the final letter submitted to the court, a powerful statement written by the victim herself.'When we made plans to hang out, I did not expect anything like that to happen that night. I took it as a chance to get out of the house with a friend because I had not left the house since my grandfather passed,' the teen wrote.'I had to sleep on the couch because it was closer to my family. I had to take Benadryl to sleep without waking up panicking,' she added.'I am also now a joke to half of this town because of what you did. People are commenting on articles, making literal jokes about a 15-year-old child who got hurt by a grown man.'Prosecutor Steven Haderlie called for Zaugg to be sent to prison, telling the court: 'At best, this defendant didn’t care if the victim was a minor. At worst, he was seeking out a minor.'Haderlie also argued that the teen had made her age clear to Zaugg, but said he brushed it off as a joke. He urged the judge to impose a sentence that would deter others from having sex with minors, regardless of the age difference. 'At trial, we would have shown that force was involved,' the prosecutor said, East Idaho News reported. 'Just because someone has done some good things in their life, doesn’t mean that they might not also have made a very terrible choice.' Judge Whyte cited Zaugg's 'remarkably' low LSI score of three, which he said was the lowest he had ever encountered In his own plea, Zaugg asked the judge to 'consider the person I'm looking to become'But defense attorney Michael Winchester argued that Zaugg deserved leniency because he was unlikely to reoffend.'We’re not questioning that there is real harm here. That is not in dispute. We are not questioning that the conduct was bad,' he said. 'We’re just saying the facts in this case don’t warrant the death penalty, and they don’t warrant a 20-year sentence.'Winchester recommended probation or a rider program, though acknowledged that such options are not always popular with the public, who may prefer to see defendants behind bars.'Krew is not walking away from this unscathed. Publicly, he’s been subject to quite a bit of humiliation,' he said.In his own plea, Zaugg asked the judge to 'consider the person I'm looking to become.''I know I cannot change the past as much as I wish I could go back and make different decisions. I can’t. But I can choose what kind of man I can become,' he said, according to the outlet.'I know that one night of poor decisions does not have to define the rest of my life, but I also know that it is my responsibility to make sure it doesn’t.'Judge Whyte cited Zaugg's 'remarkably' low LSI score of three, which he said was the lowest he had ever encountered. The assessment is used by the criminal justice system to gauge the likelihood of reoffending.