Remember the Rev. Tony Spell, the bumptious Baton Rouge pastor who has made a name for himself defying the governor’s ban on big gatherings? Turns out one of his church’s lawyers has been hospitalized with coronavirus:

The lawyer, Jeff Wittenbrink, attended two events at Life Tabernacle Church — an April 2 news conference and an April 5 church service, and has been at Baton Rouge General since Tuesday after progressively worsening conditions, including a high fever and persistent cough, he said.

Reached in his hospital room Thursday while taking oxygen through his nose, Wittenbrink said he did not feel ill during the church events and has “no idea” how he may have contracted the virus.

“I went to Albertson’s twice a day. I went to Sam’s. I went to Walmart. I went to Lowe’s. I used the gas pumps. I mean I just wasn’t careful. God knows where I got it. The bad thing is I might have spread to somebody. I feel bad about that, ” he said.

This. Is. Why. The. Governor. Has. Banned. Large. Gatherings.

Worse, a congregant at Spell’s Life Tabernacle has died of coronavirus,though Spell, predictably, calls that fake news:

The Rev. Tony Spell, the church’s pastor, did not return messages left Thursday about Orillion after the coroner released his death information following a public records request from The Advocate. Spell later in the day confirmed to television stations WAFB and WVLA that Orillion was a parishioner in good standing.

Spell also disputed that Orillion’s death was due to the virus, despite the coroner’s determination. “That is a lie,” Spell told WAFB.

Because a pastor knows better than the coroner. Right.

You might recall that last week, Spell told TMZ that death would be a “welcome friend” to Christians if it came in defense of their faith, including dying because you caught the virus by coming to church. I guess it’s more pleasant to say the coroner is a liar than to face having to face your own potential moral responsibility for this old man’s coronavirus death.

I hope the lawyer recovers, and I pray that the old man’s family will be comforted in their loss. This is why churches are closing now, though!

I want to throw this tweet from a prominent conservative talk radio host out there too:

I am friends with a lady who is a nurse. She hated my guts in 2016 for not supporting Trump. She deleted her Facebook acct today. She got tired of seeing all her friends saying the virus is no big deal when she has never seen anything like it in over 20 years as a nurse.

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) April 17, 2020

UPDATE: Pastor Tony wants your stimulus check: