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Amy Robach
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human
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Kal Penn
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Amy Robach
If audiobooks are your thing or you've been meaning to listen to more of them, you should check out a podcast called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Hosted by Kal Penn.
Kal Penn
Each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres Sci fi, comedy, romance, thrillers and more, with Cal talking to guests who help break down what makes each story worth listening to.
Amy Robach
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great, great audiobook.
Kal Penn
Check out Earsay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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TJ Holmes
Hey there folks. It is Friday, May 8th and he is going to spend the rest of his life in prison. But a lot of questions still rem about how a man who was in a position of power on a college campus was able to get away with sexually abusing boys and young men for decades. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. Seems like we. This is one of those stories, right? What do I think about the Michigan State doctor These stories where these monsters, if you will, are in these positions and it goes on for decades. And then we wonder what. Well, how did this get. Get missed? This one is another just mind blowing story.
Amy Robach
This one is beyond anything I have ever seen before. This man, 70 year old Daniel Savala, was duped. The holiest man alive. Truly. He was a revered spiritual figure. People called him Papa Daniel and literally called him the holiest man alive to his face. And yeah, he was there at Sam Houston State University beginning in the 90s. He began the Chi Alpha group there on campus. I had to look up and find out what Chi Alpha was. Were you familiar with this group?
TJ Holmes
No, I'm not even sure if I'd heard their name before.
Amy Robach
Yeah, so they are basically a nationwide campus ministries group. You'll find these chapters on a lot of college campuses throughout this country. And he became basically the spiritual figure representing this chapter and had access not only to college college students, but to some folks, children. They people brought their children to him for guidance and allowed him to minister them. But that is not what he was doing. Now, according to his convictions and to his dozens and dozens of accusers.
TJ Holmes
And this was yesterday, right? He was in court that all this went down roads. But he is a Chi Alpha is a. Affiliated with the Pentecostal Church. Correct. Assemblies of God, I think is what it is. And robes. A lot of questions are going to be for them and for the university. But this was not just something, this was not just some random little group on campus. This is something that built and grew, that he built up. That he was considered the man at the center of that. He was there, I guess their holy centerpiece, if you will. He was their leader.
Amy Robach
Yes.
TJ Holmes
In that spot he sent other people to out to start chapters. This guy had an incredible reach, preached for a long time. So we're trying to give that perspective about just how devastating the story is.
Amy Robach
It's. It's hard to get your head around how other pastors within the Assemblies of God looked at this man, Daniel Savala, as this supreme spiritual authority. That's how they're describing him. He was somebody who emphasized, and this is where maybe a red flag should be placed up for anyone who emphasizes a unquestioned obedience to spiritual leaders. That was part of his message. And this is what is so deeply concerning some of these leaders. Some of these pastors, as I mentioned, sent their own sons. And that's what this one case centered around that he was in court for yesterday, sent their own sons to his home for guidance. And I say, why would that be shocking if he was so revered and he was such a. A spiritual leader that people looked up to that they considered him the holiest man alive. This was a man who had a 2012 child sex abuse conviction in Alaska that the leaders knew about and didn't just know about, but rallied to his defense, paid his bond, paid for his lawyer, and watched him plead guilty and serve a short jail sentence. And they still then allowed him to resume his mentoring and his practices even after that conviction. How do you get your head around that?
TJ Holmes
I mean, that they made choices and we do not understand why. And somebody's going to have to answer that question. That conviction. Remind me, Robes in 2012 had to do with something, though, that happened in the 90s, correct? Okay. So I was doing that to set up. This dude has been watched and people have been aware of him for decades. So you go back that far, Robes, and you consider like, how many there possibly could be, how many possible victims along the way. But yes, Robes, why is it even when they found out about it, they could have done all kinds of stuff, just said, nope, we're not going to let you work here if you're guilty. Not. We just don't want to take that risk of putting you around young men.
Kal Penn
And you are being accused of doing
TJ Holmes
something to young men that why would you do that?
Amy Robach
It's. It's wild to me to think, because it wasn't that he just convinced one adult, he convinced many, many adults that he was holier than them, that he had guidance that exceeded their knowledge. And he was able to convince grown adults of this. Imagine what he convinced young children of. And we started to hear some of those details and. And it came out in court yesterday. And this is just a remarkable story. So he pleaded guilty yesterday, Thursday to charges that he sexually abused two young boys. And he negotiated his plea agreement. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Given the fact that he's 70, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He showed no emotion during the co court proceedings. But this case that he was pleaded guilty to is just particularly difficult to get to understand or just to hear the details.
TJ Holmes
And I'm sorry, I'll look it up here if you do you have the charge in front of you. There was some weird charge that is what you get charged with if it's a collection. It was trafficking persons. There was Some specific charge that they mentioned that I hadn't heard of. But it's the thing you put in there when there are so many victims, when they're. You were accused of essentially bring being a groomer over time. And I just not heard of it before. That's why. I'm sorry, I'm asking you about it now on the spot. But it was. It was interesting that even hearing the charge helped you understand just the depth and breadth of this case.
Amy Robach
Yes. So he admitted to one count of continuous trafficking of persons. It's a felony charge for offenders who engage in a pattern of sexual exploitation involving multiple victims over time.
TJ Holmes
Wow. That kind of just explains the case. I've never. I hadn't seen that charge that you applied. It wasn't individual. Individual, individual. I had not seen that before. I just. That that helped bring the story home.
Amy Robach
Oh, the scope and the breadth of what he has been convicted of, in a sense, because, yes, he pleaded guilty to it. But part of these charges stemmed around one of the more recent accusations. He built his ministry around his backyard sauna. If that isn't a red flag, I don't know what is.
TJ Holmes
There's nothing else to. What are we talking about? That's insane.
Amy Robach
He brings young boys to his backyard where he has a sauna. And then he invoked Scripture to persuade these boys and these young men to undress and get into the sauna with him. His phrase was nudity is unity.
TJ Holmes
Okay.
Amy Robach
And so a pastor from Waco. So here's the deal. These assembly of God, different franchises and churches, they would bring their sons, their children, maybe parishioners to his home to be guided. This pastor from Waco brought his own sons, ages 11 and 12, beginning in 2021. Because it didn't just happen once. This happened one, multiple, multiple times, where the boys were instructed to undress in Savala's sauna. And then he sexually abused him. Them. Excuse me. And according to authorities, the father was present. And there is now a criminal case against the boy's father that is pending as well. Wanted to point that out, but this is just a recent example. And this is just beyond the pale. Like, how is this. How were people, how were adults convinced that this was Godlike, that this was sanctioned by God, that this was allowed and.
TJ Holmes
Okay, I didn't see. Are there. I know this one father here is facing charges, but are there. Is there talk that there were many more? This was an outlier, if you will, as far as a parent.
Amy Robach
Not sure about any other parents being accused, but there are certainly other potential criminal charges. Because this was not just. Yes, of course this man was. Now, I mean, when you look and you hear and you read and you see what he did over decades, he is truly a monster. But this was a system that allowed this monster to perpetate, sorry, perpetuate his crimes. I mean, he didn't do this alone. He did this with the support and the knowledge of a lot of people. So it will be interesting to see if there are other charges against other people beyond just this father. We know that's one of them. But I believe this is a much larger investigation that is ongoing.
TJ Holmes
Could there be lawsuits?
Amy Robach
Yes, there are lawsuits already now pending in several of these cases. Now when we come back, want to talk about what happened in court yesterday? Because yes, he pleaded guilty, yes, he was sentenced. But there were, there was the opportunity for so many of his alleged victims to step forward and give victim impact statements. And some of them, whoo, they were powerful.
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Kal Penn
It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico.
Amy Robach
If you're always on the lookout for a great audiobook or just want help figuring out what to listen to next, there's a podcast you should know about.
Kal Penn
It's called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Hosted by Kal Penn.
Amy Robach
Each episode takes a closer look at some of the most talked about new audiobooks on Audible. Spanning a wide range of gen, from sci fi and literary fiction to rom coms, thrillers and comedy.
Kal Penn
Kyle is joined by guests who dig into what these stories are about, what makes them stand out as audiobooks, and why they're connecting with listeners right now.
Amy Robach
If you're looking for your next listen, this is a great place to start.
Kal Penn
Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
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Amy Robach
Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ. We are talking about 70 year old Daniel Savala, also known as the holiest man alive by his followers. He has been sentenced essentially for the rest of his life after pleading guilty to a felony charge that basically said, yeah, you've spent decades harming sexually abusing young men and boys and you are now going to prison for the rest of your life. And we got to hear in court yesterday from some of those young men. Not only were there accusers and victims, but there were whistleblowers along the way too. And many of these folks attended that hearing yesterday and they talk about how important this conviction was because there were so many ignored warnings. There were so many of these young men asking for help. They actually had to create a website and a forum that eventually led to criminal charges where someone would pay attention to what these boys were saying.
TJ Holmes
Did I see right that that is the thing that they're pointing to a website.
Amy Robach
Yes.
TJ Holmes
That gave them space to speak. And we see this oftentimes with these cases where one all the time a woman comes forward and all of a sudden another woman, oh wow, that was my experience. And then it becomes a thing Yep. It's too bad that that's what it took. But I don't know if it doesn't have anything to do with. Because it was young men, because I mean some of these college age young men that we look at it differently and not take them seriously or they
Kal Penn
were afraid to even come forward, they're
Amy Robach
too embarrassed to step forward. I mean, a lot of young men who've been abused by another man, maybe, you know, obviously so many of these men were just in there now. Men, I say, but they were boys at the time. That might make them feel like some of their friends, family would think they're gay. Like there's so many implications. Why perhaps a young man would feel even more concerned or weary about stepping forward than maybe even a young girl, if that makes any sense. But one of there were a couple victim impact statements that really reached me. But Joseph Cleveland, he says he was groomed and sexually abused by Savala for a decade, beginning when he was 15 years old. And he gave his victim impact statement through tears. He was literally choking back tears. He called him a deceitful, evil predator. But this sentence, woo, this, I, I have chills reading it. He said, you are not the holiest man alive. You are not a guru. You are not even a man of God. You're a charlatan.
TJ Holmes
How old is this guy now?
Amy Robach
Well, he said this happened in 2004. It began when he was 15, so we could do the math.
TJ Holmes
20 years,
Amy Robach
mid-30s now. And he was able to look this man in the face who abused him for a decade from 15 to 25.
TJ Holmes
It's a bunch of kids out there like that, young men out there right now who've been impacted in ways they might not even understand. But this, the guy had a type of influence and reach we didn't understand. Obviously we didn't know who he was. But to think that a guy built himself up to be that important, that worshiped to a certain degree by people who kept quiet for decades about just atrocities he was committing. I don't know how it happens. We've seen it happen in, in various ways. It's one thing when you go to a doctor Robes and I just think about the Michigan State guy again, right? He's in that position of power. You're sent there, you're supposed to trust this guy, built up some kind of way of following and a trust. People had options in not trusting him and he had to gain that in such a way that is kind of incredible that it's possible.
Kal Penn
And do I have Right.
TJ Holmes
He. He was not officially a trained and member or ordained by the Pentecostal Church.
Amy Robach
That's the other crazy thing about this. Yes. He was not ordained. He didn't have any official training. I do believe that many of these folks and these other pastors believed he was. I don't want to go so far as to say a prophet of God, but they certainly believed in some sort of connection he had with God that superseded the rest of them. And so for that reason, however, he was able to convince them. They gave him their trust and their most precious gifts, their children, which is just hard to imagine. But he convinced students now that these victims have all shared stories and shared experiences. They all say that he was able to convince them that the sexual acts he was asking them to do and that he was performing on them were a part of God's will. And he used the scripture to defend what he was doing to them. And look, you've got young kids who just are easily convinced or malleable, and they think they're doing what they're supposed to do. And it's led to a life of. I mean, there were victims who spoke about having nightmares, waking up in the middle of the night, never trusting anyone. These are lifelong wounds that will never fully go away for these young men.
TJ Holmes
I think that's Rose.
Kal Penn
He.
TJ Holmes
He quite literally used the word of God to sexually abuse boys.
Amy Robach
Yes.
TJ Holmes
That's some. Look, if. Even if you're not a believer, you, God can't feel good about that.
Amy Robach
No. And. And I think that's why when you. When you have that one victim calling him a deceitful, evil predator, there's really no other way to put it. There were at least eight other accusers in that room now. And by the way, that's where the lawsuits and there are criminal filings there. There is more to come in this case. The good news is, and the district attorney in this case said, here's the deal, he is never, ever going to get out of prison. And thank God for that. But we just wanted to hop on and let you know what happened in that courtroom yesterday. Certainly, just. It's always important for these stories to get out so that people remember that there are evil people in the world and that part of their ability to do what they do is that people turned a blind eye or they made excuses, and we should believe people when they show us who they are. All right with that, everyone. Thank you for listening to us. I'm Amy Robach alongside T.J. holmes. We will talk to you soon.
Geico Ad Voice
Geico presents a 30 second podcast between your podcast, today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill. It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal or more like what, my insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabbed my phone and switched to geico, saving about $900 in the process and never to be betrayed again. Now that was bloody riveting.
Kal Penn
It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico.
Amy Robach
If audiobooks are your thing or you've been meaning to listen to more of them, you should check out a podcast called Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club.
Kal Penn
Hosted by Kal Penn, each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres Sci, fi, comedy, romance, thrillers and more. With Cal talking to guests, break down what makes each story worth listening to.
Amy Robach
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great audiobook.
Kal Penn
Check out Earsay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Bowen Yang
This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With the wide variety of flavors, from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. It's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein empowers me to say yes to more. Find favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E M I-E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.
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Amy Robach
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Release Date: May 8, 2026
Hosts: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes
Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present (iHeartPodcasts)
This gripping episode covers the recent sentencing of Daniel Savala, a revered spiritual leader known as "the holiest man alive" within the Chi Alpha campus ministry at Sam Houston State University. Over decades, Savala sexually abused dozens of young men and boys while being shielded by a system of enablers within his religious community. The hosts, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, detail the shocking breadth of his crimes, the institutional failures that allowed his abuse to continue, and the moving victim impact statements delivered at his sentencing.
Background & Reputation (03:01–04:50)
Access and Influence (03:38–05:01)
Previous Conviction Overlooked (05:01–06:25)
Systemic Complicity (11:14–11:57)
Nature and Scope of Crimes (07:13–09:41)
Legal Outcome (07:13–08:11, 15:25–15:43)
Why Victims Stayed Silent (16:58–18:06)
Religious Manipulation (19:29–20:48)
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes deliver a disturbing yet critically important discussion about Daniel Savala's decades-long pattern of abuse, the culture of spiritual and institutional complicity that allowed it, and the bravery of his survivors. The episode underscores the urgent need for vigilance, transparency, and accountability, particularly within trusted community organizations.
Powerful Closing Thought:
"It’s always important for these stories to get out so that people remember that there are evil people in the world and that part of their ability to do what they do is that people turned a blind eye or they made excuses, and we should believe people when they show us who they are." — Amy Robach (21:45)
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