APOPKA, Fla.,None — It has been four months since Pastor Zachary Tims was discovered dead in a Times Square hotel room, and a medical examiner is expected to release his autopsy results soon.
Police said they found an envelope filled with a white powdery substance in Tims' pocket. Since then, his family has fought to keep his cause of death a secret.
On Monday, a judge in New York ruled there is no law that prevents the medical examiner from releasing the autopsy results. A medical examiner said it will release the cause and manner of death, 48 hours after the decision is filed with the courts.
At the same time, more than 1,000 miles away, turmoil was brewing at the New Destiny Christian Center, the megachurch that Tims founded in Apopka.
Pastor Paula White was appointed his successor on Sunday. White is a world-renowned preacher with televised services and thousands of followers of her Without Walls International ministry.
Many members at New Destiny opposed her landing the job there. Dozens were vocal on Facebook and claimed "Tims would never put Pauls in this place."
Days before the announcement, Bishop I.V. Hilliard, who was on the board overseeing the selection process, resigned.
"My dedication to integrity will not let me support something I believe is deceptive," said Hilliard.
The congregation asked for a pastor who was married, but White is single.
Officials said the results should be released sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Paula White also has churches in Tampa and Lakeland.
In 2008, a bank started foreclosure proceedings on both churches; $13-million was owed on the Tampa property and $12.5 million on the Lakeland church, court records show. Those properties are currrently not under foreclosure.
WFTV
