Melissa Gilbert, renowned actress, has penned a heartfelt letter requesting a judge’s intervention to ‘protect’ her husband, Timothy Busfield, as he faces serious charges of child sex abuse while in custody.
The 68-year-old actor, known for his role on The West Wing, turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico on Tuesday. His surrender followed the issuance of an arrest warrant related to allegations of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor.
In a late-night filing on Friday, Busfield’s legal team submitted a motion including Gilbert’s plea, urging the court to release her husband. Gilbert, famously known for her role in the Little House on the Prairie series during the 70s and 80s, expressed her deep concern in the letter.
“I started this letter with logic, but emotions have now taken hold,” Gilbert wrote. “I desperately wish for this extraordinary man to remain safe and intact.”
She continued, “So, I close by earnestly asking you to please, please watch over my dear husband. He has always been my protector, and now I am his. Yet, I cannot shield him at this moment, which breaks my heart more than anything. I depend on you to safeguard him for me.”
Busfield is facing accusations of inappropriate conduct involving twin boys who collaborated with him on the television series, The Cleaning Lady, from 2022 to 2024. However, only one of the brothers has accused him of sexual contact.
Following the initial allegations, Busfield was also accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl while she was auditioning for a show. He denies all allegations against him.
Busfield has repeatedly maintained his innocence, and is currently being held without bond at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.
His attorneys filed the motion late on Friday night, arguing that prosecutors haven’t provided proof that Busfield poses a danger to the community if released on bond.
Melissa Gilbert penned a pleading letter to a judge asking for him to protect her husband, Timothy Busfield, after he was thrown in jail on child sex abuse charges. The couple is pictured together above in November
Busfield turned himself in to law enforcement in New Mexico on Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of child abuse and criminal sexual contact with a minor. He’s pictured above in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County
Busfield is widely known for his role in the West Wing (pictured opposite Allison Janey)
Gilbert said in her letter that her husband is an honorable and compassionate man, insisting that he ‘has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known.’
She recalled that the two met in the 1980s but fell in love in 2012, calling her husband her ‘love,’ ‘rock,’ and ‘partner in business and life.’
Gilbert gushed that Busfield brought ‘sparkle’ to her life, adding that multiple people who have worked with him on set have called him their favorite director.
She said that one of the ‘joys’ in her life was watching Busfield raise her youngest son, Michael.
Gilbert compared Busfield to her father, praising the men in her life for their military service and their principles of ‘honor, integrity, compassion and care.’
She concluded that the letter was the ‘strangest’ she ever had to write and admitted to struggling to toe the line between logic and feelings.
The recent filing also included a psychosexual evaluation conducted by a certified sex offender treatment specialist, detailing that Busfield is a ‘very low risk’ case.
His wife reported that the two had a ‘satisfying sex life’ but enjoyed cuddling more due to their age.
Pictured above details the full letter Melissa Gilbert wrote to a judge in support of her husband, Timothy Busfield
Gilbert, pictured about with her husband in 2019, said Busfield was her ‘rock’ and ‘partner in business and in life’
Gilbert, pictured above last January, said in her letter that one of her greatest joys was watching Busfield raise her son
Gilbert even compared Busfield to her father, adding that her husband had ‘the strongest moral compass of any human’ she knew
The brief stated that Busfield would sometimes masturbate while taking a shower, as it is ‘easier’, saying the last time he masturbated was six months ago.
In addition to Gilbert’s letter of support, Busfield’s colleagues in the film industry also wrote to praise his character.
Actor and director Peter Horton, who worked with Busfield in the 80s television series Thirtysomething, described his co-star as ‘a good man.’
‘I offer this perspective to you from not only a fellow artist and friend, but as a fellow father of two girls who knows the power and necessity of having a good dad,’ he added.
The star of the series, Patricia Wettig, said Busfield was always professional and was ‘humble and caring’ when they filmed intimate scenes.
Wettig added that Busfield would always make sure any kids on the show ‘felt comfortable and safe’, adding ‘he is a wonderful man and I trust him completely’.
Mackenzie Astin, who worked with Busfield on the early 2000s show, First Years, praised him for helping Astin after a stint in rehab for alcoholism.
Busfield has denied all the accusations against him, telling TMZ in a video that he never inappropriately touched the twin boys and discredited the claims as lies.
His attorneys have alleged that the accusers lost their role on The Cleaning Lady, creating a financial and retaliatory motive.
Investigators told The Daily Mail that Warner Bros., which produced the series, made it difficult for them to obtain evidence.
The lead officer on the case, Marvin Brown, wrote in an arrest affidavit that the company ‘waited almost three months to comply with a court order to produce the independent investigation.’
