New York couple 'beat their 19-year-old son to death trying to make him confess his sins'

Home Top

Kim, Kris, Kourtney and Kylie arrive back in LA by private jet as Khloe keeps vigil at comatose Lamar's bedside after he 'squeezed Kim's hand' - offering hope he may recover from brothel collapse
Tragedy as ABC News' medical expert Dr. Jamie Zimmerman, 31, drowns in Hawaii after losing her footing while crossing a river
Dismembered human torso with no head or limbs found floating in a Texas river
US spy chiefs hunt the new Snowden: Whistleblower leaks top secret drone assassination program that reveals how 90% of people killed in one 5-month spree WEREN'T targeted
Disgraced speaker Dennis Hastert will plead GUILTY of paying to cover up underage gay sex - and faces prison after agreeing to plea deal
Randy Quaid and wife Evi are freed from Canadian jail after judge rules there is not enough evidence to deport them to the U.S.
'It was straight out of a horror story': Brutally beaten dead body of mother hanging from a fence was dismissed by neighbors as a gory Halloween decoration
Welcome to Fakebook: More than 75% of people admit to making their lives seem more exciting on social media
Just a few weeks to go! Lauren Bush Lauren shows off a bulging baby bump at father-in-law Ralph's 76th birthday - as she prepares to welcome her first child next month
$Pic shows: Angel Ariel Escalante Perez was killed because he refused to murder.\n\nThis is the heartbreaking moment a dad embraces his critically ill son aged 12 who was thrown off a bridge by gangland thugs when he refused to kill a stranger.\n\nAngel Ariel Escalante Perez, 12, had been walking home from school when he was ambushed by the folks who decided to have some fun with the youngster.\n\nThey gave him a gun, and told him he had to shoot a bus driver or be killed himself.\n\nBecause his father Luis Escalante was a bus driver, the tearful schoolboy refused and said he would rather they killed him. They then gave him the choice of death by being chopped up by machetes, or thrown off a bridge.\n\nHe chose the latter, and as a result they threw him off the Incienso Bridge, located in Guatemala city, which is one of the longest bridges in Central America.\n\nDespite plunging an incredible 135 m (443 feet) he survived after landing in the thick foliage below but it also covered him$ Tragic moment father finds his dying son, 12, three days after he was thrown from a 450ft bridge for refusing to murder a 'random' bus driver - the job his parent has done for years
Escaped cartel boss El Chapo was 'cornered in rugged mountains in Mexico by soldiers' after US drug agents located his cell phone... but he managed to get away again
New CCTV from El Chapo prison break shows drug lord turning up his TV to drown out banging sound coming from his escape hole as control room guards ignore his absence for 25 MINUTES
EXCLUSIVE: Alcatraz escapees 'had wives and children in Brazil', their family claims - and they want their sentences commuted so they can 'come home' after 53 years
Paranormal investigator claims to have captured evidence of a black-eyed ghost child for the first time
A decapitated women, sacrificial dogs and a wooden 'sex toy': Danish Iron Age remains reveal macabre practices
EXCLUSIVE: Lamar Odom poured out his heart about marriage split from Khloe to brothel madam he kissed 'like a mother' - in between romps with two blondes and gorging on KFC and T-bone steaks
EXCLUSIVE: 'Khloe is the one person who can reach Lamar. It hurt him that they are not together' - coach who was father to Odom says Kardashians became his family and split led to 'craziness'
'Let's dance again together soon': Kylie Jenner posts throwback photo with Lamar Odom as she asks fans to send prayers
Khloe Kardashian 'battling with guilt' and 'overwhelming' duty of making medical decisions for Lamar... as her family leave hospital and return to LA
Kanye West is 'taking care of daughter North and Kourtney's three children' as Kardashian sisters visit Lamar at Vegas hospital
Khloe Kardashian hits back at 'publicity-seeking' boss of Nevada brothel where Lamar Odam was found who said the TV family tried to silence him from doing press
'I'm devastated!': Oprah Winfrey reveals she's pained by Lamar Odom's 'overdose' because it reminds her of her own sister's battle with addiction
$Christina Wren is seen attending Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles Builders Ball at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, California.\n\nPictured: Magic Johnson\nRef: SPL1152358 141015 \nPicture by: gotpap/Bauergriffin.com\n\n$ 'We just hope he pulls through': Magic Johnson sends heartfelt message Lamar Odom's way as his good friend fights for his life in hospital
Lamar Odom gets a visit from former Lakers teammate Trevor Ariza as NBA stars send their prayers to the player 'with the biggest heart' who used to buy new suits for rookies every season

Bruce, 65, and Deborah Leonard, 59, of Clayville, New York were charged Tuesday with first-degree manslaughter in the death of their son Lucas
Four other members of Word of Life Church, including victims' 33-year-old sister Sarah Ferguson, were charged with assault
Family members brought Lucas to hospital and he was pronounced dead
Church attack also left 17-year-old brother Christopher hospitalized in serious condition
Teens suffered injuries to abdomens, genitals and backs in church beating
Detectives say the brothers were pounded with fists for hours during a 'counseling session' meant to get them to confess their sins
A neighbor of the Leonards said Lucas and Christopher weren't allowed to do 'normal' kid things and were forced to read Bible two hours a day

Published: 14:49 EST, 14 October 2015 | Updated: 22:42 EST, 14 October 2015

View
comments

Two teenage brothers from upstate New York were brutally beaten in church — one of them fatally — in an effort by their parents, sister and other congregants to force them to confess their sins and seek forgiveness, it was revealed Wednesday.

New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra said investigators are still looking into what the supposed sins were.

Lucas and Christopher Leonard, 19 and 17, were pounded with fists Sunday at the Word of Life Church when a 'counseling session' meant to explore their spiritual state turned violent, Inserra said. They were beaten in the abdomen, genitals, back and thighs.

Scroll down for video

Bruce, 65, and Deborah Leonard, 59, (seen in undated photos) were charged with first-degree manslaughter in the beating death of their 19-year-old son, Lucas Leonard

At their arraignment Tuesday, it was revealed the Leonards' sons, 19-year-old Lucas and 17-year-old Christopher, suffered injuries to their abdomens, genitals and backs

Violent counseling session: Police said the Leonards, their 33-year-old daughter and three other congregants pounded the siblings with fists for hours to make them confess their sins

Lucas died and his brother was hospitalized in serious condition. Six church members — including the brothers' parents and sister — have been arrested.

'Both brothers were subjected to physical punishment over the course of several hours, in hopes that each would confess to prior sins and ask for forgiveness,' Inserra said.

The parents, Bruce Leonard, 65, and Deborah Leonard, 59, were charged with manslaughter in Lucas' death. Four other adults were charged with assault in the younger brother's beating, including Sarah Ferguson, 33, the victims' sister.

All six suspects, among them David Morey, 26, of Utica, and Linda Morey, 54, of Utica, and Joseph Irwin, 26, who lives in the church building, have pleaded not guilty and were sent to Oneida County Jail.

Bail for the Leonards was set at $100,000 each and for the four other defendants at $50,000 each.

Inserra also revealed Wednesday that the Leonard family concealed Christopher somewhere on the second floor of the church after the beating, and it took police some time to find him.

The teen eventually came out of hiding on his own and is now receiving medical attention.

Lucas Leonard died Monday after he was beaten at Word of Life Church (pictured) in New Hartford, New York

Police also arrested Lucas and Christopher's sister, Sarah Ferguson (left), 33 and Joseph Irwin (right), 26, who lives in the church building

Congregants David, 26, and Linda Morey, 54, of Utica (seen in undated photos), are also facing charges in the beatings

The church is a former elementary school where a Christian congregation has worshiped for as many as 30 years.

Neighbors in the once-thriving mill town of 22,000 people about 50 miles east of Syracuse said the congregation's secretive ways made them suspicious.

'I'm really afraid. In my heart I don't think this is the first incident,' said Eva Monaghan, who lives around the corner from the church. 'Over all the years, I can't imagine this is the first thing. Maybe nothing as bad. Around town, it's considered a cult.'

A neighbor of Christopher and Lucas Leonard has spoken out about the family, saying they were not allowed to do 'normal' kid things growing up.

Nicole Howard said the two siblings weren't permitted to have sleepovers. She described the family as very religious and said the children were forced to read the Bible two hours each day.

The 31-year-old Howard grew up six houses away from the Leonards.

Police said more arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

Ferguson, Linda Morey, Irwin, and David Morey (seen in orange left to right) were also arraigned on Tuesday

The investigation began at about 12.30pm Monday when family members brought Lucas Leonard to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators determined that the Word of Life Church was the scene of the crime and the building was surrounded by special operations teams from state and local police agencies.

Police eventually entered the church, a three-story brick building on a residential street that originally housed a school.

Several church members were interviewed and several children were turned over to child welfare officials.

Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara declined to comment on a motive or other details of the case.