Six New York Church Members Charged After Teen Dies During "Spiritual" Beating

Deborah Leonard

New Hartford Police

Six members of an upstate New York church have been arrested after two of the suspects' teenage sons were subjected to an hours-long beating as part of a spiritual "counseling session" on Monday, leading to one of their deaths, police said.

Lucas Leonard, 19, died and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, was seriously injured in the beating at the Word of Life Church in New Hartford, police said.

"The pastor called for a counseling session, a spiritual event for these two boys," New Hartford Police Lt. Timothy O'Neill told BuzzFeed News. "Ultimately, it led to these two young men being beaten for hours."

Police know that the two teens were " kicked and punched repeatedly by the different church members," O'Neill added.

Lucas died at a hospital from apparent blunt force trauma sustained during the assault, police said in a statement.

The teenagers' parents, Bruce and Deborah Leonard, aged 65 and 59, respectively, have each been charged with one count of first-degree manslaughter.

Four other church members were each charged with second-degree assault. They are: Joseph Irwin, 26; David J. Morey, 26; Linda R. Morey, 54; and Sarah L. Ferguson, 33.

Bruce Leonard

New Hartford Police

Lucas was taken to a local hospital at around 12:30 p.m. Monday, but was pronounced dead.

After interviewing family members, SWAT teams stormed the church, where they located Lucas's brother.

Christopher remains hospitalized in serious condition with injuries caused by "blunt force trauma as a result of an assault," police said.

Police interviewed several Word of Life Church members and turned over "several children" from the congregation to child protection workers.

O'Neill said church members described the "counseling sessions" as a way of addressing perceived sins by parishioners.

"Sessions are used to determine a way of resolving the sin," he said. "It's their way of dealing with it."

The church building, which was once a school, also serves as a residence for some church members.

A neighbor told Syracuse.com tat the church was a "cult," whose members sang "strange chants" and were often seen outside late at night .

SOURCE: BuzzFeed