Court Documents Reveal New Details on Church Beatings

By Cara Thomas
TWC News
January 14, 2016

http://www.twcnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2016/01/14/court-documents-reveal-new-details-on-church-beatings.html

New details surrounding the Word of Life Church beatings have come to light through newly obtained court documents from the Oneida County District Attorney's office.

In total, nine church members are said to have been involved in a horrific beating during one of the church's counseling sessions. Seven of those people have been charged with depraved indifference murder. Prosecutors say the defendants repeatedly whipped, punched and kicked 19-year-old Lucas Leonard and his younger brother Christopher. They were held against their will for more than 12 hours. Lucas died from his injuries.

Prosecutors believe the counseling session was held because Lucas had expressed interest in leaving the church. In the court documents, District Attorney Scott McNamara says the church pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, then initiated a counseling session, where she accused Lucas and Christopher of several other things with the intent to infuriate the boys' parents and half sister.

When the victims' mother, Deborah Leonard, pleaded guilty last month, she shared with the court that the church believed Tiffanie Irwin was a prophet and could hear directly from God.

During the session, according to court documents, Irwin accused the Leonard boys of sexually abusing children within the church, fantasizing about engaging in sexual relations with the church pastor, practicing witchcraft, using voodoo dolls to cause harm, and planning to murder their parents, Bruce and Deborah Leonard. However, throughout the investigation, police and prosecutors have said no sexual abuse is evident and that Lucas and Christopher are victims in this case.

The only defendant who has not yet accepted or denied the DA's plea agreement, is the victim's father, Bruce Leonard. He is scheduled to be in court next week.