Victim was beaten for trying to leave church

NEW YORK
The Flemingsburg Gazette

Brittany Kelley | 19 October 2015

Bruce Leonard, 65, and his wife, Deborah Leonard, 59, were in court a few feet from Irwin on Friday. Four other members of the church, including the victim’s sister, are being charged with assault for their roles in the deadly attack.

“I anticipate, when we go to the grand jury, we will ask the grand jury to consider these charges and other charges against these individuals and other individuals”, McNamara stated. David and Linda Morey were recently released on $50,000 bond a piece.

A witness at a probable cause hearing told a judge the counseling session lasted 14 hours, beginning Sunday night and ending Monday morning. Details emerged in court of the cult-like Word of Life Christian Church in New Hartford, N.Y., which adheres to fundamentalist principles and a literal interpretation of the Bible, and supposedly fostered an increasingly violent environment spearheaded by its preacher, based on witness accounts.

“The victim expressed a desire to leave the church and this is what may have initiated the session”.

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