NEW YORK
Utica Observer-Dispatch

By Micaela Parker

Under the gaze of church members, Lucas Leonard and Christopher Leonard were told to repent for their sins.

The teens stood in the small sanctuary of Word of Life Christian Church on the evening of Oct. 11.

Lucas, 19, already had been confronted during a service that day about his desire to leave the Chadwicks church, new court documents allege, but questioning took a different tone during the beatings that ultimately would result in the death of Lucas and severe injury to his 17-year-old brother Christopher.

Nine people are accused of varying degrees of involvement in the 14-hour counseling session that spanned the evening of Oct. 11 into the morning of Oct. 12. Of those nine defendants, one has accepted a plea offer from the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office while five, as of Wednesday, have rejected their offers.

The session, led…