Survivor of Alleged Upstate New York Church Beatings Admits to Molesting Half-Sister’s Children

NEW YORK
People Magazine

BY CHRIS HARRIS @chrisharrisment 06/28/2016

Christopher Leonard, the 17-year-old survivor of an alleged prolonged beating last fall inside a secretive upstate New York church, admitted while testifying on Monday he “inappropriately” touched several children, PEOPLE learns.

The unexpected revelation came during the third day of the murder trial for Leonard’s half-sister, Sarah Ferguson, as he recalled the events of Oct. 12, 2015.

That evening, Leonard and his 19-year-old brother, Lucas, were allegedly whipped and pummeled by several church members, including their own parents. The alleged violence lasted more than a dozen hours, and Lucas eventually died from injuries he’d sustained.

Prosecutors contend the alleged beatings began soon after both brothers approached church leaders with their plans to defect.

The alleged violence, authorities say, was fueled by the church’s 30-year-old pastor, Tiffanie Irwin. Initially, authorities believe Irwin falsely accused the two teens of sexually abusing their younger siblings and cousins over the course of several years.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.