46:. The two were repeatedly beaten and physically assaulted by church leaders (as well as fellow parishioners) during the counseling session, in which then-church leader Tiffany Erwin accused the two of "witchcraft" and being "demons"; Leonard's brother survived, albeit with serious injuries, as he was not discovered inside the church until many hours later. It was later revealed that Erwin herself had had a "sexual" dream involving Leonard, leading her to believe he was practicing witchcraft, despite his eagerness to join the church. Among those indicted in connection with the beating were Leonard's own parents and older sister (who ironically delivered him to the hospital).
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church. Lucas and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, were allegedly beaten continuously. According to witness testimony, the session lasted 14 hours and ended when the parishioners thought Lucas was dead. Lucas died in hospital the next day. Autopsy results revealed "multiple contusions from blunt-force trauma to the torso and extremities", including blows to the genital area.
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forced to wear ear plugs and ear muffs, and to sit in a corner. He said the church's pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, was responsible for organizing the counseling session during which the beating took place. When he saw his brother lying motionless on the floor, Christopher attempted to give him CPR but stopped once he realized Lucas was dead.
38:, where he was unresponsive, bloodied, and showing signs of what first responders initially perceived as gunshot wounds. Eventually pronounced dead at the hospital, it was soon discovered that Leonard, along with his brother (17), had actually endured a sustained and brutal "confessional" attack at the
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A grand jury handed down indictments to
Leonard's parents, Bruce and Deborah Leonard, for first-degree manslaughter; it also indicted four other church members, including Leonard's older sister, Sarah Ferguson. Animals subsequently rescued from Lucas' parents' house were found to have been living in
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On the night of
October 11, 2015, following a Sunday church meeting, Leonard was allegedly subject to an all-night counseling session in the church attended by about 30 parishioners, including his parents and older sister. The meeting was reportedly held after Leonard expressed a desire to leave the
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Lucas's surviving brother, Christopher
Leonard, began testifying in court starting on October 21. He said that during the beating, he was punched in the stomach, then struck on the genitals and other parts of his body with a 4 feet (1.2 m) "whip" made from an electrical cord. Later on, he was
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Neighbors described the church as isolated from the local community and as a cult, with one saying that "church members used to build fires on the roofs, and there was chanting and weird rituals", and that dogs howled all night inside the church but were never seen outside. Cult expert
107:, began receiving threatening phone calls from people confusing his church with the one in Chadwicks. The Chadwicks church, despite being Pentecostal, is not affiliated with Assembly of God or any other denomination, and is not overseen by any larger organization.
96:, they were very isolated. That’s a common characteristic in cults to make sure they are the only ones influencing the member’s judgements." A former member said that parents were routinely encouraged to beat their children as punishment for getting bad grades.
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Traci Irwin, 50, and Daniel Irwin, 25, both pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment. Traci Irwin, was sentenced to one year for each count. On March 24, 2017 Traci Irwin was set free after serving one year and five months in jail.
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church before becoming ever more cult-like after pastor Jerry Irwin retook control and began shaming and controlling other members. One of Irwin's relatives accused Lucas of having been involved in
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Pastor
Tiffanie Irwin, age 29, who called for the so-called counseling session and oversaw its organization was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2016 to 12 years in state prison for manslaughter.
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said "This is an old-school group...It’s typical in many ways. They’re very isolated, they've cocooned their members and homeschooled the children. Besides a web site to sell pedigree
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As of
January 9, 2017 the disposition of the cases against the nine people involved on the assault on Lucas Leonard are as follows (partial Update Dec. 19. 2018):
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On
October 23, a family court hearing was held to determine who should have custody of the Leonards' seven other underage children, aged between 2 and 15.
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The townspeople held a prayer vigil outside the church on
October 20. The organizers of the prayer vigil also called for Word of Life to be shut down.
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On
September 1, 2016 half sister Sarah Ferguson was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted in July 2016 of manslaughter and assault.
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Deborah
Leonard, the mother, who whipped them during the session pleaded guilty to felony assault, and was sentenced to five years in state prison.
66:, but these accusations were refuted by police. Authorities have stated that the torture was instead prompted by Lucas' desire to leave the church.
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Bruce
Leonard, the father, who whipped both boys during the session pleaded guilty to felony assault was sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
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Daniel Irwin received two years in jail. On March 24, 2017 Daniel Irwin was set free after serving one year and five months in jail.
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Linda Morey who pulled the power cord out of the closet was sentenced on Jan. 9 to five years in prison for assault.
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225:"Cops rebuff witchcraft, voodoo claims against New Hartford church beating victim"
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The Chadwicks Word of Life Christian Church reportedly started out as an ordinary
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Joseph Irwin was sentenced on Dec. 19 to eight years in prison for gang assault.
175:"Brother Who Survived Beating at New York Church is to Testify Against Relative"
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David Morey was sentenced on Jan. 9, 2017 to five years in prison for assault.
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617:
Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult
399:"Animals rescued from trash-strewn home of parents charged in church beating"
27:
2015 crime that occurred at the Word of Life Christian Church in New York, US
353:"New Hartford church victim: Family beat me with 4-foot whip made of a cord"
263:"'It hurt everywhere' Teen recounts deadly beating inside secretive church"
322:"Word of Life: Cult Accusations Arise After Teen's Horrific Beating Death"
540:"Word of Life case: Sarah Ferguson sentenced to 25 years in state prison"
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451:"Baldwinsville pastor distances his church from Chadwicks Word of Life"
421:"Ex-Member: NY Church At Center Of Murder Probe Was "Complete Hell""
588:"Two involved in Word of Life church beatings released from jail"
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Following the incident, the pastor of the unrelated Word Of Life
566:"Just over a year later, 9 members of Word of Life found guilty"
482:"Mourners call for New Hartford church closure at prayer vigil"
194:"Ex-members of church where teens were beaten talk of decline"
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neglect, and the house was foul-smelling and full of garbage.
521:"Teenager describes fatal beating at upstate New York church"
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Word of Life Church’s Path From Bible Group to Lethal Sect
244:"New York teen dies after hours-long beating at church"
500:"Teen Recounts Deadly Beating Inside Secretive Church"
289:"New Hartford Word of Life church assault wanted out"
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Religiously motivated violence in the United States
287:Ray Sanchez; Lawrence Crook (October 17, 2015).
34:, 19, was rushed to an area emergency room in
619:, Simon and Schuster, Aug 6, 2019, 400 pages.
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690:Violence against men in the United States
675:October 2015 crimes in the United States
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650:Deaths by beating in the United States
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538:Elizabeth Doran (September 1, 2016).
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261:Carolyn Thompson (October 24, 2015).
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655:Deaths by person in New York (state)
519:TG Branfalt Jr. (October 21, 2015).
508:. Associated Press. 21 October 2015.
480:Patrick Lohmann (October 20, 2015).
381:"Fate of Leonard children uncertain"
351:Patrick Lohmann (October 21, 2015).
320:Christian Savoy (October 18, 2015).
670:Incidents of violence against boys
626:, New York Times, 22 October 2015.
564:Sean I. Mills (October 22, 2016).
457:. October 17, 2015. Archived from
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242:Laila Kearny (October 14, 2015).
223:Ken Sturtz (October 17, 2015).
192:Mary Esch (October 17, 2015).
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660:Filicides in New York (state)
419:CBS News (November 5, 2015).
79:Indictments and investigation
40:Word of Life Christian Church
18:Word of Life Christian Church
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645:2015 in New York (state)
680:Oneida County, New York
105:Baldwinsville, New York
44:Oneida County, New York
30:On October 12, 2015,
622:Mueller, Benjamin.
461:on October 19, 2015
431:on November 7, 2015
405:. October 19, 2015.
387:. October 23, 2015.
269:. Associated Press.
204:on October 19, 2015
36:Chadwicks, New York
181:. 20 October 2015.
179:The New York Times
114:Legal proceedings
16:(Redirected from
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615:Ashline, Susan.
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32:Lucas Leonard
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596:. Retrieved
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544:Syracuse.com
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486:Syracuse.com
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665:Fratricides
640:2015 deaths
385:CNY Central
126:Convictions
56:Pentecostal
634:Categories
598:August 21,
592:CNYCentral
572:August 21,
549:August 21,
465:August 21,
435:August 21,
425:WBNS-10 TV
362:August 21,
331:August 21,
298:August 21,
248:Yahoo News
208:August 21,
198:Yahoo News
162:References
103:Church in
60:witchcraft
50:Background
90:Rick Ross
505:NBC News
403:CBS News
70:Incident
525:Reuters
293:CNN.com
94:yorkies
64:voodoo
600:2022
574:2022
551:2022
467:2022
437:2022
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333:2022
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210:2022
62:and
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