Parents beat son to death in church "counseling session"

[_MissTish]

Police: ​Parents beat son to death in church "counseling session"

NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. -- Brutal beatings that left one teenager dead and his brother seriously injured Monday at a New York church were part of what members considered a "counseling session," according to police.

New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra said Wednesday that both Lucas and Christopher Leonard were subjected to hours of physical punishment at the Word of Life Church "in hopes that each would confess to prior sins and ask for forgiveness."

Inserra says investigators are still looking into what the supposed sins were. He said there's no indication, at this point, that the issue was sexual assault.

Nineteen-year-old Lucas Leonard died. Seventeen-year-old Christopher is hospitalized in serious condition.

Six church members, including the victims' parents and sister, are now locked up on charges they assaulted the two young men on Sunday night.

Bruce Leonard, 65, and Deborah Leonard, 59, of Clayville, were charged with first-degree manslaughter in the death of their son Lucas, said Lt. Timothy O'Neill of the New Hartford Police Department. O'Neill said Lucas Leonard died Monday after he was beaten the night before at the Word of Life Church in New Hartford, which is 80 miles northwest of Albany.

He was said to have "died a violent death over several hours."

Police did not reveal if any weapons were used, but did say "feet and fists were involved."

The six church members were arraigned Tuesday and sent to Oneida County Jail. At the arraignment, it was revealed that both teens suffered injuries to their abdomens, genitals, backs and thighs. Bail for the Leonards was set at $100,000 each and for the four other defendants at $50,000 each. All pleaded not guilty.

Police said more arrests were expected as the investigation continues. A possible motive wasn't disclosed.

Oneida County District Attorney Scott D. McNamara indicated Wednesday during a phone call with 48 Hours' Crimesider that the location of the attack on Lucas Leonard, at the Word of Life Church, was not incidental. He declined to comment on a motive or other details of the case. McNamara said a preliminary hearing for all six defendants is scheduled for Friday.

The assault has left the central New York community stunned. Tara Litz lived next door to the church for ten years.

"We always joked around and said they were a cult, which now we're believing that they probably were," Litz told CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller. "Just the odd behavior. It's a gated community -- You line up in a row, they all go in together, the gates close."

A neighbor of the teenage brothers says they were not allowed to do "normal" kid things.

Nicole Howard says Christopher and Lucas Leonard weren't allowed to have sleepovers. The 31-year-old, who says grew up six houses away from the Leonards, says the family was very religious and the children were forced to read the Bible two hours each day.

The investigation began at about 12:30 p.m. Monday when family members brought Lucas Leonard to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators determined that the Word of Life Church was the scene of the death, and the building was surrounded by special operations teams from state and local police agencies.

Police eventually entered the church, a three-story brick building on a residential street that originally housed a school. Several church members were interviewed, and several children were turned over to child welfare officials.

It took time to find Christopher inside the church, according to officials. He was on the second floor and was not making himself known. Family members did not say where he was.

In addition to the Leonards, police arrested David Morey, 26, of Utica; Linda Morey, 54, of Utica; Sarah Ferguson, 33; and Joseph Irwin, 26, who lives in the church building.

Ferguson is the victims' sister, according to police.

Bruce Leonard's lawyer, Don Gerace, said his client will not be able to make the $100,000 bail. He said it was too early to comment on details of the case.

"We expect to learn more about the evidence and charges at that time," Gerace said of the upcoming hearing.

Deborah Leonard's lawyer, Devin Garramone, declined to comment. Contact information for the other defendants' attorneys wasn't immediately available.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-pare ... g-session/

[_Jersey Girl]

Does anyone know if this church has a connection to the Word of Life camps? There's one in Schroon Lake, NY.

I'll try to research later, too busy atm.

[_ajax18]

SAUDI FATHER BEATS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER FOR SAYING, ‘I DON’T LOVE YOU’

A Saudi man living in the kingdom’s capital city Riyadh beat his seven-year-old daughter to death with an air conditioning hose in a fit of rage. Her crime was telling him she did not love him.

Yara was reportedly forced to live with her father under the terms of her parents’ divorce, against her wishes. Her mother reportedly told the Saudi daily newspaper Al Watan that Yara did not want to move in with him, that she was very unhappy. Under Saudi Sharia law, fathers automatically gain custody rights of their daughters when they turn nine and sons when they turn seven.

The father reportedly became angry when Yara told him she did not love him and did not want to live with him, which sent him into a rage. The Daily Mail notes that this is when he snatched a hose from the air conditioning unit and began beating her with it, including hitting the little girl on the head. He allegedly told prosecutors that he wanted to “educate” his daughter.

He then locked her in her bedroom, where she had an uncontrollable crying fit. “When he unlocked the room, he noticed she was in a bad condition and drove her to hospital. However, she died on the way.” The blow to her head likely caused the fatality.

Saeed Al Qahtani, the mother’s lawyer, said, “The case is still being probed and the investigation is moving as per the rules and regulations until the file reaches the stage of the court,” according to Gulf News. “Prosecutors have been listening to all parties concerned, and they have covered a lot of ground. We are now waiting for the final medical report and for the prosecutors’ charges.”

Yara died hours before Eid al-Adha, which is one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar. Also known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” it is celebrated to remember the sacrifice the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in the Qur’an) in the Torah (from which the Qur’an is derived) was willing to make in the name of God by giving up his first-born son on the altar. In both the Torah and the Qur’an, an angel intervened and prevented the sacrifice from taking place.

http://www.breitbart.com/national-secur ... dont-love/

[_Quasimodo]

SAUDI FATHER BEATS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER FOR SAYING, ‘I DON’T LOVE YOU’

I understand the boy was trying to leave the Word of Life Church. They "corrected" him.

That's the great thing about fundamentalism, it teaches kids how to grow up right. I'll bet neither one of them will ever do that again.

[_Jersey Girl]

Spare the rod, people.

Crazy freaking brutal sadistic nutters...

[_palerobber]

Christianity very clearly encourages this...

Deut 21
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

[_Maksutov]

SAUDI FATHER BEATS SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER FOR SAYING, ‘I DON’T LOVE YOU’

I understand the boy was trying to leave the Word of Life Church. They "corrected" him.

That's the great thing about fundamentalism, it teaches kids how to grow up right. I'll bet neither one of them will ever do that again.

The cool thing about Christian fundamentalism is that it's actually a 20th century invention, like the Taliban. An aggressive response against that dirty filthy evil modernity.

[_Jersey Girl]

Christianity very clearly encourages this...

Deut 21
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

That's Old Testament.

[_palerobber]

Jersey Girl, can you hazard a guess as to why Christians continue to include this immoral garbage in their holy book?

i'm fully aware that most of them don't actually believe it, but that just makes it all the more perplexing.

[_Jersey Girl]

Jersey Girl, can you hazard a guess as to why Christians continue to include this immoral garbage in their holy book?

i'm fully aware that most of them don't actually believe it, but that just makes it all the more perplexing.

I dunno, why don't you tell me what you think?

And while you're at it, tell me what kind of light bulb this discontinued IKEA lamp takes, okay?

[img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31LFnqAUXyL._SY355_.jpg


Thanks!