NEW YORK — Two teenagers were severely beaten in a deadly incident by their parents and other members of a New York Church during a “counseling session” in hopes the brothers would confess their “sins,” cops said Wednesday.
As a result of a joint investigation by the New Hartford Police Department and the New York State Police, six individuals were arrested.
Two subjects were charged with Manslaughter in the first degree and four subjects were charged with Assault in the second degree.
At 12:30 PM, on Monday, October 12th, New Hartford Police were dispatched to St. Luke’s Hospital for a reported gunshot victim that had been brought to the hospital in a private vehicle. Lucas Leonard, 19, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
After initial interviews were conducted with the family members who transported Leonard to the hospital, two possible crime scenes were identified.
The first scene was at the “Word of Life Church” in New Hartford. The second scene was a residence located in Clayville.
As the investigation progressed, it was determined that the “Word of Life Church” was the scene of crime and a search warrant was secured for that location.
The New York State Police SORT (Special Operations Response Team), The METRO SWAT Team (Utica/New Hartford), along with members of the Rome Police Department SWAT Team, secured the church grounds and eventually made a tactical entry into the church building without incident.
Members of the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit and New Hartford Police Evidence Technicians then processed the crime scene.
Several church members were interviewed throughout the day and night, and several children were secured from the church and turned over to Oneida County Child Protective Services.
The victim (Leonard) sustained apparent blunt force trauma to his body during the assault.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.
The initial reports of a gunshot wound have not been confirmed.
During the course of the investigation, a second male victim (age 17) was located. This victim is currently in the hospital in serious condition suffering injuries caused by blunt force trauma as a result of an assault.
As a result of this investigation, the following church members were arrested and charged with the indicated crimes:
Bruce T. Leonard – age 65 – residing at 2347 Main Street, Clayville, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B-Felony
Deborah R. Leonard – age 59 – residing at 2347 Main Street, Clayville, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Manslaughter in the First Degree, a Class B-Felony
Bruce and Deborah Leonard are the parents of the victim, Lucas Leonard.
Joseph Irwin – age 26 – residing at 3354 Oneida Street, Chadwicks, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Assault in the in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony
David J. Morey – age 26 – residing at 74 Ballantyne Brae, Utica, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Assault in the in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony
Linda R. Morey – age 54 – residing at 74 Ballantyne Brae, Utica, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Assault in the in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony
Sarah L. Ferguson – age 33 – residing at 2347 Main Street, Clayville, NY
Charged with 1 Count of Assault in the in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony
All six of the defendants were arraigned before New Hartford Town Justice William Virkler and remanded to the Oneida County Jail without bail.
All six defendants are scheduled to reappear in New Hartford Town Court October 13, 2015, at 1:00 PM.
This investigation is ongoing.
