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Convictions Īs of Januthe disposition of the cases against the nine people involved on the assault on Lucas Leonard are as follows (partial Update Dec. 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. When he saw his brother lying motionless on the floor, Christopher attempted to give him CPR but stopped once he realized Lucas was dead. He said the church's pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, was responsible for organizing the counseling session during which the beating took place. Later on, he was forced to wear ear plugs and ear muffs, and to sit in a corner. 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. Lucas's surviving brother, Christopher Leonard, began testifying in court starting on October 21.
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The organizers of the prayer vigil also called for Word of Life to be shut down.
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The townspeople held a prayer vigil outside the church on October 20. 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. įollowing the incident, the pastor of the unrelated Word Of Life Assembly of God Church in Baldwinsville, New York, began receiving threatening phone calls from people confusing his church with the one in Chadwicks. 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. Besides a web site to sell pedigree yorkies, they were very isolated. They’re very isolated, they've cocooned their members and homeschooled the children. Cult expert Rick Ross said "This is an old-school group.It’s typical in many ways. 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.
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Animals subsequently rescued from Lucas' parents' house were found to have been living in neglect, and the house was foul-smelling and full of garbage. Indictments and investigation Ī 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. Autopsy results revealed "multiple contusions from blunt-force trauma to the torso and extremities", including blows to the genital area. According to witness testimony, the session lasted 14 hours and ended when the parishioners thought Lucas was dead. Lucas and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, were allegedly beaten continuously. The meeting was reportedly held after Leonard expressed a desire to leave the church. 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. Authorities have stated that the torture was instead prompted by Lucas' desire to leave the church. One of Irwin's relatives accused Lucas of having been involved in witchcraft and voodoo, but these accusations were refuted by police. The Chadwicks Word of Life Christian Church reportedly started out as an ordinary Pentecostal church before becoming ever more cult-like after pastor Jerry Irwin retook control and began shaming and controlling other members.