Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Via the Associated Press:
A central New York couple has been charged with fatally beating their 19-year-old son inside a church and four fellow church members have been charged with assault in an attack that also left the young man’s brother severely injured, police said Tuesday. 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 at Word of Life Church in New Hartford, which is 80 miles northwest of Albany.
His 17-year-old brother is hospitalized in serious condition with injuries from an assault. 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 are expected as the investigation continues. Details about the attack or what may have led up to it have not been disclosed.
More from the Syracuse Post-Standard:
Neighbors said Tuesday the church has come across as mysterious and suspicious for many years, though they’d never been inside. One woman said she most often only sees church members at night, sometimes at 3 a.m., and she hears chants emanating from the building. She also said she sees kids of various ages do yard and building work, and rarely sees women. Men in the church wear what she described as “long, black trenchcoats” but said other members she saw wore “normal” clothing.
The neighbor had lived in the area for more than 10 years, and she remembers church members buying her groceries and inviting her to the church. At one point years ago, the invitations ceased and she never heard a word from members again. “They would always be trying to get us to join the church, but then we said no and then they completely stopped talking,” she said. Neighbors described seeing heavily armed police officers lying in yards, pointing rifles at the building, and a police “military” vehicle sat across the street during a multi-hour police operation.
A video report on the murder is here.