Pastor Indicted in NY Church Beating

A pastor was among eight people indicted on murder charges Tuesday in connection to a man who was beaten to death and his brother seriously injured at the Word of Life Christian Church in New Hartford, New York. Pastor Tiffanie Irwin’s mother, Traci Irwin, and her two brothers, Joseph and Daniel Irwin, were also indicted. Lucas Leonard, 19, died as a result of a “spiritual counseling” that turned into a brutal beating; his 17-year-old brother, Christopher, survived. The victim’s father, Bruce Leonard; their half-sister Sarah Ferguson; and two other church members, Linda Morey and her son David Morey, were also charged. Christopher Leonard testified he was beat and whipped with a four-foot, folded electrical cord. Authorities said the church called a meeting after Lucas Leonard had indicated he wanted to leave the insular church.