Pastor Among 8 Indicted In Hours-Long Church Beating That Killed 19-Year-Old

[eridani]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/word-of-life-church-fatal-beating

The pastor of an insular New York church where a young man was beaten to death and his younger brother seriously injured was among seven people charged Tuesday with murder.

Pastor Tiffanie Irwin's mother, Traci Irwin, also was charged in a 13-count indictment, as were Irwin's two brothers, Joseph and Daniel Irwin, all of whom were leaders in the church. Also named were the victims' father, Bruce Leonard; their half-sister Sarah Ferguson; and two other church members — Linda Morey and her son, David Morey.

Authorities have said "spiritual counseling" spiraled into an all-night gang attack on Lucas and Christopher Leonard inside the Word of Life Christian Church, a red-brick former elementary school in New Hartford that serves as both a church and a home for the Irwins.

The indictment charges all but Daniel Irwin with second-degree murder in the Oct. 12 death of 19-year-old Lucas Leonard. All eight face charges of manslaughter, kidnapping, assault and gang assault for the attacks on Lucas Leonard and his 17-year-old brother, who survived.

Joseph and Tiffanie Irwin pleaded not guilty Tuesday and their cases were adjourned until Dec. 7. The others were expected in court Wednesday.

[saltpoint]

1. A grisly tale there in upstate New York.

It has the feel of an insular cult, operating as under-the-radar from the broader society as they could get.

[MisterP]

3. that's usually how it rolls: completely cut off from everything, and any dissidence or attempt to

contact the outside world is a threat to the group in this life and the next: they typically raise themselves on stories of how established church and state are about to combine and Ruby Ridge them for having their holy day on Saturday or whatever

GG Allin's dad couldn't have done what he did without isolating his family

[saltpoint]

4. Yes. That isolation is key to control,

and by all counts these folks are the kind of people who insist on controlling others' lives.

There is talk across the web that the two young men who were beaten expressed a desire to leave the church. Cult communities depend on no one leaving. These kids' independence threatened the controllers and the "counseling session" was called.

[Feeling the Bern]

2. New Hartford??? Damn, that's a suburb of where my mother is from: Utica

Bunch of upper middle to middle class WASP community and devout Catholics (my uncle lives there and owns a restaurant on Pelletteri Avenue and Jay Street).

Interesting how times have changed for Oneida County.