A few days ago, I received an email from Kristel Leonard. She is a former longtime member of Word of Life Christian Church (WOLCC) in Chadwicks, New York. Her message to me offered to answer questions about her brothers, Lucas and Christopher Leonard. I immediately became interested in her perspective and story. Recently, she publically began speaking out about the damaging effects of mind control. Today’s post is about Monday’s sentencing hearing. In a future post we will hear from Kristel as she recalls her time inside WOLCC and her exit from the group.
As a review:
On Sunday, October 11, 2015; Lucas and his younger brother, Christopher, were called into a “counseling session” by the leader of WOLCC church. Pastor Tiffanie Irwin arranged the meeting which stretched into the wee hours of the next morning. From what authorities learned later, the two teens confessed to sins never committed in an effort to be expelled from the group that after many years they wanted to leave. Investigations revealed these feigned confessions resulted in an untethered rage and anger fueling physical violence ending in the death of Lucas and severe injury to Christopher. Authorities also believe that statements from leader and Pastor Tiffanie Irwin being in contact with her brother who was participating; added to the intensity from which she bore culpability for the outcome.
The deadly physical assault included hitting with fists, kicking and striking with an electrical cord. The deceased was repeatedly struck in or near the groin and bled out from those injuries. Christopher Leonard suffered several injuries including blows to the lower back which required hospitalization and supervised medical care for several days.
Nine members of the small church were indicted in late 2015 and through court proceedings all were either found guilty or took plea agreements. Six defendants agreed to an Alford plea agreement. This arrangement does not require the defendant to admit guilt. These agreements included charges ranging from unlawful imprisonment, gang assault, first and second degree assault and first, second and third degree manslaughter.
This past Monday, the parents were the final defendants sentenced in this case. The District Attorney, Scott McNamara, had explained in earlier statements that he was asking the judge to reduce the sentence of Bruce Leonard from the original agreed upon 15-16 years. Public bewilderment over this move has been intense. However, McNamara believed his requests to be justified.
Early in the proceedings, the mother, Mrs. Deborah Leonard, took a plea deal for her testimony in the case. During sentencing this past Monday, she labeled her representation as a “hack job” and chided Kristel for never accepting her as a step-mother and only speaking now for personal gain. Even though she apologized for her part in the counseling session, clearly she has not fully resolved her part in the events from October 2015. She received five years in state prison.
Deborah Leonard … expressed her extreme sorrow over what occurred, and transitioned into allegations that the prosecution had broken promises she said were made as part of her plea deal, and decrying how her attorney handled her case.
(Her claim pertaining to broken promises accused the District Attorney of not following through on a pledge to let her see Christopher if she took the plea. This claim McNamara completely denies.)
She also took a moment to apologize to her “church family,” a group that included all of her co-defendants. (children and grandchildren were included in the admission.)
“I apologize for bringing all of you into this,” she said while weeping. “I love you all very much and ask for your forgiveness. Again, I want to apologize to my boys (Christopher and Lucas) for not recognizing the warning signs and not getting help and for the environment you were raised in. You deserve much better.” (She did not address whether she believed any of the false accusations during the session.)
Kristel remembers Deborah’s open chastisement of her husband during this recitation. “Bruce, we should have done better.”
During Judge Dwyer’s remarks to Deborah, he expressed his confusion as to her apology for the events and yet not knowing when “the brainwashing took over.” He admonished her to continue to search for answers within herself.
The father of the teens, Bruce Leonard, took a plea early in the proceedings as mentioned. During his plea hearing, his testimony was heart wrenching as he wept on the stand. He endured McNamara’s questioning him, “Why?”
In Monday’s proceedings, Pastor Richard Dibble, having visited the defendant many times over the last few months, spoke on his behalf vouching for his character saying he was “not a hardened criminal…The actions of that one night are not consistent with the life of this man…”
A previous employer, who also was his brother-in-law, Timothy Wright spoke to his relationship and observations of Mr. Leonard. He observed Bruce as a “follower” and Leonard tried to make sense of the accusations against his sons during the fury of the counseling session. “…waiting for someone else to call a stop to what was happening.”
Kristel Leonard spoke next on her father’s behalf. After she addressed the judge, (you are) “fair and impartial. You have diligently sought the facts in this case, carefully considered each decision you’ve made, and not allowed the highly emotional drama of this tragedy to influence your rulings. For this I will be ever grateful.”
Kristel fondly recalled memories from childhood learning life lessons from her father. She recounted her father’s admission that other’s admonished him, “Bruce, you’re too nice.” She described her father as smart and intelligent but, “stubborn and indecisive.” Kristel went on to say these qualities were overridden by the control of the Pastor and noted the cord used as a weapon was “put in his hand” and the following behaviors demanded of him.
Kristel also reminded those in attendance that during the counseling session, her father had declared, “We have to stop.”
Judge Michael Dwyer then addressed Mr. Leonard inquiring if he indeed had changed since the events of October 2015. Bruce Leonard affirmed he had changed and in no way would repeat the decisions of that fateful night.
All of the testimony and the judge’s questions answered by Mr. Leonard resulted in Judge Dwyer reducing the 15 year sentence to 10 years. The outcome seemed fair considering the catalyst for the deadly session; Pastor Tiffanie Irwin received 12 years.
Tiffanie Irwin, pastor and organizer of the deadly events, plead to third-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. During her recent sentencing hearing, she attempted to label the plea deal as coerced and a violation of her rights. However, the judge told her she could have stopped the session at any minute. Her attorney is seeking an appeal of the sentence.
The half-sister, Sarah Ferguson, took her chances with a bench trial. She was convicted of first degree manslaughter, first degree assault and gang assault and was sentenced to 25 years in state prison. The most dramatic scene in her trial was the District Attorney holding up the pants of the deceased showing a large blood stain between the legs. Even when faced with this stark display, she tried to convince the judge she did not realize the injuries were life threatening. He did not believe her. Authorities believe Sarah struck the fatal blows resulting in the death of Lucas. During the proceedings, she initially refused to look at pictures of the victim. Later during the sentencing, she was forced to look at the pictures of the injuries.
In October 2016, Traci Irwin, who is 50, and son, Daniel Irwin, 25, mother and brother to the pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, plead to unlawful imprisonment. Authorities could not prove either of these actually touched the victims. They each received two years in prison.
Joseph Irwin, her 23-year-old brother, pleaded to first-degree gang assault and second-degree assault. He received eight years in prison.
David, 27, and Linda Morey, 55, long time members, both pleaded to two counts of second-degree assault, and received five years in prison each.
In a future post, we will hear from Kristel Leonard as she recounts her involvement in WOLCC and the events surrounding her exit after 25 years… We will include more from her victim impact statements. As I listened to her story, the similarities between the two groups, WOLCC and WOFF were overwhelming.
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Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 585.