Back in October of 2015, there was a disturbing story coming out of New York about a teenager and his brother who were physically beaten up in church by their parents and other members of the congregation. 19-year-old Lucas Leonard ended up dying from his injuries while his brother Christopher had to spend time in a hospital.

Why?

They were apparently brought in for a 14-hour counseling session with the adults in order to “confess their sins” — which included the fact that both of the boys wanted to leave Word of Life Christian Church. (They were also accused of witchcraft and sexual molestation.)

Whatever happened in that session, one boy was killed while the other was brought to the brink of death.

This week, the parents were finally punished for what they did.

Bruce Leonard was sentenced to 10 years in prison and his wife, Deborah, received a five-year sentence Monday in Oneida County Court.

The other members of the church had already received prison sentences of varying degrees.

There’s no amount of jail time that could make up for what these people did. And it’s not even clear that the parents regret what they did. They said they didn’t mean to take it that far, but they expressed no real remorse for trying to address the fake crimes of their boys.

What else would you expect, though, from people who prioritize their religious dogma over common sense and love?

(Image via Google Maps. Thanks to Ron for the link)



