Where is Bruce Leonard? Details about How I Escaped my Cult subject explored

Bruce Leonard, who was accused of fatally beating his son, Lucas Leonard in 2015 was released from Marcy Correctional Facility on parole in May 2024. Bruce was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the first and second-degree assault charges in 2016. His wife, Deborah Leonard, was paroled in 2020 after serving five years.

Deborah and Bruce Leonard were members of the secretive Word of Life Christian Church, based in Chadwicks, New York. Bruce, Deborah, and a few other members of the church beat the Leonards' sons, 19-year-old Lucas, and 17-year-old Christopher during a 14-hour "counseling session."

According to a 2016 report by People Magazine, the church members whipped Lucas and Christopher after they expressed their desire to leave. While Christopher barely managed to survive the beating, Lucas ended up dying from his injuries.

The events of Christopher and Lucas' brutal beating at the hands of their parents and other church members will be revisited in How I Escaped My Cult. It is set to premiere on Hulu on February 21, 2025. The first episode Word of Life will explore Kristel Leonard’s experience under church leader Tiffanie Irwin.

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Bruce Leonard testified that the beatings were to help his sons realize the pain they cause and to discipline them

Bruce Leonard was convicted of the 2015 Word of Life Christian Church assault on his sons, which led to the death of his older son. He was released on parole in May 2024 after serving nearly nine years of his ten-year sentence in prison. The Utica Observer Dispatch published a report in May 2024 noting that Leonard had pleaded guilty to first- and second-degree assault. Meanwhile, his wife, Deborah served a five-year prison sentence.

The assault on Bruce and Deborah's sons occurred in October 2015 when the couple as well as members of the Word of Life Church took part in an extended "counseling session." The church members brutally beat up Lucas and Christopher Leonard, leaving Lucas dead and Christopher severely injured.

According to a June 2016 report by People Magazine, Leonard and others “brutally pummeled and whipped” the brothers. The church members beat up the teens after they allegedly admitted to s*xual misconduct during church questioning.

Court records indicate that the beatings began after Lucas and Christopher Leonard told church leaders they wanted to leave the congregation.

The same report from People Magazine noted that Bruce Leonard testified he took part in the assault for disciplinary purposes and so his sons “would understand the hurt that they caused.” The session, which lasted over 14 hours, escalated from slaps and punches to beatings with an electrical cord.

During the trial, Christopher Leonard, who barely survived the beating, admitted in court that he had "inappropriately touched" the children of the church members. However, he denied having int*rcourse with them.

When the Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara asked Bruce Leonard about the same, he said that he had suspicions about his sons' actions. However, he admitted that neither he nor his wife had ever caught them in the act. Pediatric physician Susan Blatt examined six children associated with the church and testified that none of them showed any signs of having been s*xually abused.

The church’s pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, led the session where allegations of witchcraft, drug use, and child abuse were raised against the brothers. According to a June 2016 report by the Utica Observer-Dispatch, Bruce Leonard testified that Lucas admitted to owning a voodoo doll of Irwin and claimed he stuck pins in it to harm her.

During the beating, Lucas collapsed multiple times but was ordered to stand back up. Court records state that he ultimately bled to death from a laceration to his genitals.

Bruce Leonard was originally set to stand trial but took a plea deal, reducing his sentence to 10 years. His sentencing hearing included testimony from a clergyman who had met with Leonard in prison and said that he wasn't a "hardened criminal," according to a Spectrum News report from February 2017.

Bruce's daughter Kristel Leonard also defended him in court, stating that their "family was blown apart.

In an apology statement to his family and friends for his actions Bruce stated that there was no way he could "ever go along with that," adding that he could never "condone" it.

With Bruce Leonard’s release, only two of the nine convicted individuals remain in prison, Tiffanie Irwin and Sarah Ferguson, the victims’ half-sister.

The events surrounding the church and its leadership will be explored in How I Escaped My Cult, premiering on Hulu on February 21, 2025. The episode Word of Life will feature Kristel Leonard’s experience under Irwin’s leadership and the church’s controlling environment.

Without a Prayer: The Death of Lucas Leonard and How One Church Became a Cult by Susan Ashline provides detailed insights into the church’s practices and the events leading to the fatal incident.

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Stay tuned for more updates on How I Escaped My Cult.