© 2024
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NY Pastor Gets 12 Years For Teen's Death

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published December 20, 2016 at 4:49 AM EST
WAMC file photo

The 30-year-old pastor of a central New York church where one teenager was killed and his younger brother badly beaten during a church counseling session overseen by the pastor has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Word of Life Christian Church pastor Tiffanie Irwin was sentenced Monday in Oneida County Court after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors in October. Her 23-year-old brother, Joseph, also was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison for his role in the fatal beating last year of 19-year-old Lucas Leonard.

Tiffanie Irwin pleaded guilty to third-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault, while her brother pleaded guilty to two counts of assault.

Two other church members, David and Linda Morey, have pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault and will be sentenced in January.

© 2016 AP
Tags
Central New York News word of life churchLucas Leonard
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
See stories by Dave Lucas
Related Content
Load More