Pastor among 8 indicted in fatal New York church beating

Tiffanie Irwin, pastor of the Word of Life Christian Church, arrives for an indictment hearing at the Oneida County Courthouse, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015, in Utica. N.Y. Irwin was among multiple people charged with murder for the death of Lucas Leonard and injuries to his brother, Christopher, during an attack at the church in October. Mark DiOrio/Observer-Dispatch via AP

UTICA, New York, United States—The pastor of an upstate New York church where a young man was beaten to death and his younger brother seriously injured has been indicted on murder charges.

Pastor Tiffanie Irwin’s mother, Traci Irwin, also was charged Tuesday, as were Tiffanie Irwin’s two brothers, the victims’ father and half-sister and two other church members.

The indictment charges all but one of the Irwin brothers with second-degree murder. All eight face charges of manslaughter, kidnapping, assault and gang assault. They were in court Tuesday.

Plea information wasn’t initially available. Messages left for defense attorneys weren’t immediately returned.

Authorities have said “spiritual counseling” spiraled into a gang attack on 19-year-old Lucas Leonard and his 17-year-old brother, Christopher. The older brother died from injuries suffered at the Word of Life Christian Church in New Hartford on Oct. 12.

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