Leonard Case Will Go To Grand Jury

The felony hearing for Bruce and Deborah Leonard in New Hartford Court is over after nearly three hours of testimony.

They're charged with manslaughter in the beating death of their 19-year old son Lucas Leonard inside the Word Of Life Church in Chadwicks.

A number of witnesses took the stand, including State Police investigators who interviewed both Bruce and Deborah Leonard.

One of the investigators said he repeatedly asked Deborah how their children wound up in the condition they were in.

A church member testified that he say Bruce strike Lucas 5 or 6 times with his 'belt' or something similar to it.  Daniel Irwin also said that he did not ever recall someone being struck during any previous counseling sessions

The attorneys for both defendants asked the judge to dismiss the charges against their clients, but the judge has ruled the case will go to a grand jury.

The judge also kept bail at $100,000 for both defendants.

The four other defendants charged with assault in the case also appeared in court today and had their hearing adjourned until a later date

Two of the defendants, Linda and David Morey are out on bail, while bail remains at $50,000 for Sarah Ferguson and Joseph Irwin.

You can read more on today's court proceedings on our Twitter page.