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 The victim's parents, Bruce Leonard, 65, and Deborah Leonard, 59,
were arraigned on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. They were being
held in lieu of $100,000 bail each.
In addition, four of the couple's fellow parishioners were charged
with assaulting the teenager's younger brother on Sunday at the Word
of Life Church in Chadwicks, New York, about 50 miles (80 km) east
of Syracuse.
"Both brothers were continually subjected to physical punishment
over the course of several hours in the hopes that each would
confess to prior sins and ask for forgiveness," Michael Inserra,
chief of the New Hartford Police, said at a news conference.
Reuters was unable to reach representatives for the accused or the
church.
The older brother, Lucas Leonard, died on Monday afternoon after
being driven to a hospital by family members, who falsely told
doctors the teenager had suffered a gunshot wound, police said.
Leonard's injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma to his
torso and extremities, police said.
 New Hartford police and the New York State Police said they launched
a joint investigation after being notified about the suspicious
death.
Through interviews with church members, police said they learned
that Leonard's 17-year-old brother, Christopher, had also been
severely beaten during the counseling session. The sessions are held
after church services and are typically led by a pastor or other
church member, Inserra said.
Police sent tactical teams some time between Monday afternoon and
Tuesday to the three-story, red brick church, where they eventually
located Christopher on the second floor.
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Christopher was being treated in an area hospital for blunt force
trauma to his body and extremities and was in serious condition.
Sarah Ferguson, 33, the victims' sister, and fellow church members
Linda Morey, 54, David Morey, 26, and Joseph Irwin, 26, were
arrested on charges of assault in the second degree. They were being
held in lieu of $50,000 each.
Several children were removed from the church and turned over to
Oneida County Child Protective Services.
Oneida County District Attorney Scott McNamara said there was not
enough evidence to charge the couple with murder.
Additional charges and arrests were pending, police said.
Investigators disclosed little about the Word of Life Church, which
describes itself on the front of its parish simply as a Christian
church.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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