N.Y. Police Arrest Parents for Beating Son to Death in Church 'Counseling Session'

The parents of a 19-year-old teenager have been arrested and charged after allegedly beating the teenager to death at their church in an attempt to get him to "confess his sins."

Police in New Hartford, New York have reportedly charged parents Bruce and Deborah Leonard with first degree manslaughter after they allegedly beat 19-year-old son Lucas Leonard to death and gravely injured 17-year-old son Christopher.

The incident took place at the Word of Life Church earlier this week, when the parents and other church members reportedly took part in a "counseling session" for the two teenage boys that reportedly involved physically beating them using fists and feet.

The Leonards then took Lucas to the local hospital for treatment following their brutal beating, where Lucas subsequently died from blunt force trauma.

Along with the parents, Lucas' older sister and three other churchgoers have also been arrested for their alleged participation in this past weekend's incident that claimed the teen's life.

Local residents of New Hartford have described the "church" that the Leonards attended as an actual cult, with members of the congregation reportedly meeting in a former school house and wearing black trenchcoats.

"There was just a really weird vibe about the place," Adriane Hectus, who previously lived near the church, told the local Utica Observer-Dispatch.

According to the New York Daily News, New Hartford Police Chief Michael Inserra said that the two teens were called to "confess to prior sins and ask for forgiveness," adding "We have not determined what this punishment was for."