Joseph Irwin, one of several people convicted in the Word of Life Church beatings that left one teen dead in Chadwicks in 2015 was released from prison Monday after serving six of his eight-year sentence.
He will be on parole for five years.
Joseph along with other church members were sentenced to prison after severely beating two teen brothers over several hours in October of 2015. Lucas Leonard, 19, died from his injuries. His brother, Christopher, 17 at the time, survived the attack.
Joseph’s sister, Tiffanie Irwin, was the church's pastor and led the assault on the boys during what they called a counseling session. Tiffanie was sentenced in 2016 to 12 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault.
Prosecutors said Joseph acted as an enforcer during the beatings, keeping the brothers in place and punching them while the others also beat them.
Joseph pleaded guilty to first-degree gang assault and second-degree assault in 2016.
The teens’ parents, Bruce and Deborah Leonard, who were also church members, participated in the attack. The two pleaded guilty to assault.
Deborah was sentenced to five years in prison but was released in 2020 after serving just three years. Bruce was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is not eligible for parole until May of 2024.
Tiffanie may be eligible for conditional release in March of 2026.
