Mother of Teen Killed in N.Y. Church Beating to Appear in Court

The mother allegedly involved in a secretive church beating in New York earlier this year is set to appear in court this week on charges of first and second degree assault.

Suspect Deborah Leonard is set to appear in court Wednesday facing first-degree assault for the death of her 19-year-old son Lucas Leonard and second-degree assault for the severe beating her 17-year-old Christopher Leonard.

Leonard was reportedly present, along with her husband and daughter, on October 12 when they, along with other church members, partook in a "counseling session" at Word of Life Christian Church in New Hartford, New York that involved beating the teen boys for hours using a folded electric cable.

Officials say it's possible the boys were beaten for wanting to leave the highly secretive church.

19-year-old Lucas was reportedly taken to the hospital, where he died of his wounds, while 17-year-old Christopher was discovered by authorities severely beaten on the second floor of the church, formerly a school house.

The lawyer representing Deborah Leonard, Devin Garramone, has said that his client was reportedly "too meek and timid" to do anything to stop the beating that left one of her sons dead.

"It looks like she went along with it, and it spun out of control," her attorney told local media outlets. "This woman is so meek and timid, she didn't have the temerity to stand up to them and say, 'You're not punishing my kid. You're not doing this.'"