Leonard “Buddy” Church, a 43-year-old Maryland man, has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Jennifer Leyanna, following a shocking revelation that he tortured and killed her after accusing her of stealing his wallet.
Kent County Superior Court Judge Reneta L. Green-Streett handed down the sentence in an emotionally charged courtroom where Church had pleaded guilty to the crime. Church admitted he was under the influence of PCP when he held Leyanna in a bathtub, used duct tape to bind her and forced foreign objects down her throat. He then used a belt to strangle her to death, according to court documents.
Another woman, Esther Wright, 41, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for her role in the crime. Wright confessed to helping the Church restrain Leyanna and then assisting in the disposal of her body. She pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy charges, according to the court. Delaware Newspaper.
After committing the gruesome crime, Church and Wright transported Leyanna’s remains to Church’s home in Henderson, where they buried her. For more than a year, police were unable to locate her body. The discovery came when Wright revealed the location of Leyanna’s remains to someone who then alerted law enforcement, leading to the gruesome discovery.
Leyanna’s disappearance left her family distraught, who spent more than a year searching for answers. Desperate for information, they even created a Facebook page in hopes of locating her, according to local reports. Law and crime.
At the sentencing, Leyanna’s family made strong statements about the impact of the victim’s death. Her mother expressed the deep pain and trauma caused by the brutal murder, stating, “This has been one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure,” adding, “When death occurs at the hands of another human being, especially the way you took my daughter’s life, there is never closure, only more questions.”
Leyanna’s daughter, Natalie Dehorty, shared her anguish, saying“My mother wasn’t perfect, but she was mine,” he lamented, “She would do anything for me. She was my best friend. You took that away from me.”
Church’s attorney attributed his violent actions to drug use and noted that Church apologized to Leyanna’s family. However, the apology provided little comfort to those who lost a loved one in such a horrible way.
