Utica, N.Y. – A woman accused of taking part in a 14-hour group beating that killed one of her half-brothers and injured another during a church counseling session was convicted on Tuesday of manslaughter and assault but was acquitted of murder.
Oneida County Judge Michael Dwyer acquitted Sarah Ferguson of the most serious charge she faced, second-degree murder, saying prosecutors had not proved that she knew 19-year-old Lucas Leonard could or would die after she pummeled both brothers’ groins with an electrical cord at the Word of Life Christian Church in October.
