Man Tortured and Murdered Woman on His 40th Birthday, Believing She Stole from Him

A man from Maryland will spend decades behind bars for the brutal murder of a woman on his 40th birthday, after torturing her in a bathtub.

Leonard Church, now 43, received a 65-year prison sentence from Kent County Superior Court Judge Reneta L. Green-Streett for the murder of Jennifer Leyanna. Church had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

41-year-old Esther Wright, who assisted Church in restraining Leyanna and disposing of her body, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy.

The investigation began when Leyanna’s mother reported her missing on November 1, 2020, after she had not been seen or heard from since October 9, 2020.

On February 22, 2022, Delaware State Police announced that Leyanna’s remains were found in the backyard of a residence on Schuyler Road in Henderson, Maryland. This remote area was where Church had a residence.

Court documents revealed that the murder occurred on October 10, 2020, in Kent County, Delaware. Church, “high on PCP,” became enraged, believing Leyanna had stolen his wallet.

With Wright’s help, he restrained Leyanna in a bathtub, taped her down and forced foreign objects down her throat. He then choked her to death with a belt. Afterward, Church and Wright transported her body to his home in Henderson, where they buried her.

For over a year, Leyanna’s family searched for answers, even starting a Facebook page in hopes of finding her. The case remained unsolved until Wright confided in someone about the body’s location, leading police to discover Leyanna’s remains.

During the sentencing, Leyanna’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements. Her mother described the experience as one of the most traumatic a person could endure, expressing that there would never be closure due to the brutal nature of her daughter’s death.

Leyanna’s daughter, Natalie Dehorty, shared the pain of losing her mother, who, despite her struggles with drug addiction, was deeply loved by her family.

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Church’s attorney argued that his client was out of his mind due to drug use and otherwise would not have committed such a violent act. Church also apologized to Leyanna’s family during the sentencing.