Man spent 40th birthday restraining, torturing and murdering woman in bathtub because he thought she stole his wallet: Report

Leonard

Left: Leonard ‘Buddy’ Church, Right: Jennifer Leyanna (Delaware State Police)

A Maryland man will effectively spend the rest of his life in prison for the death of a woman he tortured and murdered in a bathtub at a Delaware home on his 40th birthday.

Kent County Superior Court Judge Reneta L. Green-Streett sentenced Leonard “Buddy” Church, now 43, to 65 years in prison on Wednesday for the death of Jennifer Leyanna after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, the Delaware News Journal reported. The judge also sentenced Esther Wright, 41, to 25 years in prison for helping Church restrain Leyanna and bury her body. She had pleaded guilty to kidnapping and conspiracy.