[Jackobotzie]

Authorities in California said they have uncovered a case of incredible cruelty involving a pastor and two members of his church. The three men are allegedly responsible for the physical and psychological abuse of a young boy who prosecutors say was forced to dig his own grave.

The Rev. Lonny Lee Remmers, the 54-year-old officiating pastor of the Heart of Worship church in Corona, Calif., has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse. Two members of the church, Remmers' stepson, Nicholas James Craig, 22, and Darryl Duane Jeter Jr., 28, have each been charged with nine felonies related to the incident.

The charges filed against Craig and Jeter include one count each of kidnapping, making criminal threats, false imprisonment and assault of a person by force; two counts of assault with a deadly weapon; and three counts of child abuse.

Authorities said they are considering additional charges against the three men.

Craig and Jeter are accused of taking a 13-year-old boy, who was living at a group home run by the church, to a secluded area near Barstow on March 18. Once there, the two men forced the boy to dig his own grave with a shovel then get into the grave while threatening to kill him. The men threw dirt on him and beat him with a belt when he tried to climb out, police said.

The following day, the boy was allegedly zip-tied to a chair at the group home and sprayed in the face with Mace, investigators said; the boy was denied treatment for about an hour.

"That same day ... Remmers (allegedly took) a pair of pliers to the boy's nipples while the victim cried and screamed for him to stop," said John Hall, a spokesman for the County of Riverside District Attorney's Office.

The abuses the teen suffered were committed as a form of discipline after his 30-year-old mother told Remmers that she believed her son had misbehaved, Hall said.

The boy's mother, who has not yet been named by police, has not been arrested. Authorities said they are still trying to determine is she was aware of the alleged incidents. Meanwhile, the boy and his 7-year-old sister have been placed in protective custody.

According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Remmers had previous run-ins with the law. In 1998, he was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for criminal contempt. Remmers refused to live up to a settlement agreement stemming from a telemarketing scam, the newspaper reported.

[Blewvane]

Damage already done, the kid will be scared for life.

[Azimuth]

You know, I am against the death penalty. Cases of extreme child abuse like this really make me question that choice of mine.

Certain cases of abuse like this certainly warrant it.

[Dynamo47]

Sick religious fanatics. Their beliefs and "values" destroy more children and create a whole new generation of brain washed morons

[Dynamo47]

Originally Posted by azimuth ↗

You know, I am against the death penalty. Cases of extreme child abuse like this really make me question that choice of mine.

Certain cases of abuse like this certainly warrant it.

I am a proponent of the death penalty depending on the circumstances. I think that any criminal act committed against a child be it sexual, abuse, murder, etc should result in the death penalty if there is overwhelming evidence to support the guilt.

[Blewvane]

Originally Posted by Dynamo47 ↗

I am a proponent of the death penalty depending on the circumstances. I think that any criminal act committed against a child be it sexual, abuse, murder, etc should result in the death penalty if there is overwhelming evidence to support the guilt.

I agree, but i feel it should include all criminal acts against law abiding members of the community and not just children.

[Dynamo47]

Originally Posted by Blewvane ↗

I agree, but i feel it should include all criminal acts against law abiding members of the community and not just children.

True I put the disclaimer there because the law and scumbag lawyers will always try to distort the fine line.

For example there should be medals awarded and not a jail sentence for someone found guilty of justifiable homicide. For example the father whose son was molested by the karate instructor and waited at a pay phone as they were bringing him in and he put a bullet in his head. A prosecutor will argue first degree murder because according to the law it was premeditated. But to me totally justifiable and he should have served no jail time.

I will try to find a link to the case.

[Blewvane]

Originally Posted by Dynamo47 ↗

True I put the disclaimer there because the law and scumbag lawyers will always try to distort the fine line.

For example there should be medals awarded and not a jail sentence for someone found guilty of justifiable homicide. For example the father whose son was molested by the karate instructor and waited at a pay phone as they were bringing him in and he put a bullet in his head. A prosecutor will argue first degree murder because according to the law it was premeditated. But to me totally justifiable and he should have served no jail time.

I will try to find a link to the case.

I also believe that the victim and the family of the victim should be allowed to determine the sentence.

[Blewvane]

Justice served.

[HairyGrape]

So close to home. I know a few people that have gone to said church. This is the first i'm hearing of this crap though.

People are crazy.