Man spent his 40th birthday tying woman down in bathtub and choking her to death

Leonard Church’s actions were ‘wicked, depraved, tortuous and excessively cruel,’ says judge

Leonard ‘Buddy’ Church (left) has been sentenced for the brutal murder of Jennifer Leyanna (Delaware State Police)

A man has been given 65 years behind bars for the brutal murder of a woman in Delaware four years ago.

Leonard "Buddy" Church, 43, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the death of Jennifer Leyanna, according to the Delaware News Journal.

Her remains were found in February 2022 – over a year since the 41-year-old was last seen or heard from on October 9 2020.

Leyanna, from Felton, was reported missing by her mother on November 1 2020, per reports from Law&Crime, and her disappearance would shake her family to the core.

Her daughter, Natalie Dehorty, said her 20th birthday was the first her mother had ever missed, writing in an impact statement, “I deeply knew something was wrong, and I spent 16 months wondering where she was,” she wrote, according to the News Journal.

Leyanna was reported missing in 2020. Over one year later, her remains were discovered (Delaware State Police)

During the four-year investigation, Delaware State Police (DSP) said they, "conducted extensive follow-ups, numerous interviews and received countless tips or information on the circumstances and whereabouts of Leyanna."

Officials eventually learned she was last seen at a Henderson residence belonging to Church, where Esther Wright (formerly Hurtado-Chavez), of Clayton, was also staying.

There, Church reportedly restrained, beat and tortured Leyanna on the day of his 40th birthday, with assistance from Wright, who retrieved tape for him to use on their victim, and helped him to bury her body in his backyard.

According to the News Journal, court records show she died of multiple injuries – numerous broken ribs and other blunt force traumas to her torso and head, and her hyoid neck bone had been broken by a belt placed around her throat.

As a motive for her horrific murder, officials deduced that a drug-fuelled Church believed Leyanna had stolen his wallet, with his warrant saying he “became highly agitated and said it was a 'crime of passion'" before clamming up, when questioned on the subject.

Church told police the murder was ‘a crime of passion’ (Delaware State Police)

The outlet also reported Leyanna had struggled with substance abuse since her late teens or early 20s, according to life-long friend Angie Bowen, and although she had gone missing before, her family reportedly knew this time was different as she would always contact her mother or daughter after at least a week.

A witness had reportedly seen the mother beaten while bound in the bathtub, with a police search later discovering her blood there.

After unsuccessful interviews with Church and Wright, the case eventually found a foothold when Wright reportedly told someone where Leyanna's body was buried. They went on to contact police with this information, according to court documents.

They were arrested on the same day as Leyanna's remains were found on "unrelated criminal charges," according to an update from DSP as the time.

Church was extradited from Caroline County Detention Center, Maryland, to Delaware State Police Troop 3 where he was charged with first degree murder per a DSP news update.

“This has been one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure,” Leyanna’s mother said in an impact statement, per the News Journal. "When death occurs at the hands of another human being, especially in the manner which you took my daughter's life, there never really is closure, just more questions."

Speaking to Leyanna’s family before passing the sentences, Judge Green-Streett said, “This court cannot imagine, on any level, the pain, grief, loss, anger and deep devastation that your family has gone through and continues to go through.”

She continued, “What was done to Ms. Leyanna was wicked, depraved, tortuous and excessively cruel.”

Church’s 65 years in prison is a suspended sentence of 90 years, while Wright was awarded 25 years for her role in Leyanna's death.