HARTLY, DE - The Delaware Department of Justice has secured decades-long prison sentences for two people in connection to the murder of a Felton woman in 2020.
According to the DOJ, family members first reported Jennifer Leyanna, 41, as missing in November of 2020. In January 2021, a home on Route 8 in Hartly, DE was identified as a crime scene. A year later, investigators located Leyanna’s remains buried in the backyard of a Henderson, MD home.
According to prosecutors, the investigation revealed that on October 9, 2020. Leonard Church of Henderson beat, bound, suffocated, and killed Leyanna at the Hartly home following a property dispute. Esther Wright, of Clayton, DE assisted with binding Leyanna and then taking her body to the property in Henderson. Wright was also present when Church buried Leyanna’s body in the yard, the DOJ says.
On August 28th, 2024,Church, 43, was sentenced to 90 years incarceration, suspended after 65 years, for second degree murder. Wright, 41, was sentenced to 30 years, suspended after 25, on convictions of first degree kidnapping and first degree conspiracy.
"These defendants displayed a level of cruelty that is profoundly disturbing,” said Attorney General Kathy Jennings. “I am grateful that they have been brought to justice at long last, thanks to the persistence and teamwork of our DOJ team and a great many partners, both within law enforcement and without, who remained undaunted throughout this lengthy and challenging investigation.”