Christian Discipline? Church Pastor Abuses 13-Year-Old, Forces Him to Dig Own Grave

A California pastor and two members of his congregation admitted in court that they physically abused a 13-year-old boy and made him dig his own grave.

According to affidavits published by The Los Angeles Times, 56-year-old Heart of Worship Community Church Pastor Lonny Lee Remmers, 24-year-old Nicholas James Craig and 30-year-old Darryll Duane Jeter Jr. said that they were following instructions to “scare” the victim. All three of the men had worked at a group home where the boy lived.

In March of 2012, the men reportedly took the victim to the desert where he was forced to dig a grave. After he got in the grave, the men threw dirt on him.

The men also rubbed salt into his wounds while he was showering, tied him to a chair with zip ties, and sprayed mace on his face until he bled.

At one point, the boy was made to sit in the middle of a Bible study group and pinch his own nipples with pliers, investigators said.

Remmers could be sentenced to up to two years in prison after pleading guilty to inflicting bodily injury on a child and assault with a deadly weapon. Craig and Jeter were ordered to serve one year in prison, and placed on three years of formal probation after pleading guilty to child abuse charges and making criminal threats.

A sentencing hearing for Remmers is scheduled for Sept. 26.

Watch the video reported below, originally aired in April 2012.