Joseph's Sentencing

Joseph Irwin was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2016, to 8 years in state prison. Following my statement, he made a few remarks of his own. Judge Dwyer easily saw through the crocodile tears and fake emotion. No one was impressed when Joseph declared his forgiveness to Judge Dwyer, District Attorney McNamara, and to me--for what I had said about him in my statement. He included a statement of apology, but not in taking any responsibility for his own actions: “I loved Luke like a brother. He was one of my only friends in this world and now he’s gone. ...I’m really sorry about Luke. You’ll never know how sorry I am for Luke. I’m sorry I didnt stop it that day, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life.”Joseph went on to place the blame for the tragedy squarely on my head. As he stood at the podium, he turned to try to find me in the gallery. I was seated directly behind him though, so he was unable to see me. He did address me directly however, "Kristel... you have no idea what it's like to lose a brother. I lost my best friend that day..." He went on to say, "Kristel, you left of your own free will. You chose to do this." Oh, how I bristled at those words. 

Joseph was reflecting back to a "prophetic warning" that was given to me by him specifically at the close of a service held at Word of Life in May 2014. At the beginning of the year, the pastor, Tiffanie Irwin, began addressing the congregation from the pulpit during services, announcing that God was telling someone to give a large amount of money to the church. These reminders became more frequent and suddenly more urgent when a threat was issued as well. "If the person God is speaking to does not obey, serious physical harm or even death will come to someone very close to them." These were Tiffanie's words to the congregation in the spring of 2014. In early May, Joseph approached me at the end of an evening service as I was gathering my things and my kids to be ready to leave. In his menacing intimidation, Joseph growled, "Kristel, we know it's you. You're the one." I was shocked and did not understand. He continued, "Don't play games with me. You're the one that is supposed to give the money. And we know exactly how much." I was terrified. I was a mother, a wife, a daughter, ...a sister. Desperately I began to pray and seek counsel from Tiffanie and Traci. I needed to know how much money to give and how to go about getting it. I was a stay-at-home mom with no income of my own. Turns out, I left the church in July 2014 without giving that money. Fast-forward nearly 2 1/2 years to Dec. 19, 2016, and I find out that my brothers' beating and death were because I failed to obey "God." Perhaps you too can see through the false remorse on Joseph's face.

Why anyone would feel it appropriate to come into a sanctuary, to participate in leading a worship service, with a Bowie knife strapped to his leg is beyond me. But this is just what Joseph Irwin did. The intimidation that he projected was intense. When I learned that Joseph was out on bail just a few days after he was first incarcerated on October 12, I was frightened--scared for the safety of my family and for others who had left Word of Life. Everything I saw from Joseph was menacing. We all knew about his interest in guns—collecting, building, customizing--which in and of itself is not a bad thing, but for him it only amplified his intimidating persona. He would stand at the sanctuary doors as we entered for Sunday services, supposedly as a greeter, but looking much more like a bouncer, with his arms folded, and not so much as a hello as we walked past. Joseph was the enforcer, so when I found out that he was involved in this beating of my brothers, I knew it was bad. I knew there was no way my brothers could have gotten out. I am sickened that this young man who claimed to be a spiritual leader, who claimed to have divinely-inspired dreams and visions, who claimed to be led by the Holy Spirit, would stand by and allow this disgusting atrocity to occur, let alone be an active participant in the crime. I would ask that Joseph be prohibited from contacting any member of my family.

I experienced Joseph’s intimidating control tactics personally when he got in my face one evening after a service in May 2014. He declared that I was required to give a large amount of money to the church, and he knew exactly how much. I was baffled by this revelation, but my reaction only led him to accuse me of playing games with him, insinuating that I certainly did know I was the one that was expected to give, and I was purposely rebelling against doing so. I faced a huge dilemma. About a month prior to Joseph’s demand, Tiffanie had pronounced a threat from the pulpit: if the person God was speaking to about giving the money did not obey, then serious physical harm or even death would come to someone very close to them. I didn’t have money of my own, but if I didn’t give the money that was demanded, well... I was terrified at the thought of someone very close to me suffering because of me.

After several weeks of anguishing internal conflict, I learned of a new instance of Joseph’s intimidating control over another member of the congregation. It was then that I realized my household needed to leave Word of Life. We could not stay in a place where the people were bullied and threatened in the name of God. I never did give that extra money. And a little over a year after I left, Joseph and Tiffanie made good on their threat.

Thoughts come suggesting that if I had somehow given that money, maybe Lukey would still be here. Maybe my family would not be scattered, some even jailed. But regardless of the “why,” the fact remains that Lukey is gone. My dad will serve more time in prison than either Joseph or Tiffanie, even though they are far guiltier. If this type of threat had occurred elsewhere, it would be seen as blackmail or extortion. But because of the authoritarian nature of the mind control practiced at Word of Life, I did not recognize the manipulation until after Luke’s death.

Because of what happened on October 11-12, 2015, the restoration I had so desperately hoped would come to my family never will. And hope deferred makes the heart sick. Luke and I had a close bond. I was 16 when he was born—my first sibling. I adored him, and he was my buddy. He is now my hero.

The name Lucas means light. Lucas Benjamin’s lion-hearted bravery enabled him to allow his vessel, his jar of clay, to be smashed, revealing brilliant inextinguishable light, which shone as a bolt of lightning, to expose the darkness that was lurking at Word of Life. I will continue to ensure that the thunder of Luke’s lightning will roll. Our family has lost a son, a nephew, a brother, an uncle. The community has lost a kind friend with a caring heart, a good man with great potential.

There is one other significant impact that this crime has produced, which is essential to point out. I would implore each and every person, but especially members of this court, the judicial system, and health professionals to become educated in the area of mind control. It is a real issue with potentially destructive outcomes, such as we have seen in this case. It is a matter of public health and safety that individuals be guaranteed the right to freedom of mind. High demand, authoritarian groups exist, which practice destructive mind control and undue influence to manipulate and coerce people for their own purposes. There is a vast need for education on this topic, and I can only hope that by sharing some of my own experiences at Word of Life, someone somewhere may realize that they are in a cult and be able to receive the help they need to be free.