Linda's Sentencing

Linda Morey's husband is a saint. ...And I will just leave that right there.

Initially, I thought that writing the Victim Impact Statements for Linda and her son, David, would be easier than the others. I was mistaken. Yes, Linda "drew first blood" the night of October 11, 2015, when she punched my brother, Christopher, in the face. Linda is also the one that fetched the weapon--the power cord--that was wielded by my step-sister, Sarah, when she inflicted the lethal blows on Lucas. Yet, I knew that Linda was an instrument of the Irwins' making. And I knew that she is dearly loved by her husband. Therefore, my statement at her sentencing on January 9, 2017, was tempered by these facts. Linda's remarks following my statement did seem remorseful, although she did not apologize directly to the victims or their family.

                I cannot understand what possesses a person to be so uncaring toward another human, even to the point of being viciously mean. Why would she punch Christopher in the face? Why would she taunt Lucas, saying that he had wet his pants when clearly he was bleeding profusely? What caused her to bring in the cord, which became a deadly weapon? These are questions to which I will probably not ever have answers.

                Linda is being sentenced to 5 years in prison. I am satisfied with her sentence. She will most likely experience the same kind of treatment as she gave to my brothers. I am disgusted and angry over the way that Linda treated my brothers, but her behavior did not come as a surprise to me. I have known her for over 20 years. She has always been very close and loyal to the Irwin family. Any perceived affront to the Irwins was met with fierce scolding. Alternately, if the Irwins decided to show favor to any member for some reason, Linda would come across as benevolent and kind. Linda had essentially become an ambassador for the Irwins, in that she represented nearly the same level of authority.

                Linda participated fully in the savage beating of my brothers, whose only real offense was that they wanted to break free from the undue influence and control of Word of Life. Because of Linda’s position of leadership in the church, her behavior in the name of Christianity, in the name of God, exemplified a terribly perverted view of love. I have heard the other offenders declare their love for my brothers, and I would presume Linda would say she too loved Luke and Christopher. If this is how Linda treats people she loves, I would be terrified to experience her treatment of those she hates.

                Linda chose to disregard, or perhaps failed to fully recognize, the abject suffering taking place, and refused to get the medical attention that was so clearly necessary. Her choice allowed my Lukey to die, and my Christopher continues to suffer. My family is scattered, and some are even in prison. Linda’s blind loyalty to the Irwins has attached a felony to her name, as well as to her son’s, and it has stolen her from her own family. This is a tragic situation in every way, and the only remedy is freedom of mind from undue influence. Again, I ask that the court invest the resources needed to become educated in the area of destructive cult mind control perpetrated by authoritarian groups.