Man Tried To Drown Wife And Kids In 'Baptism' Gone Wrong, Cops Say
The West Virginia father said God told him to do it, according to police.
A West Virginia man said he was trying to baptize his family in a tub. Police believe he was trying to murder them.
Leslie Kelly, 36, of Chapmanville has been charged with attempted murder and other charges for the alleged bathtub attack, according to The Associated Press.
Kelly’s wife dialed 911 on Wednesday, saying that her husband was trying to drown her and their two children, ages 3 and 6, according to the Logan County Sheriff's Department.
When police arrived at the scene, Kelly’s wife and two children were soaking wet and standing outside the home. The kids were crying.
Police entered the home and talked to Kelly, who allegedly told them he dragged his family into the bathroom and to the bathtub and then held them under water. He said he was trying to “baptize” them, but the kids kept kicking and screaming.
“Evidence of a struggle was visible throughout the home with puddles of water and clothing leading from the bathroom into the living room,” police noted in their report.
Kelly said God told him to baptize his family, The Associated Press reported.
Kelly was arrested and charged with three counts of domestic battery, two counts of child abuse creating risk and three counts of attempted murder.
He is being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail on $100,000 bond.
[Photo: Logan County Sheriff's Department]