KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man accused of killing a former Arlington woman -- and trying to make it look like a suicide -- has told investigators that he acted on orders of the woman's husband, the spiritual leader of a group that reportedly included sex in its religious practice, according to prosecutors and court affidavits.
Micah Moore, 23, of Kansas City has admitted killing Bethany Leidlein Deaton, 27, whose body was found Oct. 30 in a van near a shelter at a lake southeast of Kansas City, Jackson County authorities said.Items in the van had been arranged to make her death look like a suicide.After Moore appeared in court in Independence Tuesday for an initial hearing on a murder charge, prosecutors acknowledged that the woman's husband, Tyler Deaton, is under investigation in her death.Moore, the Deatons and some witnesses in the case had been students together at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and had moved to Kansas City in recent years to participate in the International House of Prayer, an evangelical missions organization.On Friday, Moore, after walking into Grandview police headquarters, told detectives that he and other men sexually assaulted Bethany Deaton, who had been given Seroquel, a prescription anti-psychotic drug, according to affidavits.Moore said he was told to kill Bethany Deaton because there was fear within the group that she was about to reveal to the assaults to her therapist.The men in the group had also engaged in sex with Tyler Deaton, according to court documents.Moore later told detectives that Tyler Deaton told him to kill Bethany, "saying he knew Micah had it in him to do it," according to court documents.Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker also said Bethany Deaton's body would now need further examination. It had been sent to Arlington for burial, but according to a county spokesperson, the body has been returned to the Jackson County medical examiner's office in Kansas City. Bethany Deaton grew up in Arlington, the daughter of Eric and Carol Leidlein.She was mentioned in articles in the Star-Telegram in 1998 and 2001 about the benefits of home schooling.Bethany was home-schooled, and her mother is the former president of the Arlington Association of Home Educators.The parents could not be reached to comment on Tuesday. Eric and Carol Leidlein issued a statement about their daughter's death:"We are deeply grieving the loss of our beautiful and innocent daughter. We are shocked and horrified by the information now coming forth. The betrayal, the subtle and increasing manipulation, and the brutal victimization which occurred is beyond tragic."We pray for the truth to be revealed. While it is important to understand how Bethany died, it is even more important to understand how she lived. Because of the ongoing investigation, we do not have any further comment at this time."Her funeral was Friday at Grace Community Church in Arlington.Jackson County sheriff's deputies found Deaton's body Oct. 30 inside a van at Longview Lake, a reservoir about four miles east of Grandview. A white plastic bag was over her head, an empty 100-count bottle of acetaminophen PM was in a cup holder and an unopened bottle was on the van console, they reported.A small notepad on the console contained an apparent suicide note:"My name is Bethany Deaton. I chose this evil thing. I did it because I wouldn't be a real person and what is the point of living if it is too late for that? I wish I had chosen differently a long time ago. I knew it all and refused to listen. Maybe Jesus will still save me."Detectives continued to interview witnesses Tuesday, said Sgt. Ronda Montgomery, a Jackson County sheriff's spokeswoman, and more arrests are possible.Tyler Deaton, 26, described as domineering and charismatic by acquaintances, led followers from Georgetown to the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Allen Hood, president of International House of Prayer University, issued a statement Monday night confirming that Moore was a student. Hood expressed grief at Bethany Deaton's death and said the organization will "continue to fully assist all law enforcement agencies in their efforts to uncover the extent and specifics of this horrific crime."Hood described Tyler Deaton as the leader of "an independent, close-knit religious group" that was operating separately from the International House of Prayer "under a veil of secrecy."A detective's statement said that Moore had admitted to committing sexual assaults to Shelley Hundley, who is a member of the executive team at the International House of Prayer in south Kansas City.According to court documents, Hundley said that she had talked with Moore at the Grandview police department and that he had admitted the sexual assaults. He told her they were recorded on his tablet computer, which was in a backpack in his apartment. Also on the tablet were poems the assailants had written about the assaults, he said.Hood's statement said the International House of Prayer is taking necessary steps to minister to its students and protect their safety, and he asked for prayers for Bethany Deaton's family and friends.A neighbor of the Grandview house where the group lived said they had seen 15 cars or more, many with Texas license plates, crowding the street once or twice a week.The house would fill with people, mostly men."My kids asked why there were so many people in the house, and they told them they did Bible study," Terra Lindsey said.According to an online obituary, Bethany Deaton graduated from Southwestern University in 2005.She moved to Kansas City to be an intern at the International House of Prayer.She earned a nursing degree in August 2012 and married Tyler Deaton on Aug. 18.They planned to serve overseas as missionaries.This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Have more to add? 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