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Ervil Morrell LeBaron (February 22, 1925 – August 15, 1981) was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents, both within his own sect and in rival polygamous groups, using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the murders. He was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of an opponent, and died there in 1981.

Key Information

He had at least 13 wives in a plural marriage, several of whom he married while they were still underage, and several of whom were involved in the murders.

History

[edit]
See also: LeBaron order

After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) officially abandoned the practice of polygamy in 1890 (Other sources say 1940 in Salt Lake City, UT), some polygamous Mormons, who were later excommunicated from the LDS Church, moved south to Mexico to continue the practice without the interference of U.S. law enforcement. One of these Mormons, Alma Dayer LeBaron, Sr., moved his family, which included his two wives and eight children, to northern Mexico in 1924. There, they started a farm called "Colonia LeBaron" in Galeana, Chihuahua.[3]

When Alma died in 1951, he passed the leadership of the community on to his son Joel LeBaron, who eventually incorporated the community as the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times in Salt Lake City, Utah.[4] Ervil LeBaron, Joel's younger brother, was his second in command during the early years of the church's existence.[5] The group ultimately numbered around thirty families who lived in both Utah and a community called "Los Molinos" on the Baja California Peninsula.

Killings

[edit]
Main article: Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God

In 1972, the LeBaron sect suffered a schism when Ervil fell out with Joel and started the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God in San Diego, California.[3][6] Later that year, Ervil ordered Joel's murder in Mexico.[3][6] Leadership of the Baja California church passed to the youngest LeBaron brother, Verlan, whom Ervil tried to have killed over the next decade.[3][6]

In 1974, Ervil was tried and convicted in Mexico for Joel's murder. His conviction was overturned on a technicality; some have alleged this resulted from a bribe.[3][7] Ervil's followers subsequently raided Los Molinos to kill Verlan;[8][9] Verlan was in Nicaragua, but the town was destroyed and two men were killed.[8][10]

Ervil LeBaron's attention was also focused on rival polygamous leaders. In April 1975, he ordered the killing of Bob Simons, a polygamist who sought to minister to Native Americans.[11] In 1977, LeBaron ordered the killing of Rulon C. Allred, leader of the Apostolic United Brethren, another Mormon fundamentalist sect.[12] Ervil LeBaron's 13th wife, Rena Chynoweth, carried out the murder with Ervil's stepdaughter, Ramona Marston.[3] Although Chynoweth was tried and acquitted for Allred's murder, she confessed in her memoir, The Blood Covenant (1990).[13] She also described her experiences in LeBaron's group, which she characterized as using mind control and fear to control its followers.[14]

Ervil LeBaron also ordered the murders of members of his own family and those of his supporters. His 10th wife, Vonda White, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Dean Grover Vest, one of LeBaron's henchmen, who had attempted to leave the church.[15][16] Vonda White is also said to have killed Noemi Zarate Chynoweth,[17][18] the plural wife of Ervil's father-in-law through his wife, Lorna Chynoweth. Noemi had been critical of Ervil LeBaron's practices and snubbed him at her wedding to Bud Chynoweth.[14][19] According to witnesses, Thelma Chynoweth (Bud Chynoweth's first wife, who was Lorna's mother and Noemi's sister-wife) helped kill Noemi. Ervil LeBaron has also been linked to the death of his own 17-year-old daughter Rebecca, who was pregnant with her second child and hoped to leave the group; it is alleged that his stepson Eddie Marston and brother-in-law Duane Chynoweth strangled her in April 1977.[20][21]

On June 1, 1979, Ervil LeBaron was apprehended by police in Mexico and extradited to the United States, where he was convicted of having ordered Allred's death. In 1980, he was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Utah State Prison in Draper, Utah, where he died on August 16, 1981, from an apparent suicide.[22] Ervil's brother Verlan (whom Ervil had tried to murder) died in an auto accident in Mexico City two days after Ervil's body was discovered in his cell.[22] In an October 2012 interview with Vice Magazine, Verlan LeBaron's grandson Brent LeBaron stated that at least some in the LeBaron family believe this may not have been a coincidence.[23]

Continued murder spree

[edit]
Main article: 4 O'Clock murders

While in prison, LeBaron wrote a 400-page "bible" known as The Book of the New Covenants, which included a commandment to kill disobedient church members who were included in a hit list written by LeBaron. Some 20 copies were printed and distributed.[24]

Three of the murders were carried out simultaneously on June 27, 1988, at 4:00 pm, later dubbed the "4 O'Clock Murders".[3] Duane Chynoweth, one of LeBaron's former followers, was shot and killed with his 8-year-old daughter, Jennifer, while running errands.[3] Eddie Marston, one of LeBaron's stepsons and former thugs, was killed in the same manner, and Mark Chynoweth, a father of six, was shot multiple times in his office in Houston, Texas.[3]

Of the seven killers involved in the "4 O'Clock Murders," five were found guilty of murder. One, Cynthia LeBaron, testified against her siblings and was granted immunity. The final suspect, Jacqueline LeBaron, was captured by the FBI in May 2010.[25]

On June 16, 2011, Jacqueline Tarsa LeBaron pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct religious beliefs and faced a 5-year maximum sentence in a future sentencing hearing.[26] She was released from federal custody several months earlier than her original sentence was calculated.[27] Although her plea agreement is public information, many docket entries are sealed.[28][29] Since release, one 2014 report from a U.S. Probation Officer about her supervised release states that Jacqueline Tarsa LeBaron had not made any payment toward the $134,000 restitution imposed by the Court; simultaneously, the officer's report states that she "has severe mental health issues" including mania requiring psychotropic medication and which have led her to seek Social Security Disability Insurance.[30]

It has been estimated that more than 25 people were killed as a result of LeBaron's prison-cell orders. Many of his family members and other ex-members of the group remain in hiding for fear of retribution from LeBaron's remaining followers.[citation needed] However, when LeBaron's daughter Anna LeBaron, who escaped from the cult aged 13, published an account of her life and the cult in 2017, when she was 48, she said that the blood-letting was over and family members were no longer in danger.[31]

Wives and children

[edit]

Ervil LeBaron married 13 women and fathered more than 50 children. He also raised several stepchildren.

* stepchild

+ Chynoweth sibling

++ Rios sibling

!cult leader

i Incest

Wives
Wife Age at marriage Killed on behalf of the cult? Left the cult: Comments
Murdered Imprisoned Escaped before 1992
Delfina Salido Y Went to the authorities, in fear for her life, after her daughter Rebecca was murdered.
Marilu Vega N
Joy Marston N Y Left Ervil after 3 months of marriage[32]
Anna Mae (Stephens) Marston N Anna Mae left her second husband, Nephi Marston, to marry Ervil, bringing her children with her.
Lorna Chynoweth+ N Y [1983] Lorna's body was never recovered. She was likely killed by one of her sons.
Kristina Jensen N Y
Rosemary (Worley) Barlow N Brought 3 children with her to the marriage
Linda Johnson
Debra Bateman 16 N Y
Vonda White Y[32] Y Convicted of killing Dean Grover Vest, a cult member who tried to leave. Also killed Neomi Zarate Chynoweth, a plural wife of Bud Chynoweth, Ervil's father-in-law twice over.[32] Brought 4 children with her from her first marriage.
Teresa Rios++ Y
Yolanda Rios++ Y [1984]
Rena Chynoweth+ 16 Y[32] Y Y Killed Rulon Allred, but acquitted for the crime. Left the cult after Ervil's arrest.[32]
Children
Mother Child Name Child Spouse Polygamist? Killed on behalf of the cult? Left the cult: Comment
Murdered Imprisoned Suicide Escaped before 1992
Delfina Salido Sylvia Esther Thomas Liddiard Y N
Sarah N
Alice N
Lillian Mark Chynoweth+ N Y [1989][32] Helped several siblings leave the cult; suspected of being involved in the death of her brother Isaac or other siblings.[32]
Arturo ("Arthur")! Y Y[32] Y [Dec 1983] Left cult following the death of Ervil
Rebecca Victor Chynoweth+ Y N Y [1977][32] Pregnant at the time of her murder. Her body has never been recovered.[32]
Jonathan "Isaac" - N N ? ? [1983][32] Y [1979][32] Testified in court against many cult members. After a stint in a mental health institution, he moved in with his sister Lillian and Mark Chynoweth. He died several days later. Official records say suicide, but authors such as Scott Anderson believe the Chynoweths likely murdered him.[32]
Paul
Delia Y [1978][32] Escaped with her mother[32]
Marilu Vega Elsa Dan Jordan Y
Jorge Y [1984] Body never recovered
Patricia Heber Lebaroni[32] Y Y [1992][32] Sentenced to life in prison for her role in the murders of Ed Barlow, and Mark, Duane, and Jenny Chynoweth.[33] Released in 2023.[34]
Benjamin
Virginia N
Ruben
Anna Mae Marston David Marston*
Edward Thomas Marston* N Y Y [1988][32]
Ramona Marston * Dan Jordan Y Y Y Y [1982][35] Assisted Rena Chynoweth in killing Rulon Allred. Acquitted. Married to Dan Jordan on the same day as her sister Fay.[32]
Faye Marston* Dan Jordan Y Married to Dan Jordan on the same day as her sister Ramona[32]
Kathleen N Y [1982][36] Ran away from the cult to get married at age 18.[36]
William "Heber"! multiple half-sistersi[32] Y Y[33] Y [1992] Sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murders of Ed Marston and Mark, Duane, and Jenny Chynoweth.[33]
Marilyn N N Y [1982][36] Ran away from her mother in 1982; assisted by sister Lillian and stepsister Ramona Marston[36]
Celia Kristina N N Y [late 1980s][37]
Anna Keturah N N Y [1982][36] Ran away to live with her sister Lillian.[36]
Hyrum N N
Adine N
Lorna Chynoweth Andrew N Y[32] Y Body never recovered
Jacqueline Tarsa Y Y Indicted in the 1990s; on the FBI Most Wanted List for years until finally arrested in the 2000s
Aaron Morel "Mo"! Y[33] Y [1997] Sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the murders of Ed Barlow and Mark, Duane, and Jenny Chynoweth.[33]
Natasha
Andrea Monique
Bridget Veronica
Leland Jared
Joshua
Christina Jensen Tabitha Y [1970s] Escaped with her mother
Shoshanna Y [1970s] Escaped with her mother
Rosemary Barlow Douglas Barlow* Y[33] Sentenced to life in prison for his role in the murders of Ed Marston and Mark, Duane, and Jenny Chynoweth.[33]
Annalee Barlow*
Ellen Barlow*
Nathaniel
David
Eva
Linda Johnson Thomas Anthony
Cynthia Y Y [1992][33] Granted immunity to testify against her siblings in the murders of her stepbrother Ed Marston and Mark and Duane Chynoweth, and Duane's 8-year-old daughter.[33]
Richard Y Y [1992] Pled guilty to murder of 8-year-old Jenny Chynoweth and received a 5-year sentence.[33]
Debra Bateman Jeremy N Y Escaped with his mother
Craig N Y Escaped with his mother
Vonda White Craig White* After his mother's imprisonment, he was raised by Anna Mae Marston
Audrey White* After her mother's imprisonment, raised by Anna Mae Marston
Evelyn White* After her mother's imprisonment, raised by Anna Mae Marston
Janet White* After her mother's imprisonment, raised by Anna Mae Marston
Mimi After her mother's imprisonment, raised by Anna Mae Marston
Nathan After his mother's imprisonment, he was raised by Anna Mae Marston
Teresa Rios Gladys Elva
Estephania Norma Featured in the true crime series Evil Lives Here, season 3, episode 9, telling her story about growing up in the LeBaron family.
Jenny
Gabriela R.
Yolanda Rios Sandra
Danny
Rena Chynoweth Erin Y [1981] Escaped with her mother
John Ryan Y [1981] Escape with his mother

Depictions

[edit]
Films
Television
  • "Murderous Mormons". Deadly Devotion. Season 3. Episode 4. 2015-08-24. Investigation Discovery.
  • "Blood Atonement". Evil Lives Here. Season 3. Episode 9. 2018-03-04. Investigation Discovery.
  • Under the Banner of Heaven, 2022 miniseries based on the book by John Krakauer
  • Daughters of the Cult, 2024 Hulu documentary series
Nonfiction

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Ervil LeBaron

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Ervil Morrell LeBaron (1925–1981) was the leader of the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God, a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist sect that seceded from the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times in 1971 and espoused the doctrine of blood atonement to justify the execution of apostates and rivals.[1] Under his direction, followers carried out numerous murders, including the 1977 assassination of rival sect leader Rulon Allred, for which LeBaron was convicted of first-degree murder in 1980 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[1] His group was linked to at least 17 unsolved homicides in addition to prosecuted killings, with violence continuing after his death from a heart seizure in Utah State Prison on August 16, 1981, as adherents sought to fulfill his prophetic directives.[1][2] LeBaron's reign exemplified the extreme fringes of Mormon fundamentalism, marked by familial strife, prophetic claims of being the "one mighty and strong," and a campaign of terror that targeted other polygamist communities across the United States and Mexico.[1][3]

Early Life and Background

Birth and Childhood

Ervil Morrell LeBaron was born on February 22, 1925, in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, to Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. and Maude Lucinda McDonald LeBaron.[4][5] His father, aged 38 at the time, had relocated the family from the United States to Mexico in the early 1920s to evade persecution for practicing polygamy, a tenet central to their Mormon fundamentalist beliefs.[6][7] LeBaron's mother was his father's second wife in a polygamous arrangement, and Ervil was her ninth child, born during a period of migration southward within the Mexican Mormon colonies established by U.S. expatriates fleeing anti-polygamy crackdowns.[6] Raised in the isolated communities of Colonia Juárez and nearby settlements like Galeana, LeBaron grew up immersed in a strict patriarchal household emphasizing fundamentalist interpretations of Mormonism, including plural marriage and separation from the mainstream Latter-day Saint Church, which had renounced polygamy in 1890.[5][8] The family's adherence to these doctrines shaped his early environment, with his father actively promoting polygamy despite ongoing risks of violence from both Mexican authorities and rival religious groups.[6] By his teenage years around the early 1940s, LeBaron reportedly expressed strong opposition to any abandonment of polygamous practices, reflecting the doctrinal indoctrination of his upbringing.[5]

Family Origins in Mormon Fundamentalism

Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. (1886–1951), the patriarch of the family, was born in the United States but raised among early Mormon pioneer colonists in Colonia Dublán, Chihuahua, Mexico, established in the 1880s by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints fleeing U.S. anti-polygamy laws.[9] These colonies preserved plural marriage practices discontinued by the mainstream church after its 1890 Manifesto.[10] In 1910, Alma Sr. married Maud Lucinda McDonald (1892–1979) in Thatcher, Arizona, as his first and primary wife, with whom he fathered thirteen children, including seven sons.[11] He later took additional wives, aligning with fundamentalist adherence to 19th-century Mormon doctrines emphasizing polygamy as a divine commandment.[12] To evade intensifying U.S. persecution against polygamists, Alma Sr. relocated his growing family across the border to Mexico in 1924, settling in the Chihuahua colonies where fundamentalist practices could continue without immediate legal interference.[12] Ervil Morrell LeBaron was born to Alma Sr. and Maud on February 22, 1925, in Colonia Dublán, becoming one of the sons immersed from childhood in this isolated, theocratic environment.[13] The family's theology evolved toward Mormon fundamentalism, rejecting the mainstream church's abandonment of plural marriage and incorporating esoteric interpretations, such as a claimed "Right of the Firstborn" priesthood lineage traced from Joseph Smith through Benjamin F. Johnson to Alma Sr. himself.[13] By the 1930s, Alma Sr. affiliated with prominent fundamentalist leaders like Joseph W. Musser, solidifying the family's commitment to doctrines including plural marriage and patriarchal authority.[13] He instructed his sons—among them Joel, Ross, Floren, Verlan, and Ervil—in these principles, positioning the LeBarons as bearers of a superior priesthood order destined to lead a restorationist movement.[14] This upbringing in a polygamous, fundamentalist enclave in Mexico fostered intense familial loyalty but also internal rivalries over prophetic succession, setting the stage for later schisms. The LeBarons maintained loose ties to broader fundamentalist networks, such as those under John Y. Barlow and Rulon Allred, until breaking away in 1955 to form their own group, the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times.[13] Alma Sr.'s death in 1951 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis left his sons to interpret and expand upon his theological legacy.[15]

Religious Doctrines and Claims

Adoption of Blood Atonement

Ervil LeBaron integrated the doctrine of blood atonement into the core tenets of the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God, interpreting it as a divine mandate to execute those guilty of grave sins such as apostasy, false prophecy, or covenant violation. Originating in mid-19th-century Mormon teachings, particularly those articulated by Brigham Young between 1856 and 1857, blood atonement posits that Christ's sacrifice cannot fully redeem certain offenses, necessitating the sinner's own blood shedding for expiation. LeBaron, claiming prophetic revelations, expanded this to encompass a "Law of Liberty" that justified killing traitors, disobedient followers, and rivals, framing such acts as salvific rather than punitive. This adaptation served to consolidate his authority amid familial and sectarian rivalries, distinguishing his faction from broader Mormon fundamentalism by its aggressive enforcement.[16] The doctrine's operational adoption crystallized in August 1972, when LeBaron directed the murder of his brother Joel LeBaron, the church's founder, on August 10 in Ensenada, Mexico. Ervil cited Joel's leadership as false prophecy meriting blood atonement, an act that eliminated competition and established Ervil's unchallenged supremacy over the group, then numbering around 100 adherents. This killing, executed by follower Robert J. Anderson, initiated a pattern of approximately 25 murders attributed to LeBaron's directives over the subsequent decade, targeting not only family members like half-brother Heber LeBaron (killed February 1977) but also external figures such as Rulon Allred, leader of a rival polygamist sect, on May 10, 1977. Court records and survivor testimonies confirmed LeBaron's explicit instructions, often conveyed through written revelations emphasizing atonement's necessity for the perpetrators' own salvation.[16][17] LeBaron formalized these interpretations in The Book of New Covenants, a compilation of his purported revelations drafted during intermittent imprisonments in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This text enumerated specific individuals for execution under blood atonement, including apostate followers and unrelated fundamentalists, and prescribed methods to ensure the act's ritual purity. Even after LeBaron's incarceration in 1979 for Allred's murder and his death on August 15, 1981, in Utah State Prison, the book fueled ongoing violence, with factions splintering yet adhering to its mandates until the mid-1990s. While fundamentalist sources like the LeBaron family's internal writings affirm the doctrine's scriptural basis in Doctrine and Covenants sections 42 and 132, LeBaron's application deviated by prioritizing personal vendettas, as evidenced by hit lists unrelated to traditional sins.[16][1]

Prophetic Revelations and Succession Theology

Ervil LeBaron asserted that he received divine revelations designating him as the "One Mighty and Strong," a figure prophesied in Doctrine and Covenants 85:7 to set God's house in order amid apostasy, a interpretation central to Mormon fundamentalist eschatology.[18] This claim positioned LeBaron as a superior prophet to his brother Joel, whom he viewed as having deviated from true authority.[19] In a 1970 revelation, LeBaron vowed to assume leadership if Joel failed to acknowledge his preeminence, framing succession not by birthright but by God's direct mandate to the most faithful vessel.[19] Following Joel LeBaron's assassination on August 20, 1972—allegedly at the direction of Ervil's followers—Ervil declared himself the legitimate successor, establishing the Church of the Lamb of God on January 1, 1973, as the purified remnant under his prophetic guidance.[20] LeBaron's succession theology rejected automatic patriarchal inheritance in favor of revelatory validation, insisting that only a divinely commissioned prophet could rectify doctrinal errors, including Joel's supposed compromises on plural marriage and communalism.[21] He taught that failure to heed the One Mighty and Strong invited divine judgment, including blood atonement for resisters, elevating personal revelation above institutional consensus.[22] LeBaron's revelations progressively incorporated blood atonement as a prophetic imperative, mandating the execution of apostates, rivals, and even family members deemed unworthy of celestial progression, with at least 25 deaths linked to these directives by 1981.[18] During his imprisonment from 1979 onward for the 1977 murder of rival Rulon C. Allred, LeBaron compiled The Book of the New Covenants, a 400-page manifesto of purported revelations that included an "88 precepts" hit list targeting disobedient followers and enemies for elimination to atone their sins.[20] This text reinforced his theology by codifying succession as perpetual prophetic succession, where adherents must obey the living oracle or face extermination, ensuring the sect's loyalty even posthumously.[23]

Leadership of the Sect

Founding the Church of the Lamb of God

Ervil LeBaron founded the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God in 1972 following a violent schism with his brother Joel, who led the family's prior fundamentalist group, the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times.[24] The split arose from Ervil's claim to superior prophetic authority, asserting revelations that designated him as the rightful successor to their father, Alma Dayer LeBaron, over Joel's leadership.[25] Joel's murder on August 20, 1972, in Mexico, which authorities linked to Ervil's directives, facilitated Ervil's consolidation of followers disillusioned with Joel or loyal to Ervil's interpretations.[26] The new church emphasized restorationist Mormon doctrines including plural marriage and blood atonement—the belief that certain apostates or sinners required execution for salvation—a tenet Ervil aggressively promoted as divine mandate.[18] Ervil declared himself prophet, seer, and revelator, issuing "Letters of Instruction" to guide members, often involving relocation to evade law enforcement and communal living arrangements across Utah, Arizona, and Mexico.[25] Initial membership comprised primarily LeBaron family members, Ervil's multiple wives, and their children, totaling around 50-100 adherents by the mid-1970s, sustained through polygamous expansion and isolation from mainstream society.[26] Ervil's foundational writings and sermons framed the church as the sole vessel for God's kingdom on earth, preparatory to apocalyptic events, distinguishing it from other fundamentalist sects by its militant enforcement of orthodoxy.[18] The group's nomadic and secretive operations from inception reflected Ervil's paranoia regarding persecution, mirroring early Mormon histories but escalated by his orders for preemptive violence against perceived threats.[25] By 1977, the church had drawn scrutiny from authorities due to associated killings, yet Ervil maintained control through charismatic authority and familial ties.[26]

Internal Structure and Authority

Ervil LeBaron exercised absolute authority over the Church of the Lamb of God as its self-proclaimed prophet, issuing divine revelations that constituted the "constitutional law of the Kingdom of God" and demanded total obedience from followers, with dissent equated to treason punishable by death.[26][25] The sect, founded by LeBaron in 1972 following a schism from his brother Joel LeBaron's Church of the Firstborn, comprised roughly 100 adherents, including LeBaron's 13 wives and at least 25 children, though only about 40 formed a hard-core contingent willing to execute his violent directives.[25][26] Unlike mainstream Mormon denominations with ordained priesthoods and quorums, the Church of the Lamb of God lacked a formalized hierarchy, operating instead as a centralized cult centered on LeBaron's charismatic leadership and enforced through familial and personal loyalties.[25] Key lieutenants, often relatives such as members of the Chynoweth family (with some daughters wed to LeBaron), functioned as enforcers, conducting raids, assassinations, and communal relocations on his orders, as seen in the 1974 Los Molinos attack that killed two and wounded twelve.[26][25] Decision-making resided solely with LeBaron, who disseminated written mandates and target lists—even from prison—prioritizing blood atonement over mercy, compelling disciples (including women) to carry out killings of rivals, apostates, and family members deemed disloyal.[25] This structure fostered an environment of pervasive fear, where non-compliance invited execution, sustaining the group's cohesion amid nomadic operations across the American Southwest and Mexico until LeBaron's 1981 death, after which it fragmented into factions led by associates like Daniel Ben Jordan and his sons.[26][25]

Personal Life and Polygamy

Marriages and Wives

Ervil LeBaron adhered to the practice of polygamy, central to his interpretation of Mormon fundamentalist doctrine, marrying at least 13 women and fathering more than 50 children with them, including stepchildren from prior unions.[27][28] His first wife was Delfina, with whom he had 10 children, several of whom predeceased him or were later killed amid sect violence.[27] Subsequent marriages included Mary Lou (five children), Anna Mae (six biological children plus five stepchildren), and Lorna (eight children), among others; these unions often involved women from within fundamentalist circles or converts to LeBaron's Church of the Lamb of God.[27] LeBaron's wives varied in their roles within the family and sect, with some, like Rena Chynoweth—married later in his life and mother of two children—participating directly in enforcing his directives, including assassinations ordered under blood atonement theology.[28] Others, such as Vonda White and Lorna Chynoweth LeBaron, faced suspicions of disloyalty, leading to their disappearances or deaths attributed to LeBaron's followers.[28] The full roster of wives encompassed Delfina, Mary Lou, Joy, Anna Mae, Lorna, Kristina, Rosemary, Linda, Deborah, Beverly, Teresa, Yolanda, and Rena, though exact marriage dates remain sparsely documented due to the group's nomadic and secretive lifestyle across Mexico and the United States.[27]
WifeNotable Children (Selected)Status Notes
DelfinaSylvia, Esther, Sarah, Alice, PabloDeceased; multiple children deceased
Mary LouLesley, Patricia, BenjaminDeceased
Anna MaeKathleen, Heber, Marilyn, Celia, Anna, AdineIncluded stepchildren
LornaJacqueline, Aaron, Monique, JessicaDeceased
RenaErin, J.R.Involved in sect killings
This table summarizes key wives and offspring based on family records; not all wives bore children, and many family members endured relocations to evade authorities, with children raised in isolation and indoctrinated into LeBaron's prophetic claims.[27][28] The polygamous structure reinforced LeBaron's authority, positioning wives as subordinates in a hierarchical system where obedience was paramount, often enforced through threats of divine retribution or physical harm.[28]

Children and Family Dynamics

Ervil LeBaron fathered more than 50 children across his 13 wives, including at least 11 stepchildren from previously married spouses, within the polygamous structure of his sect.[28] The family operated under a rigid patriarchal hierarchy, with LeBaron positioned as the infallible prophet whose revelations dictated daily life, resource allocation among households, and interpersonal relations.[18] Wives and children were expected to demonstrate unwavering loyalty, often competing for his favor through obedience to doctrines like blood atonement, which justified violence against perceived dissenters—even within the family.[29] Dynamics among the children were shaped by isolation, indoctrination, and pervasive fear, as LeBaron enforced separation from outsiders and limited education to the eighth grade to prevent exposure to contrary ideas.[29] Frequent relocations across Mexico and the United States, driven by legal pursuits and internal purges, disrupted stability and fostered suspicion; children witnessed or participated in enforcements of LeBaron's edicts, including the elimination of siblings or half-siblings deemed apostate.[18] This environment bred trauma, with accounts from survivors describing emotional manipulation and physical discipline as tools to maintain control, alongside rare privileges for those aligned with his inner circle.[29] Notable among the children were daughters Anna and Celia LeBaron, who endured the regime's demands before escaping in the 1980s, later recounting in memoirs and interviews how sibling rivalries were exacerbated by divided maternal loyalties and the constant threat of paternal retribution.[24] Sons like Hyrum LeBaron similarly defected, highlighting fractures in the family unit post-LeBaron's imprisonment, though some offspring remained committed to his legacy, perpetuating directives from his written orders even after his 1981 death.[24]

Murders and Criminal Directives

Initial Familial Killings

The initial familial killings directed by Ervil LeBaron began with the murder of his brother Joel LeBaron on August 20, 1972, in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.[30] Joel, who had established the Church of the First Born of the Fulness of Times in 1955, had excommunicated Ervil amid escalating disputes over religious authority and prophetic claims.[25] Ervil, viewing Joel as an apostate obstructing divine will, ordered the killing under the doctrine of blood atonement, which posits that certain sins require the shedding of the sinner's blood for redemption.[31] The assassination was executed by Daniel Jordan, one of Ervil's close followers, who shot Joel while he worked on his vehicle.[31] Following Joel's death, Ervil's directives extended to other family members perceived as disloyal or aligned with Joel's faction. In the early 1970s, tensions within the LeBaron family led to additional threats and attempts against siblings like Verlan LeBaron, who assumed leadership of Joel's church and survived multiple attacks attributed to Ervil's group.[28] These actions solidified Ervil's control over his emerging Church of the Lamb of God but initiated a pattern of intra-family violence, with followers tasked to eliminate perceived threats to his prophetic supremacy. Ervil was briefly convicted in Mexico for orchestrating Joel's murder but evaded full accountability at the time, allowing the killings to continue.[18] The familial nature of these early murders underscored Ervil's willingness to target blood relatives, framing such acts as necessary for spiritual purification and the establishment of his theocratic vision. Accounts from survivors, including Ervil's own children, describe an atmosphere of fear where dissent within the family invited execution as atonement.[29] This phase set the precedent for broader violence against rivals, with at least Joel's killing directly tied to familial succession struggles in the 1970s.[32]

Expansion to Rivals and Apostates

LeBaron broadened the application of blood atonement beyond immediate family members to encompass leaders of rival fundamentalist Mormon sects and defectors from his own Church of the Lamb of God, whom he branded as apostates obstructing divine revelation. This escalation reflected his self-proclaimed status as the one true prophet, positioning other claimants to authority as impediments requiring violent removal to fulfill scriptural mandates.[32][33] A key target was Rulon C. Allred, president of the Apostolic United Brethren, a competing polygamist organization. On May 10, 1977, Allred was assassinated in his Murray, Utah, clinic by gunfire from two female followers, Rena Chynoweth and Ramona Marston, dispatched explicitly under LeBaron's instructions. LeBaron had denounced Allred as a false prophet whose influence undermined his revelations, justifying the killing as necessary atonement.[32][34] The murder, executed with suppressed pistols to evade detection, marked a shift to external rivals and drew law enforcement scrutiny to LeBaron's network.[32] LeBaron similarly condemned apostates—former adherents who renounced his leadership or revealed internal practices—as irredeemable without bloodshed, ordering their elimination to prevent schism and purify the group. These directives targeted individuals who had fled to Mexico or the U.S., with LeBaron compiling lists of names for execution by loyal enforcers, often family members trained in clandestine operations. While specific pre-arrest apostate killings remain less documented than familial ones, the pattern established a template for posthumous violence, as followers continued interpreting his writings as mandates against defectors.[33][35]

Methods and Justifications

LeBaron justified the murders as divinely mandated acts of purification, drawing on the fundamentalist Mormon doctrine of blood atonement, which posits that certain apostates and grave sinners must shed their own blood to achieve salvation, a concept he reinstated and expanded within his sect.[28] He claimed personal revelations from God identifying targets as "sons of perdition" or strayers from the true faith, whose elimination was necessary to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and prepare for Christ's return.[36] Followers were promised exaltation to the highest kingdom of heaven for obedience, framing the killings as sacred duties rather than crimes.[36] These directives were disseminated through writings like The Book of the New Covenant, a 500-page text containing a hit list of apostates and rivals, which LeBaron composed while imprisoned and smuggled to adherents.[36] Even after his 1979 conviction for orchestrating Rulon Allred's murder, LeBaron continued issuing orders via letters and emissaries, insisting that non-execution would forfeit the killers' own salvation.[36] Targets included family members, rival sect leaders, and defectors deemed threats to doctrinal purity, with LeBaron viewing the violence as a prophetic war against falsehood. The methods employed were typically direct and opportunistic, relying on firearms for efficiency and deniability. Victims were often lured under pretexts—such as repairing appliances or meetings—before being ambushed and shot at close range.[36] For instance, Joel LeBaron was beaten and then shot in 1972 by hired followers; Rulon Allred, leader of a rival polygamist group, was shot multiple times in his Utah clinic in 1977 by LeBaron's wife Rena Chynoweth and accomplice; and Robert Simons was killed with a shotgun and buried in the desert after refusing recruitment.[36][32] Coordinated attacks, like the 1978 "4 O'Clock Murders" in Texas, involved synchronized shootings of multiple targets across locations using handguns and shotguns.[36] Some cases involved stabbings or beatings, but disappearances—such as those of Leo Evoniuk and Lorna Chynoweth—suggest additional techniques like abduction, with bodies rarely recovered to hinder investigations.[36] LeBaron delegated executions to loyalists, including wives and children, minimizing his direct involvement while ensuring compliance through fear of divine retribution.[36]

Legal Consequences

Arrests and Trials

Ervil LeBaron turned himself in to Mexican authorities in the early 1970s following the 1972 beating and shooting death of his brother Joel LeBaron in Ensenada, Mexico.[29] He was convicted of the murder in a Mexican court in 1974 but released after the conviction was overturned on appeal.[35] After the 1977 shooting death of rival polygamist leader Rulon C. Allred in Murray, Utah, LeBaron fled to Mexico to evade U.S. charges of orchestrating the killing.[32] Mexican police arrested him on June 1, 1979, in Colonia LeBaron, Chihuahua, following a multi-year pursuit by U.S. and Mexican law enforcement.[37] He was extradited to the United States shortly thereafter to face first-degree murder charges in Utah for ordering Allred's assassination.[38] LeBaron's trial began in Provo, Utah, in early 1980, where prosecutors presented evidence that he had directed followers, including Rena Chynoweth and Ramona Marston, to carry out the Allred killing as part of a religious directive against apostates.[39] On May 28, 1980, a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, finding him responsible for masterminding the crime despite not being the triggerman.[38] He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in the Utah State Prison, where he remained until his death in 1981.[22] Additional charges related to other murders, including those of sect defectors, were pending but unresolved at the time of his incarceration.

Imprisonment and Death

LeBaron was arrested in Mexico in late 1979 following an international warrant related to multiple murders, including the 1977 killing of rival polygamist leader Rulon Allred, and extradited to the United States.[35][28] In a Utah trial, he was convicted on May 29, 1980, of first-degree murder for orchestrating Allred's assassination by sending followers to carry it out, despite not participating directly; the jury rejected his defense that religious revelations justified the act under the doctrine of blood atonement.[38][1] He received a mandatory life sentence without parole and was also found guilty in the same proceedings of conspiring to murder his brother Joel LeBaron in 1972.[40][2] Incarcerated at the Utah State Prison in maximum security, LeBaron continued issuing directives to followers from behind bars, including a "hit list" targeting apostates and rivals, which led to additional killings after his death.[2] Prison authorities monitored him closely due to his influence over the Church of the Lamb of God sect, but he maintained communication with family members and adherents who visited or corresponded. On August 16, 1981, LeBaron, aged 56, was found dead on the floor of his cell, less than two years into his sentence.[40][2] An autopsy performed by the Utah medical examiner yielded inconclusive results on the exact cause, with no signs of trauma, poisoning, or external interference; officials determined there was no evidence of foul play, attributing it likely to natural causes such as a sudden illness or cardiac event.[41][2] One of his wives claimed his body for burial, amid ongoing investigations into sect-related violence.[2]

Posthumous Impact

Execution of Remaining Orders

Following Ervil LeBaron's death on August 15, 1981, while serving a life sentence in Utah State Prison, his followers continued to execute murder orders outlined in his writings, particularly The Book of the New Covenants. This text, composed during his imprisonment, identified approximately 50 individuals labeled as "Sons of Perdition" or traitors who opposed his leadership or the Church of the Lamb of God, mandating their deaths under the doctrine of blood atonement to atone for perceived sins.[18] Authorities estimated that around 30 former associates were killed or suffered suspicious deaths in the years after 1981 as a result of these directives.[42] The most notable posthumous executions occurred on June 27, 1988, in what became known as the "Four O'Clock murders." In Houston and Irving, Texas, four victims—Mark Chynoweth, Duane Chynoweth, Duane's eight-year-old daughter Jennifer Chynoweth, and Eddie Marston—were shot execution-style around 4 p.m., fulfilling orders from LeBaron's list. Mark Chynoweth, a former associate who had plotted killings for LeBaron in the 1970s but later distanced himself, was a primary target.[18][42] Jacqueline Tarsa LeBaron, one of Ervil's wives, conspired in these killings and was sentenced to three years in federal prison in 2011 for her role. LeBaron's son Aaron LeBaron played a key role in orchestrating several post-1981 murders, leading to his conviction and 45-year sentence in 1997. These actions demonstrated the enduring influence of Ervil's commands, with followers viewing compliance as religious obedience even after his death. Legal pursuits extended into the 1990s and 2000s, culminating in the 2011 conviction as the last known prosecution tied to his orders. By 2007, while some survivors reported diminished activity, fears persisted among targets, prompting FBI monitoring and rewards for information on fugitives like Jacqueline LeBaron.[18][42]

Sect Fragmentation and Survivor Accounts

Following Ervil LeBaron's death on August 15, 1981, the Church of the Lamb of God splintered into multiple factions amid leadership struggles and ongoing adherence to his directives. His son Aaron Morel LeBaron, aged 24 at the time, initially assumed control, claiming to inherit the role of "the one mighty and strong" as outlined in LeBaron's teachings.[36] However, rivalries emerged, with groups forming under figures like Daniel Ben Jordan and several of LeBaron's teenage sons, leading to a rapid decline in cohesion.[43] By the early 1990s, active membership had dwindled to approximately 10-15 individuals, primarily LeBaron's youngest children, as arrests, internal dissent, and rejection of the group's violent doctrines eroded its structure.[36] Violence persisted in the years immediately after LeBaron's death, fueled by his Book of the New Covenants, which contained a hit list targeting perceived enemies and apostates. This included the August 1988 "Four O'Clock Murders" in Texas, where four individuals—Duane Chynoweth, Mark Chynoweth, Jennifer Chynoweth, and Eddie Marston—were killed in separate attacks as part of efforts to fulfill LeBaron's orders.[18] These events prompted intensified law enforcement scrutiny, culminating in indictments against six cult members on August 24, 1992, for the Texas killings and related crimes such as car theft and drug trafficking.[36] Aaron LeBaron was later convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison in 1997 for his role in the murders, further dismantling organized remnants of the sect.[18] Survivor accounts highlight the pervasive fear and eventual escapes from the fracturing group. Anna LeBaron, one of Ervil's 51 children, described fleeing at age 13 with assistance from a family member, relocating to Houston amid threats from the hit list, and living under police protection following the 1988 murders.[18] She later pursued education, married, and underwent therapy to address depression stemming from the cult's trauma, while noting how some relatives, like her mother Lillian, rejected polygamy and adopted mainstream Christianity before Lillian's suicide in 1998.[18] Another survivor, Rena Chynoweth, a former follower convicted in a prior killing but who testified against the group, detailed the psychological hold of LeBaron's doctrines in her 1990 memoir The Blood Covenant, emphasizing the difficulty of breaking free from familial and ideological ties.[36] These narratives underscore a pattern of dissociation, with many ex-members integrating into conventional society as the sect's influence waned through prosecutions extending into the 1990s.[43]

Cultural Depictions and Analysis

Books and Early Media

The seminal early book-length account of Ervil LeBaron's life and crimes was Prophet of Blood: The Untold Story of Ervil LeBaron and the Lambs of God, authored by journalists Ben Bradlee Jr. and Dale Van Atta and published in January 1981 by G.P. Putnam's Sons.[44] The work, based on interviews with family members, followers, and law enforcement, chronicled LeBaron's establishment of the Church of the Lamb of God, his doctrinal claims of divine authority to order "blood atonement" killings, and at least a dozen murders attributed to his directives between 1970 and 1980, including those of his brother Joel LeBaron in 1972 and rival sect leader Rulon Allred in 1977.[45] Reviewers noted its reliance on primary sources amid the challenges of accessing secretive fundamentalist communities, though it emphasized the factual reconstruction over interpretive analysis.[44] Contemporary newspaper coverage intensified following LeBaron's death by heart attack on August 15, 1981, while imprisoned in Utah State Prison for the 1977 murder of Allred.[40] The New York Times reported his passing as that of a "leader of a sect based on polygamy" linked to attempts on rival leaders' lives, highlighting his 13 wives and over 50 children, and noting suspicions of foul play ruled out by autopsy.[40][41] Additional Times articles detailed the coincidence of his death with that of his brother Verlan LeBaron in Mexico, framing the event amid ongoing familial rivalries and the sect's violent schisms dating to the 1970s.[3] Such reports, drawn from official statements and prior trial records, established LeBaron's public image as a fundamentalist prophet turned orchestrator of intra-family and inter-sect assassinations, though they often relied on law enforcement accounts amid limited direct access to followers.[3] Earlier print media sporadically covered specific incidents, such as the 1972 slaying of Joel LeBaron in Mexico, but comprehensive national attention coalesced post-1977 with Allred's killing, which drew scrutiny to LeBaron's "hit list" of apostates and rivals.[46] No major early broadcast media specials emerged until the 1990s, leaving books like Prophet of Blood and death-related wire service stories as the primary vehicles for public dissemination of the sect's doctrines and casualties in the 1980s.[45]

Modern Documentaries and Perspectives

In 2024, the Hulu docuseries Daughters of the Cult, directed by Sara Mast, provided a detailed examination of Ervil LeBaron's polygamous sect through interviews with his daughters Anna and Celia LeBaron, who recounted childhood experiences of violence, forced relocations, and obedience to their father's prophetic claims.[47] [48] The five-episode series highlighted LeBaron's orchestration of at least 25 murders, including rivals and apostates, and the cult's persistence in executing his orders posthumously via the "Letter of the Lamb of God," portraying the group as a fundamentalist Mormon offshoot that devolved into organized crime involving drug smuggling and theft.[29] [35] Earlier, the 2023 Peacock episode "I Lived with a Killer: Ervil LeBaron and the Church of the Lamb of God" featured Anna LeBaron's testimony on the cult's internal dynamics, emphasizing how LeBaron's imprisonment in 1980 failed to halt the killings, with followers acting on his directives until the mid-1980s.[49] These productions underscore survivor perspectives on the psychological control exerted through LeBaron's self-proclaimed status as the "One Mighty and Strong" prophesied in Mormon scripture, which justified blood atonement for dissenters.[28] Contemporary analyses, including podcasts like Deliver Us From Ervil (2022), frame LeBaron's Church of the Lamb of God as a case study in cult evolution from religious fundamentalism to criminal enterprise, with over 50 children raised in isolation across Mexico and the U.S., many escaping only after witnessing or fleeing targeted assassinations.[50] Survivors such as Anna LeBaron, in recent interviews, describe healing processes focused on rejecting inherited doctrines of plural marriage and divine mandates for violence, attributing the sect's longevity to familial loyalty and fear rather than ideological conviction alone.[51] Modern viewpoints, informed by these accounts, critique the unchecked autonomy of splinter Mormon groups in remote areas, linking LeBaron's influence to ongoing risks of abuse in similar fundamentalist communities without endorsing broader institutional biases.[52]

References

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  2. Cause of jailed polygamist's death inconclusive - UPI Archives
  3. 2 POLYGAMIST RIVALS DIED ON THE SAME DAY
  4. Ervil Morrel LeBaron | Church History Biographical Database
  5. Ervil Morel LeBaron (1925–1981) - Ancestors Family Search
  6. History Behind THE SOUND OF GRAVEL - Ruth Wariner
  7. Ervil LeBaron - Biography - IMDb
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  10. Mormons in Mexico: A brief history of polygamy, cartel violence and ...
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  14. Alma Dayer LeBaron (1886-1951) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
  15. Pt 35-A: Alma Dayer LeBaron, Lou Gehrig's Disease, and “Who Got ...
  16. Mormon Fundamentalism and Violence: A Historical Analysis
  17. Blood Atonement — Ervil LeBaron Renegade Mormon ...
  18. Anna LeBaron: How I escaped my father's murderous polygamous cult
  19. Ervil LeBaron: How a fundamentalist leader became known as the ...
  20. Ervil LeBaron | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
  21. SEVERAL MEN CLAIM TO BE THE `ONE MIGHTY AND STRONG
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  23. 8: The Reign of Arthur - Deliver Us From Ervil | iHeart
  24. Children of A Polygamist Cult Leader Talk About Finding A Career ...
  25. The Nation: A Deadly Messenger of God | TIME
  26. Mormons Fear Leader of Polygamous Sect Will Revive Hostility ...
  27. [PDF] The Wives and Children of Ervil LeBaron
  28. Who Was Polygamous Cult Leader Ervil Morrell LeBaron?
  29. Daughters of the LeBaron cult detail the violence and fear that was a ...
  30. Mexico ambush: How a US Mormon family ended up dead - BBC
  31. ervil's followers murder routinely in 20 years, 18 ex-associates have ...
  32. Ervil LeBaron Orders Rulon Allred's Murder By Polygamist Cult
  33. The 'Mormon Manson' and His Family's Mexican Massacre
  34. Allred, Rulon C. (Rulon Clark) - BYU Library - Special Collections
  35. The polygamous "Mormon Manson" behind Hulu's hit docuseries
  36. A Family's Legacy of Death : Ervil LeBaron said God told him to kill ...
  37. Arrest - The True Prophet
  38. Polygamist Leader Convicted in Death - The Washington Post
  39. 4 IN A CULT IN UTAH ON TRIAL IN SLAYING - The New York Times
  40. ERVIL LEBARON, UTAH POLYGAMIST, IS FOUND DEAD IN HIS ...
  41. Cult Leader Autopsy - The Washington Post
  42. Some still living in fear of polygamist's hit list - Deseret News
  43. Who Is Ervil LeBaron And How Is His Family Connected To Mexico ...
  44. Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction | Kirkus Reviews
  45. Grisley Tale of Polygamist Cults and Killers - The Washington Post
  46. Notorious incidents over the years - Deseret News
  47. Watch Daughters of the Cult Streaming Online | Hulu
  48. Daughters of the Cult (TV Mini Series 2024) - IMDb
  49. I Lived with a Killer, Ervil LeBaron and the Church of the Lamb of God
  50. Deliver Us From Ervil - Apple Podcasts
  51. 'Daughters of the Cult': I Was Raised By the 'Mormon Manson' - VICE
  52. Hulu 'Daughters Of The Cult' / Ervil LeBaron Documentary Review
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