![]() ![]() ![]() The elder LeBaron moved his family to Mexico in 1924, where he raised a large family that included Ervil and 10 brothers and sisters. But the practice of taking multiple wives continued to be advocated by some Mormons, who splintered from the central church.Īmong them was Alma Dayer LeBaron, Ervil’s father. Although the church once espoused polygamy, it outlawed the custom in 1890, largely because of outside pressure. Ervil’s ancestors were deeply involved in the controversy surrounding the Mormon Church’s stand on polygamy. God has long played a role in the history of the LeBaron family. But how do you deal with killers who kill for God?” You can deal with a criminal who kills for anger. “You can deal with a criminal who kills for greed. “In the United States, there’s never been a case like this,” says Dick Forbes, a longtime investigator for the Salt Lake County Attorney’s office, who has devoted a good part of the last 15 years to the LeBaron case. Now, many of the law enforcement authorities involved in the case believe this melodrama of the Modern West is almost over-more than two decades after an obscure religious feud between two brothers erupted into murder and sparked a killing frenzy. Attorney’s office in Houston announced federal indictments against six members of the cult. Until last month, that is, when the murders of four more people were officially pinned to a last fanatic core of “Ervilistas.” On Aug. Yet, as the years rolled by, the LeBaron story pretty much faded, thanks largely to Ervil’s permanent absence. In the search for superlatives, one news magazine tagged Ervil “The Mormon Manson.” His influence was so powerful, authorities say, that a shrinking band of wives, children and hangers-on continued to commit crimes in his name even after 1981, when he died at age 56 in a Utah prison. When the LeBarons were at the peak of their infamy more than a decade ago, self-styled redeemer Ervil and his sullen brood were media staples. ![]()
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