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- I was 13 years old the day
I escaped my father's cult,
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a violent polygamist cult.
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My hands are sweating now
just talking about it.
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00:00:23,013 --> 00:00:25,417
Um, I'm shaking.
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00:00:27,656 --> 00:00:31,763
There was a little phone
in the hallway.
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And I quietly
called my sister.
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The last thing I heard her say
was "start walking."
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I walked out of the house with
just the clothes on my back.
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It was very frightening
because I knew if somebody
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saw me, that was the end.
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I felt like I had one chance,
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00:00:58,450 --> 00:01:00,755
one chance to get out of there.
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00:01:06,499 --> 00:01:09,171
- I didn't see Anna
for three years.
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I was fully convinced that
we were God's chosen people.
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00:01:13,781 --> 00:01:18,490
And even losing my sister
could not shake my faith.
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Our father, Ervil LeBaron,
was the leader
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00:01:22,497 --> 00:01:25,705
of a fundamentalist
Mormon religious cult.
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It blows my mind.
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I sit and think,
this is impossible.
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And yet it did happen.
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If I hadn't lived through it,
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I don't know
if I could believe it.
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Our family was killing
people...
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Because of our father.
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- For many of you, Ervil
LeBaron is probably an enigma.
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Who is he,
and why should we even care?
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Ervil LeBaron, self-styled
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prophet and patriarch.
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Ervil LeBaron
believed in the use of force
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to govern members
of his sect of polygamists.
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- Our dad controlled
everything.
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The adults obeyed.
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00:02:01,710 --> 00:02:03,948
The children,
of course, had to obey.
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00:02:04,015 --> 00:02:06,218
LeBaron and his
polygamist fanatic cult
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00:02:06,285 --> 00:02:08,123
are suspects
in a string of slayings.
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00:02:08,190 --> 00:02:11,195
Ervil came to be
known as the Mormon Manson.
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- Our father is responsible for
the deaths of over 30 people.
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00:02:15,236 --> 00:02:16,372
The killings escalated
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00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:17,742
into a reign of terror.
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He's claimed
he has the right to kill
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00:02:19,445 --> 00:02:21,650
anyone he wishes
upon orders from God.
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- We were born good.
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Goodness was in us.
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00:03:07,073 --> 00:03:09,612
And that had to be suppressed
for a while.
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When I think about my siblings,
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um, everything
they've had to overcome,
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all the sons and daughters
of Ervil LeBaron
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that survived have
had to pick up the pieces,
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the shattered pieces
of their life,
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00:03:27,381 --> 00:03:31,957
and put the pieces
back together.
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Hi!
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Many of my siblings are
afraid to tell their stories,
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and I don't blame them.
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We're afraid.
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We're doing this afraid--
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afraid of the judgment that
we could get from the world
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because of having been
raised in those beliefs
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and who our father was.
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I'm so glad to see you.
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00:03:55,705 --> 00:03:59,646
- I am ready now
to step forward and show
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what it is like
to be a LeBaron.
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00:04:10,868 --> 00:04:11,804
Okay.
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00:04:11,870 --> 00:04:13,239
Don't be looking
at my cards, Faye.
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00:04:13,306 --> 00:04:14,643
I'm gonna beat you,
don't worry.
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- You win because you cheat.
We already know this.
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- I do--no, we--
no, I don't cheat.
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- This is an established fact.
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That is a lie. I do not cheat.
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Celia and I were
the most devout.
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00:04:27,669 --> 00:04:29,639
Well, you're still
the most devout.
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00:04:29,706 --> 00:04:32,144
- I always wanted to do
what was right, honey.
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I never would do something
that I knew was wrong.
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Oh, I was a very
devout true believer.
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00:04:38,155 --> 00:04:40,293
I thought with all my heart
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00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,364
that I was doing
what was right.
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00:04:42,431 --> 00:04:45,538
And that I thought we were the
only true church on the Earth.
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00:04:45,605 --> 00:04:47,207
Yes, I was totally devout.
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I would never think
of not following instructions.
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00:04:50,915 --> 00:04:53,019
You wanted to be good,
but did you always believe
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00:04:53,086 --> 00:04:54,522
in the doctrine
that was being taught
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and that was the true church?
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00:04:55,792 --> 00:04:56,761
Oh, yeah.
I totally believed it.
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- And you always
believed that too?
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Yep.
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00:04:59,465 --> 00:05:00,467
- And in fact,
I am more devout than you.
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00:05:00,535 --> 00:05:01,770
- You probably are.
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00:05:01,837 --> 00:05:03,541
- Because my very first
actual romantic kiss
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was with the man I married.
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00:05:05,243 --> 00:05:06,647
Celia takes the cake.
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00:05:06,713 --> 00:05:08,182
- On the other end
of the spectrum...
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00:05:10,086 --> 00:05:13,527
Was me, who never believed.
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00:05:13,594 --> 00:05:17,201
I was born into a cult, and...
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that's all I ever knew till--
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till I was about 16.
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I mean, we were trained to obey
and demanded to obey.
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00:05:27,555 --> 00:05:30,961
And I got beaten a lot
because I didn't.
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- All my siblings were raised
from birth with this very,
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very closed-minded way
of thinking.
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We were indoctrinated
from birth.
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And it was absolute
brainwashing.
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00:05:50,167 --> 00:05:54,709
Our father is God's
mouthpiece here on Earth.
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- My dad could convince people
of just about anything.
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And did.
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00:06:00,755 --> 00:06:03,493
- We were supposed
to be special.
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00:06:03,561 --> 00:06:06,700
We were supposed to be
the chosen ones.
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00:06:09,105 --> 00:06:14,014
If we were so chosen,
why were we suffering so badly?
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00:06:18,857 --> 00:06:21,496
- Our dad had 13 wives
and fathered--
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- Supposedly.
- Thirt--fourteen!
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00:06:23,299 --> 00:06:26,439
It's 14, we counted finally.
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- I actually don't
know how many
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brothers and sisters I have,
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00:06:28,777 --> 00:06:30,447
and it depends
on how you count.
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- Um...
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What was the question again?
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- Oh, gosh.
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- 51 children.
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- 52 kids?
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- I say 51.
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- No.
- Of our father.
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- 55 total.
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- It's impossible.
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00:06:45,745 --> 00:06:47,481
Somebody just needs to count,
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00:06:47,549 --> 00:06:49,619
and I've never taken
the time to count.
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- We just say over 50 children
because
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00:06:51,757 --> 00:06:54,729
nobody really knows
the exact number.
126
00:06:54,796 --> 00:06:56,466
- People come up
with different numbers
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00:06:56,533 --> 00:07:00,440
depending on different
circumstances.
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00:07:00,508 --> 00:07:02,545
Polygamous math is hard.
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00:07:10,828 --> 00:07:12,264
All of Ervil's followers--
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00:07:12,331 --> 00:07:13,601
his children, his wives--
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00:07:13,668 --> 00:07:15,203
were just pawns.
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He used them and groomed them
to kill for him.
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- He was a wanted man.
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00:07:24,857 --> 00:07:26,994
How many people
in America can say
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their house has been raided
by the FBI multiple times?
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00:07:30,366 --> 00:07:33,139
- We're not proud of this fact,
by the way, just to be clear.
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00:07:33,205 --> 00:07:35,678
- No, but it's--
it's part of our story.
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00:07:35,745 --> 00:07:38,082
It's part of the reason
why we're sitting here.
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00:07:38,149 --> 00:07:41,690
Because this was our life.
This was what we lived.
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00:07:43,426 --> 00:07:48,069
My only recollections
of life as a child...
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00:07:49,806 --> 00:07:51,844
It was being on the run
from the law.
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00:07:51,910 --> 00:07:54,247
Of course, I didn't know we
were on the run from the law.
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00:07:56,687 --> 00:08:01,630
- My father, Ervil,
led his children
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00:08:01,696 --> 00:08:04,435
down a very destructive path
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00:08:04,502 --> 00:08:08,076
that I don't think naturally
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00:08:08,142 --> 00:08:11,348
any one of us
would have gone down.
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00:08:11,415 --> 00:08:16,893
Really good people were led
to do terrible things.
148
00:08:18,362 --> 00:08:19,999
Police are
still looking for two women
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00:08:20,066 --> 00:08:21,870
who murdered
a Utah polygamist leader.
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00:08:21,937 --> 00:08:23,974
It's a history
of family violence,
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00:08:24,041 --> 00:08:27,213
vicious killing,
murders in the name of God.
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00:08:32,592 --> 00:08:34,829
- In order to understand
our family history,
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you do have to go back
to Mexico.
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I was born in Colonia LeBarรณn,
Chihuahua, Mexico.
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My mother went
into labor with me.
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She called the midwife.
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She took the mattress
off of the floor
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and put it
on the kitchen table.
159
00:09:01,817 --> 00:09:03,754
- Celia was born
on the kitchen table.
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00:09:08,129 --> 00:09:11,670
In this house,
there was no running water.
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00:09:11,736 --> 00:09:13,707
In order to get water,
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00:09:13,774 --> 00:09:15,276
we had to pump it
out of a well.
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- And we would have
a big galvanized tub
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that we would bathe in
once a week.
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She would start
with the little kids
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00:09:21,689 --> 00:09:26,232
and go up and bathe us all in,
I think, the same water.
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It was very primitive.
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We didn't have a lot.
169
00:09:29,739 --> 00:09:31,676
We never wore shoes.
170
00:09:31,743 --> 00:09:33,446
We didn't have electricity.
171
00:09:33,513 --> 00:09:37,889
The closest town to the colony
was, like, an hour away.
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The colony was very isolated.
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We didn't leave it hardly ever.
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I don't ever
remember thinking,
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00:09:46,171 --> 00:09:49,579
oh, I've got a horrible life
or anything like that.
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I just thought
I was serving God.
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My father, Ervil,
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00:09:56,893 --> 00:10:01,836
along with his brother,
Uncle Joel,
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00:10:01,903 --> 00:10:04,943
they established the Church
of the Firstborn
180
00:10:05,010 --> 00:10:07,013
of the Fulness of Times.
181
00:10:09,284 --> 00:10:12,892
They were establishing Zion,
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00:10:12,958 --> 00:10:14,328
a gathering place for people
183
00:10:14,395 --> 00:10:17,835
who wanted to practice
the law of plural marriage
184
00:10:17,901 --> 00:10:21,041
because polygamy
is illegal in America.
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00:10:24,214 --> 00:10:26,886
The original teachings
of Joseph Smith,
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00:10:26,953 --> 00:10:29,257
there's the terrestrial--
- No.
187
00:10:29,324 --> 00:10:31,796
- The telestial,
terrestrial, and celestial.
188
00:10:31,863 --> 00:10:33,199
- She never knew the religion.
189
00:10:33,266 --> 00:10:35,805
- I knew enough.
No, we, uh--
190
00:10:35,872 --> 00:10:37,675
- Okay, we'll let her
explain it
191
00:10:37,741 --> 00:10:40,179
since she knows so much more.
- Yes.
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00:10:40,246 --> 00:10:44,656
There's also three degrees
of glory, which is telestial,
193
00:10:44,722 --> 00:10:47,027
terrestrial, and celestial.
194
00:10:47,094 --> 00:10:51,101
- And in order to attain
the celestial level in heaven,
195
00:10:51,168 --> 00:10:54,441
you had to live
plural marriage.
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00:10:55,376 --> 00:10:59,953
If you were just
a monogamous husband and wife,
197
00:11:00,020 --> 00:11:04,929
you could not attain celestial
glory in the afterlife.
198
00:11:07,267 --> 00:11:08,937
So there was sort of
199
00:11:09,004 --> 00:11:10,373
an excitement
in their doctrine.
200
00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,078
It wasn't just,
live the tenets of Mormonism,
201
00:11:13,145 --> 00:11:15,383
but follow Joel and Ervil,
202
00:11:15,450 --> 00:11:18,757
and they're going to unite
the entire house of God
203
00:11:18,824 --> 00:11:20,694
because Jesus is coming soon.
204
00:11:22,331 --> 00:11:26,038
Joel was what they call
the One Mighty and Strong.
205
00:11:26,104 --> 00:11:28,677
- In the Book of Mormon,
they talk about
206
00:11:28,744 --> 00:11:30,179
the One Mighty and Strong.
207
00:11:30,246 --> 00:11:35,156
- The man who was
going to save the world.
208
00:11:35,223 --> 00:11:37,728
And Joel was given the mantle
209
00:11:37,795 --> 00:11:42,204
from his father originally,
and Ervil accepted him.
210
00:11:42,271 --> 00:11:44,007
Joel is gonna be
the head of the church.
211
00:11:44,074 --> 00:11:46,211
Ervil is gonna be
in the supporting role.
212
00:11:46,278 --> 00:11:47,681
And together,
they're gonna usher in
213
00:11:47,748 --> 00:11:49,351
the second coming of Jesus.
214
00:11:52,090 --> 00:11:55,597
- Uncle Joel and Ervil,
they're very close in age,
215
00:11:55,664 --> 00:11:57,166
and they loved each other.
216
00:11:59,338 --> 00:12:01,408
- They had a tight brotherhood
between them.
217
00:12:05,818 --> 00:12:08,523
- I was born
in Chihuahua, Mexico,
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00:12:08,590 --> 00:12:12,965
south of the El Paso border
in the LeBaron colony.
219
00:12:15,705 --> 00:12:17,808
I'm the daughter
of Verlan LeBaron...
220
00:12:20,781 --> 00:12:22,785
Brother of Joel and Ervil.
221
00:12:22,852 --> 00:12:25,089
He was the baby of the family.
222
00:12:25,156 --> 00:12:28,530
My father ended up
fathering 58 children
223
00:12:28,597 --> 00:12:30,366
with eight of his ten wives.
224
00:12:32,170 --> 00:12:35,476
- Verlan was the third most
powerful person in the church
225
00:12:35,544 --> 00:12:37,046
behind Joel and Ervil.
226
00:12:37,113 --> 00:12:39,184
He was there to support them
227
00:12:39,251 --> 00:12:41,154
in building up
the Kingdom of God.
228
00:12:42,592 --> 00:12:47,768
- Uncle Joel, the prophet,
was more revered than Jesus.
229
00:12:49,038 --> 00:12:51,174
We all just adored him.
230
00:12:52,711 --> 00:12:54,983
- Joel is sort of laid back.
231
00:12:55,050 --> 00:12:57,020
He's quiet. He listens.
232
00:12:57,087 --> 00:12:59,424
Ervil's the opposite
of all of those things.
233
00:13:01,896 --> 00:13:04,803
Ervil was the big talker.
234
00:13:04,869 --> 00:13:08,041
He knew scripture
inside and out.
235
00:13:08,108 --> 00:13:12,084
He was highly intelligent,
charismatic.
236
00:13:12,150 --> 00:13:13,720
- Ervil is really handsome.
237
00:13:13,787 --> 00:13:15,456
They call it
Hollywood good looks.
238
00:13:15,524 --> 00:13:18,897
And people that met him
said he had a way about him,
239
00:13:18,964 --> 00:13:20,366
this sort of confidence
240
00:13:20,433 --> 00:13:22,237
and this swagger
when he would talk.
241
00:13:22,304 --> 00:13:24,374
Ervil was going out
and preaching and teaching
242
00:13:24,441 --> 00:13:26,513
and bringing people
to the colony
243
00:13:26,580 --> 00:13:31,823
so that they could settle
this arid desert land.
244
00:13:31,890 --> 00:13:34,161
Every time Ervil
would convert somebody,
245
00:13:34,228 --> 00:13:37,066
that's another person
who can earn money
246
00:13:37,133 --> 00:13:39,003
and pay their tithes.
247
00:13:40,407 --> 00:13:43,914
- I was born and raised
in Mormon fundamentalist cult.
248
00:13:45,483 --> 00:13:50,928
My mother was Ervil
and Joel LeBaron's sister.
249
00:13:50,995 --> 00:13:53,332
My father
was a mainstream Mormon,
250
00:13:53,399 --> 00:13:57,608
and he was converted,
moved to Colonia LeBarรณn.
251
00:13:57,675 --> 00:14:00,079
His money, a lot of it
was going to help support,
252
00:14:00,146 --> 00:14:02,283
especially,
Uncle Ervil's family,
253
00:14:02,350 --> 00:14:05,422
and that's how
faithful my father was.
254
00:14:05,489 --> 00:14:08,597
My Uncle Ervil,
I saw him convert people.
255
00:14:08,663 --> 00:14:11,202
He knew how
to read people's eyes.
256
00:14:11,268 --> 00:14:15,143
And he studied
till he saw that snap
257
00:14:15,210 --> 00:14:18,382
that showed that
they had been converted.
258
00:14:20,688 --> 00:14:22,558
He was really busy at the time
259
00:14:22,624 --> 00:14:26,298
building his brother Joel's
church,
260
00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:28,537
but little by little,
261
00:14:28,603 --> 00:14:31,008
the more money
that was brought in,
262
00:14:31,075 --> 00:14:34,447
the more Uncle Ervil
enjoyed his power.
263
00:14:37,621 --> 00:14:40,326
He had
this real nice gold car.
264
00:14:42,531 --> 00:14:45,202
My mom and a bunch of people,
they used to refer to it
265
00:14:45,269 --> 00:14:47,306
as the Golden Calf.
266
00:14:47,373 --> 00:14:51,348
I never saw him
work a day in his life.
267
00:14:51,415 --> 00:14:54,154
- A lot of people had
a big problem with the fact
268
00:14:54,220 --> 00:14:57,628
that Ervil wasn't working
and lifting a finger
269
00:14:57,694 --> 00:15:01,368
to support
his always-growing family.
270
00:15:02,939 --> 00:15:07,514
It was creating this
very untenable situation.
271
00:15:09,417 --> 00:15:12,624
- Uncle Ervil,
he started having all kinds
272
00:15:12,691 --> 00:15:15,162
of revelations and claims.
273
00:15:16,298 --> 00:15:17,968
We had a prophet.
274
00:15:19,438 --> 00:15:21,041
You would think the prophet
should be the one
275
00:15:21,108 --> 00:15:23,947
having the revelations,
but Ervil's having
276
00:15:24,014 --> 00:15:26,519
revelations for everybody--
277
00:15:26,586 --> 00:15:29,123
who to marry,
278
00:15:29,190 --> 00:15:31,663
predicting the end
of the world,
279
00:15:31,729 --> 00:15:33,700
all kinds of crazy stuff.
280
00:15:36,338 --> 00:15:40,614
He started ranting
hellfire damnation.
281
00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:42,551
This was not
what Joel was teaching.
282
00:15:45,222 --> 00:15:46,993
Uncle Ervil was
learning more and more
283
00:15:47,059 --> 00:15:49,999
how to control his flock.
284
00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:02,323
My mother, Anna Mae,
was living
285
00:16:02,390 --> 00:16:04,460
with her husband, Nephi.
286
00:16:04,528 --> 00:16:06,899
And there was a preacher
in town.
287
00:16:06,966 --> 00:16:09,004
He came to the home.
288
00:16:09,939 --> 00:16:14,982
And that first evening
she heard him speak,
289
00:16:15,049 --> 00:16:19,057
she was smitten by this
tall, handsome,
290
00:16:19,124 --> 00:16:20,760
highly intelligent man.
291
00:16:20,827 --> 00:16:24,535
Anna Mae left Nephi
without a word of warning.
292
00:16:24,602 --> 00:16:27,407
This was the first time
that Ervil
293
00:16:27,473 --> 00:16:30,647
took another man's wife
as his own,
294
00:16:30,714 --> 00:16:32,618
but it was not the last.
295
00:16:32,685 --> 00:16:37,628
- My mom had 12 children,
7 of them with Ervil.
296
00:16:40,165 --> 00:16:43,740
- My mom married my stepdad
Ervil when I was two years old
297
00:16:43,807 --> 00:16:47,080
'cause Ervil had
the power to separate people
298
00:16:47,147 --> 00:16:49,417
if they weren't married
to the right person.
299
00:16:49,484 --> 00:16:51,488
So in order
to make my dad happy,
300
00:16:51,556 --> 00:16:53,627
'cause he was
still in the church,
301
00:16:53,694 --> 00:16:57,735
um, Ervil says, okay, I'll give
you, uh, two other wives.
302
00:16:57,802 --> 00:17:00,039
And I'll give them
to you for wives
303
00:17:00,106 --> 00:17:03,713
because I took your wife.
304
00:17:03,780 --> 00:17:07,320
Everybody hated that Ervil
wanted all the wives.
305
00:17:07,386 --> 00:17:09,959
- Ervil has now stolen
another man's wife.
306
00:17:10,026 --> 00:17:13,633
And this really causes a sort
of friction in the community.
307
00:17:17,107 --> 00:17:19,712
- Joel always wanted
to believe
308
00:17:19,779 --> 00:17:22,383
that Ervil would get
back in line.
309
00:17:22,450 --> 00:17:26,224
It's the people that
were following Joel
310
00:17:26,291 --> 00:17:29,598
who wanted him
to rein Ervil in.
311
00:17:29,665 --> 00:17:33,573
And Ervil
wouldn't be reined in.
312
00:17:35,611 --> 00:17:38,148
So Joel,
he tells his brother,
313
00:17:38,215 --> 00:17:39,218
you're out of control.
314
00:17:39,284 --> 00:17:40,620
You're excommunicated.
315
00:17:42,491 --> 00:17:44,494
There's so much tension
going on.
316
00:17:44,561 --> 00:17:47,668
And this rift between
Joel and Ervil
317
00:17:47,735 --> 00:17:51,408
is getting so wide
that finally, Joel,
318
00:17:51,475 --> 00:17:54,348
he decides
he's just gonna go elsewhere.
319
00:17:54,414 --> 00:17:56,318
- Joel and his
younger brother Verlan
320
00:17:56,385 --> 00:17:57,955
continue to run the church
321
00:17:58,022 --> 00:18:01,227
out of a town called
Los Molinos in Mexico.
322
00:18:02,764 --> 00:18:06,739
- We had then what was
called the Joelites
323
00:18:06,806 --> 00:18:08,442
and the Ervilites.
324
00:18:08,509 --> 00:18:10,980
- My father, Ervil,
starts his own church.
325
00:18:11,047 --> 00:18:13,820
And he calls it the
Church of the Lamb of God.
326
00:18:13,887 --> 00:18:16,191
- Joel's church,
the Church of the Firstborn,
327
00:18:16,258 --> 00:18:17,995
had close to 1,000 followers.
328
00:18:18,062 --> 00:18:19,698
And when Ervil
is excommunicated,
329
00:18:19,765 --> 00:18:22,470
he takes only about
125 followers.
330
00:18:22,538 --> 00:18:24,708
- Ervil wanted all
of Joel's followers
331
00:18:24,775 --> 00:18:28,817
to bend the knee to him
and give him their tithe money.
332
00:18:31,589 --> 00:18:34,929
Ervil decides that Joel
is then a false prophet
333
00:18:34,996 --> 00:18:39,572
and that Ervil is actually the
true Prophet of God on Earth.
334
00:18:39,638 --> 00:18:43,847
And you can only have
one true Prophet on the Earth.
335
00:18:43,914 --> 00:18:46,919
We have a very,
very serious problem.
336
00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:58,743
There's an old
Mormon doctrine
337
00:18:58,810 --> 00:19:01,248
called Blood Atonement
that the mainstream church
338
00:19:01,314 --> 00:19:03,252
no longer adheres to.
339
00:19:03,318 --> 00:19:04,955
Ervil loved this idea.
340
00:19:05,022 --> 00:19:06,626
He was obsessed with it.
341
00:19:06,692 --> 00:19:09,532
And he decided to incorporate
it into his practices.
342
00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:12,437
- He taught the law of Blood
Atonement just as it was.
343
00:19:12,505 --> 00:19:14,608
- Yes.
- Hold on.
344
00:19:14,675 --> 00:19:18,850
- Blood Atonement is the taking
of someone's life
345
00:19:18,917 --> 00:19:22,390
so that their blood
can hit the ground
346
00:19:22,457 --> 00:19:26,331
and cry to God for atonement.
347
00:19:26,398 --> 00:19:28,168
Meaning they have to be killed.
348
00:19:29,872 --> 00:19:32,711
Uncle Ervil started
saying comments like, well,
349
00:19:32,778 --> 00:19:35,951
some of your husbands, if they
don't start getting behind me
350
00:19:36,018 --> 00:19:38,957
and doing what they should
and paying their tithing,
351
00:19:39,024 --> 00:19:42,664
they are going to be pushing up
carrots in the garden.
352
00:19:42,731 --> 00:19:46,038
It set off, uh,
an intuition in my mind
353
00:19:46,104 --> 00:19:49,344
that pretty soon, Uncle Ervil
was going to actually
354
00:19:49,410 --> 00:19:51,582
start killing people.
355
00:19:51,649 --> 00:19:54,488
He starts bringing in
guns to the community.
356
00:19:54,555 --> 00:19:57,595
They start practicing
military drills.
357
00:19:57,661 --> 00:20:01,702
He starts training children
on how to shoot machine guns.
358
00:20:03,472 --> 00:20:06,111
Ervil's building
his own little militia.
359
00:20:06,177 --> 00:20:09,985
And Dan Jordan is kind of his
drill sergeant or his general.
360
00:20:11,589 --> 00:20:13,960
And he's--he's creating
this little shock troop
361
00:20:14,026 --> 00:20:17,567
of--of soldiers
to do his bidding for him.
362
00:20:18,837 --> 00:20:21,441
Dan was part
of Ervil's inner circle
363
00:20:21,509 --> 00:20:23,679
from the very beginning.
364
00:20:23,746 --> 00:20:29,223
He was, uh, very impatient,
very brutal.
365
00:20:29,290 --> 00:20:30,994
He was a taskmaster.
366
00:20:32,396 --> 00:20:34,200
- In my opinion,
Dan Jordan was a pretty
367
00:20:34,267 --> 00:20:35,537
despicable human being.
368
00:20:35,604 --> 00:20:37,106
He treated us horribly.
369
00:20:37,173 --> 00:20:39,778
And he did things
to me and my family
370
00:20:39,845 --> 00:20:43,485
and my siblings
that are unconscionable.
371
00:20:45,824 --> 00:20:50,867
- Ervil would promise his
daughters to different people
372
00:20:50,934 --> 00:20:54,140
that he wanted to impress
and to come into the fold.
373
00:20:54,207 --> 00:20:56,344
And--and I think
be loyal to him.
374
00:20:57,581 --> 00:21:00,854
When I was 15,
my mom came and told me
375
00:21:00,921 --> 00:21:02,390
that Ervil had a revelation
that I was
376
00:21:02,457 --> 00:21:04,193
supposed to marry Dan Jordan.
377
00:21:04,260 --> 00:21:06,498
And he was 42.
378
00:21:07,768 --> 00:21:11,141
I was a virgin.
I was very scared.
379
00:21:11,208 --> 00:21:13,411
He already had wives,
380
00:21:13,478 --> 00:21:16,585
but I knew I had to do it.
381
00:21:18,355 --> 00:21:25,336
I had to marry him with one
of my other stepsisters.
382
00:21:25,402 --> 00:21:27,073
We were both being married
the same night,
383
00:21:27,140 --> 00:21:29,478
so I'm like, oh, maybe at least
I don't have to spend
384
00:21:29,545 --> 00:21:31,047
the first night with him.
385
00:21:33,820 --> 00:21:36,792
Dan decided that
he was going to flip a coin
386
00:21:36,859 --> 00:21:39,798
to see who would spend
the first night with him.
387
00:21:41,802 --> 00:21:45,109
And in my heart, I'm like, oh,
my gosh, I hope it's not me.
388
00:21:45,176 --> 00:21:47,715
I hope it's not me.
389
00:21:47,781 --> 00:21:51,689
Then, thank goodness,
it landed on not mine.
390
00:21:53,092 --> 00:21:57,366
But I ended up having
four children with him.
391
00:22:00,707 --> 00:22:04,013
I've had several
polygamous relationships.
392
00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,451
I still believe
in the principle, let's say.
393
00:22:06,518 --> 00:22:10,226
I think it's going to be
lived in another time.
394
00:22:10,292 --> 00:22:12,263
I think God is a polygamist.
395
00:22:18,609 --> 00:22:20,178
From the time
we were little kids,
396
00:22:20,245 --> 00:22:23,820
we were told that
Ervil was a prophet.
397
00:22:23,887 --> 00:22:25,590
He would get revelations.
398
00:22:25,657 --> 00:22:29,264
And we didn't question
what Ervil said.
399
00:22:29,330 --> 00:22:31,569
If he said it, we did it.
400
00:22:31,636 --> 00:22:37,379
- They feel like
they are fighting God's war.
401
00:22:37,446 --> 00:22:39,885
He raised us to be like him.
402
00:22:41,522 --> 00:22:43,926
He raised us all
with a gun in our hands
403
00:22:43,993 --> 00:22:46,665
from the time
we were very young.
404
00:22:46,732 --> 00:22:48,970
/do Ervil and Dan went off
the deep end together.
405
00:22:49,036 --> 00:22:51,274
They had already made
some serious threats.
406
00:22:51,341 --> 00:22:55,115
They were just feeding each
other with all this hate.
407
00:22:56,986 --> 00:23:00,159
One day, all of us
Church of the Firstborners
408
00:23:00,225 --> 00:23:02,798
of the Fulness of Times
were gathered
409
00:23:02,865 --> 00:23:05,336
at our weekly Sunday school...
410
00:23:08,108 --> 00:23:11,447
When all of the sudden,
in walks Dan Jordan.
411
00:23:13,085 --> 00:23:15,489
And one of the adults
whispered to the next,
412
00:23:15,556 --> 00:23:16,825
he's got a gun on him.
413
00:23:20,567 --> 00:23:23,372
- Joel and Verlan,
his brothers,
414
00:23:23,439 --> 00:23:27,347
were saying,
Ervil, he talks big.
415
00:23:27,413 --> 00:23:29,986
Um, his bark is bigger
than his bite.
416
00:23:30,052 --> 00:23:32,389
And his followers were growing
more and more afraid,
417
00:23:32,456 --> 00:23:36,264
saying it sounds like
they might.
418
00:23:36,331 --> 00:23:39,705
So Ervil tells
his followers, listen,
419
00:23:39,772 --> 00:23:41,942
they're not following me.
420
00:23:42,009 --> 00:23:45,015
And if they're not following
me, they're being wicked.
421
00:23:45,082 --> 00:23:46,586
And what do we do
to the wicked?
422
00:23:46,653 --> 00:23:49,357
The scriptures say
we kill them.
423
00:23:49,424 --> 00:23:51,094
And that's what
we're gonna do.
424
00:24:02,751 --> 00:24:06,993
Joel LeBaron
is in Ensenada, Mexico.
425
00:24:07,060 --> 00:24:09,732
Joel is lured away
by Dan Jordan
426
00:24:09,798 --> 00:24:13,873
and another follower of Ervil
to an abandoned shack.
427
00:24:18,281 --> 00:24:20,018
And now the plan is working.
428
00:24:21,522 --> 00:24:24,093
Joel is alone.
429
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:28,068
And he has no idea
what's gonna happen next.
430
00:24:31,809 --> 00:24:34,682
Dan and his henchman,
431
00:24:34,748 --> 00:24:38,856
they took a chair leg
and beat Joel senseless.
432
00:24:40,894 --> 00:24:44,467
And then Dan
puts a gun in his mouth
433
00:24:44,535 --> 00:24:46,004
and pulled the trigger.
434
00:24:49,712 --> 00:24:51,849
And this is
the ultimate betrayal.
435
00:24:51,916 --> 00:24:55,256
Joel has been assassinated
by the people
436
00:24:55,322 --> 00:24:56,559
he once trusted the most.
437
00:25:05,610 --> 00:25:09,852
- We were just in shock
and devastated.
438
00:25:09,918 --> 00:25:13,491
This was our prophet,
someone that we loved,
439
00:25:13,559 --> 00:25:16,699
that we, uh, you know, revered.
440
00:25:16,766 --> 00:25:18,936
From that moment on,
it was like,
441
00:25:19,003 --> 00:25:21,976
if he's capable of murdering
his own brother,
442
00:25:22,043 --> 00:25:24,414
he'll kill anyone
and all of us.
443
00:25:27,019 --> 00:25:28,455
- Ervil LeBaron
lived in this house.
444
00:25:28,522 --> 00:25:31,394
He was second in command
of the Church of the Firstborn.
445
00:25:31,460 --> 00:25:33,899
Now he's become its scourge.
446
00:25:33,966 --> 00:25:35,402
Joel, who emerged as head
447
00:25:35,469 --> 00:25:36,939
of their church, was murdered.
448
00:25:37,005 --> 00:25:38,843
And Ervil became a fugitive,
449
00:25:38,910 --> 00:25:40,981
charged with being
behind the murder of Joel.
450
00:25:41,048 --> 00:25:43,552
- And what started Ervil
on the move from missionary
451
00:25:43,619 --> 00:25:45,022
to accused murderer.
452
00:25:45,089 --> 00:25:47,026
Ervil LeBaron
and his brother Joel
453
00:25:47,093 --> 00:25:48,763
split over
their religious philosophy.
454
00:25:48,830 --> 00:25:50,132
The church,
a peace-loving offshoot
455
00:25:50,199 --> 00:25:53,005
of Mormonism,
was founded by Joel LeBaron.
456
00:25:53,072 --> 00:25:54,775
A church
that was based in Mexico
457
00:25:54,842 --> 00:25:57,179
where there were no laws
governing polygamy.
458
00:25:59,751 --> 00:26:01,154
- Let me read
from the official police report
459
00:26:01,221 --> 00:26:02,690
about what happened.
460
00:26:02,757 --> 00:26:05,195
Joel F. LeBaron was
attacked in an empty home,
461
00:26:05,262 --> 00:26:08,068
hit over the bridge
of the nose with a chair leg,
462
00:26:08,134 --> 00:26:10,472
and shot through the head
on the ground
463
00:26:10,540 --> 00:26:13,746
by Daniel B. Jordan.
464
00:26:13,813 --> 00:26:15,081
Today, Joel is dead,
465
00:26:15,148 --> 00:26:16,886
murdered at Ervil's command.
466
00:26:16,952 --> 00:26:18,488
Cain versus Abel,
467
00:26:18,556 --> 00:26:20,660
and now the LeBarons
against one another.
468
00:26:25,937 --> 00:26:27,774
- Here's what
I'm curious about is,
469
00:26:27,841 --> 00:26:30,346
did you know any of this
was going on?
470
00:26:30,413 --> 00:26:33,820
- No, I always felt very
blessed 'cause I had no idea
471
00:26:33,887 --> 00:26:36,190
any of it was going on.
472
00:26:36,257 --> 00:26:37,794
- So you didn't
know that people
473
00:26:37,861 --> 00:26:39,230
were being blood atoned?
474
00:26:39,297 --> 00:26:41,101
No, I had no idea people
were being blood atoned.
475
00:26:41,168 --> 00:26:44,273
- You were married to Dan,
but you didn't know he had--
476
00:26:44,340 --> 00:26:47,179
I didn't know--
he never talked to me
477
00:26:47,246 --> 00:26:48,281
about murdering anybody.
478
00:26:48,348 --> 00:26:50,386
I never knew any of this
stuff was taking place.
479
00:26:50,452 --> 00:26:53,325
I never dreamed that
he would kill someone.
480
00:26:53,392 --> 00:26:55,429
I did not even know he had
anything to do with it.
481
00:26:55,496 --> 00:26:56,665
- Faye--
482
00:26:56,732 --> 00:26:57,934
I heard that it wasn't him.
483
00:26:58,001 --> 00:27:01,141
- But I will say that
the whole time our father
484
00:27:01,208 --> 00:27:04,247
was carrying out
blood atonements,
485
00:27:04,314 --> 00:27:06,718
Dan was right there beside him.
Oh, yeah.
486
00:27:06,785 --> 00:27:08,154
- And knew about it
and helped planned them.
487
00:27:08,221 --> 00:27:09,624
- I'm sure he knew about them.
He was his right hand man.
488
00:27:09,691 --> 00:27:10,860
He would have had
to know about it.
489
00:27:10,927 --> 00:27:12,363
- He would have had
to know everything.
490
00:27:14,467 --> 00:27:18,308
I generally
was a very obedient wife.
491
00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:22,316
And Dan yelled and screamed
at everybody
492
00:27:22,382 --> 00:27:24,287
when they weren't doing
what they were supposed to.
493
00:27:24,353 --> 00:27:25,757
That's how cults work.
494
00:27:25,824 --> 00:27:29,029
They work by fear and control.
495
00:27:29,096 --> 00:27:30,767
And that's the way it was.
496
00:27:30,833 --> 00:27:32,103
They controlled everything,
497
00:27:32,170 --> 00:27:34,273
and we just went
right along with it.
498
00:27:34,340 --> 00:27:36,845
- Members of Joel's church
had told the authorities
499
00:27:36,912 --> 00:27:38,983
that it was Ervil
behind the attacks.
500
00:27:39,050 --> 00:27:40,920
- We heard that one
of Joel's followers
501
00:27:40,987 --> 00:27:45,128
saw Dan Jordan with Joel
shortly before he was killed.
502
00:27:46,666 --> 00:27:49,270
Baja Police
start asking questions,
503
00:27:49,336 --> 00:27:52,009
investigating,
searching for Ervil.
504
00:27:53,579 --> 00:27:57,086
This fear and this terror
of this crazy Mormon prophet
505
00:27:57,153 --> 00:27:58,756
is compounded by the fact that
506
00:27:58,823 --> 00:28:00,492
they don't know
where Ervil is.
507
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:01,995
They can't find him.
508
00:28:03,498 --> 00:28:06,939
Meanwhile, Dan Jordan
and the other assailant
509
00:28:07,006 --> 00:28:08,842
are nowhere to be found.
510
00:28:10,713 --> 00:28:13,886
- Ervil was sort of like
Pablo Escobar.
511
00:28:13,953 --> 00:28:16,892
I'm gonna move a lot
and move to different places.
512
00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:18,494
I'm not gonna let people know.
513
00:28:18,562 --> 00:28:21,334
I'm just gonna show up and keep
moving and moving and moving.
514
00:28:23,606 --> 00:28:25,342
And I think that's
one of the reasons he had
515
00:28:25,409 --> 00:28:28,181
a couple places in Mexico
and several places in, um,
516
00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:31,320
uh, in the States
that he could go to.
517
00:28:31,387 --> 00:28:33,325
I believe Ervil was
both paranoid and smart.
518
00:28:33,392 --> 00:28:34,962
It's smart to keep
moving around.
519
00:28:35,028 --> 00:28:36,431
If they can't fix you,
they can't find you.
520
00:28:47,987 --> 00:28:49,290
- One of the houses we lived in
had a little,
521
00:28:49,356 --> 00:28:51,662
um, crawlspace door.
- No, no, no.
522
00:28:51,729 --> 00:28:53,265
That was the house
we lived in for, like, a month.
523
00:28:53,331 --> 00:28:55,870
- But we only lived there
maybe a couple of weeks,
524
00:28:55,937 --> 00:28:57,372
and then we got loaded up.
525
00:28:57,439 --> 00:28:59,176
- And it was pitch black.
It was middle of the night.
526
00:28:59,243 --> 00:29:00,647
- Middle of the night,
get in the car,
527
00:29:00,714 --> 00:29:01,882
and then drive--
528
00:29:01,949 --> 00:29:03,552
- 'Cause Ervil
had a revelation!
529
00:29:03,619 --> 00:29:04,988
Oh, my gosh.
530
00:29:05,055 --> 00:29:06,592
- They were trying to take
his children from him.
531
00:29:06,659 --> 00:29:07,594
- Right.
- Yeah, yeah.
532
00:29:10,466 --> 00:29:15,242
Our father would get
an inspiration or a revelation
533
00:29:15,309 --> 00:29:18,583
and move people around like--
534
00:29:18,650 --> 00:29:19,885
like chess pieces.
535
00:29:24,527 --> 00:29:27,968
My mom would come
and go a lot.
536
00:29:28,034 --> 00:29:29,804
That was normal for us
for people to leave
537
00:29:29,871 --> 00:29:34,413
and be gone and then come back,
and then they were here again.
538
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,920
We probably lived
at 10 or 15 different houses
539
00:29:37,987 --> 00:29:40,860
by the time
I was ten years old.
540
00:29:40,927 --> 00:29:43,331
- We lived in homes
in California,
541
00:29:43,398 --> 00:29:45,970
in Houston, in Mexico,
Dallas...
542
00:29:46,037 --> 00:29:49,077
- Denver.
- In Oklahoma, in Denver.
543
00:29:49,143 --> 00:29:52,517
- We never got to feel settled
anywhere.
544
00:29:52,584 --> 00:29:54,955
- You'd imagine if you're
gonna move with your child,
545
00:29:55,022 --> 00:29:56,324
you're gonna kind of
talk to them in advance
546
00:29:56,391 --> 00:29:57,894
and let them kind
of prepare for it.
547
00:29:57,961 --> 00:29:59,598
There was none of that in our--
growing up.
548
00:30:04,106 --> 00:30:07,881
As children, we didn't
understand what was going on.
549
00:30:07,947 --> 00:30:09,718
We just knew we had
to move all the time.
550
00:30:09,785 --> 00:30:11,755
Now as adults,
we look back on it,
551
00:30:11,822 --> 00:30:13,258
and we understand it's because
552
00:30:13,325 --> 00:30:15,328
we were on the run
from the FBI.
553
00:30:22,811 --> 00:30:24,113
We were awakened up
554
00:30:24,180 --> 00:30:25,617
in the middle of the night
one night,
555
00:30:25,684 --> 00:30:28,054
told not to ask any questions.
556
00:30:30,358 --> 00:30:34,868
It was all hush-hush,
urgent tones, and scary.
557
00:30:34,935 --> 00:30:36,705
We were just told...
558
00:30:36,772 --> 00:30:38,241
"Quickly, put on your shoes.
559
00:30:38,308 --> 00:30:40,111
Don't ask any questions."
560
00:30:44,687 --> 00:30:48,094
We are told
to gather your things.
561
00:30:50,332 --> 00:30:53,506
And it was time
to move again.
562
00:30:53,573 --> 00:30:57,079
And you don't know exactly
where or exactly why.
563
00:30:59,350 --> 00:31:01,087
We walk outside.
564
00:31:05,229 --> 00:31:06,865
And there's this truck.
565
00:31:06,932 --> 00:31:09,771
And we're confused.
566
00:31:09,838 --> 00:31:12,009
An older brother
of ours was the one
567
00:31:12,075 --> 00:31:14,747
who was in charge
of getting all these kids
568
00:31:14,814 --> 00:31:17,621
into the back of this truck.
569
00:31:17,687 --> 00:31:19,490
And he's like,
"Shut up and get in.
570
00:31:19,558 --> 00:31:21,629
We're doing this
for God's Kingdom."
571
00:31:21,695 --> 00:31:24,166
You don't argue.
You just do what you're told.
572
00:31:27,005 --> 00:31:31,080
And then the door
rumbled closed.
573
00:31:31,147 --> 00:31:33,050
And we're left
in pitch black.
574
00:31:36,090 --> 00:31:38,529
We arrive in the morning.
575
00:31:38,596 --> 00:31:41,902
We were in Denver.
576
00:31:41,969 --> 00:31:45,308
We moved into a green house.
577
00:31:45,375 --> 00:31:48,616
In total, there were 3 wives
and 20 children
578
00:31:48,683 --> 00:31:53,926
that lived
in a 1,500 square foot home.
579
00:31:53,993 --> 00:31:56,665
We couldn't have
the landlords know.
580
00:31:56,731 --> 00:31:57,934
- Or nosy neighbors...
581
00:31:58,001 --> 00:31:59,671
Yeah.
Reporting us.
582
00:32:02,209 --> 00:32:05,081
We were in hiding.
583
00:32:05,148 --> 00:32:08,088
We were not allowed
to play outside.
584
00:32:08,155 --> 00:32:10,091
We had to stay indoors.
585
00:32:11,728 --> 00:32:13,464
Everything was secret.
586
00:32:15,469 --> 00:32:20,079
- We were taught
a distrust for police,
587
00:32:20,145 --> 00:32:22,249
for FBI,
for any kind of authority.
588
00:32:22,316 --> 00:32:24,788
They were instruments of Satan.
589
00:32:24,855 --> 00:32:27,694
If they were to ask us
any questions,
590
00:32:27,761 --> 00:32:32,804
we were literally trained
to say, "I don't know."
591
00:32:32,871 --> 00:32:34,040
What is your name?
592
00:32:34,106 --> 00:32:35,209
"I don't know."
593
00:32:35,275 --> 00:32:36,946
Are you hungry?
594
00:32:37,012 --> 00:32:38,715
"I don't know."
595
00:32:38,782 --> 00:32:40,887
Where did your dad go?
596
00:32:40,953 --> 00:32:42,724
"I don't know."
597
00:32:42,791 --> 00:32:45,563
- So we were taught to conceal
598
00:32:45,629 --> 00:32:48,267
the polygamous lifestyle
that we lived.
599
00:32:52,442 --> 00:32:54,848
- So do you remember how
many people we had living
600
00:32:54,914 --> 00:32:56,183
in that house at the time?
- A lot.
601
00:32:56,250 --> 00:32:59,356
- So we had three wives,
602
00:32:59,423 --> 00:33:01,529
and we had
all of their children.
603
00:33:01,595 --> 00:33:04,333
There were 20 children.
Wow.
604
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:08,776
- And three women living
in a 1,500 square foot house.
605
00:33:08,843 --> 00:33:10,212
- I drove by that house.
606
00:33:10,279 --> 00:33:11,948
I drove past it,
and I was like, oh, wow.
607
00:33:12,015 --> 00:33:13,953
That's the one that had the
little dark room in the back
608
00:33:14,019 --> 00:33:15,355
where they hid all the guns.
609
00:33:15,422 --> 00:33:17,259
- Which dark room in the back
with all the guns?
610
00:33:17,326 --> 00:33:19,163
What?
- Yeah, so they wouldn't want--
611
00:33:19,229 --> 00:33:20,332
- He's the only one
that remembers.
612
00:33:20,398 --> 00:33:21,702
- What dark room
with all the guns?
613
00:33:21,769 --> 00:33:22,737
- What?
614
00:33:24,641 --> 00:33:26,211
Just four months
after the murder
615
00:33:26,277 --> 00:33:29,082
of Joel LeBaron,
616
00:33:29,149 --> 00:33:31,320
Ervil takes matters
into his own hands.
617
00:33:31,387 --> 00:33:33,659
With the confidence only
618
00:33:33,726 --> 00:33:37,534
the One Mighty and Strong
would have,
619
00:33:37,601 --> 00:33:42,544
he walks into the police
station in Ensenada,
620
00:33:42,611 --> 00:33:46,919
and demands the charges
against him be dropped.
621
00:33:46,985 --> 00:33:53,599
- Ervil sat in jail for about
a year awaiting trial.
622
00:33:53,666 --> 00:33:55,970
- When Ervil was in jail
for murdering
623
00:33:56,037 --> 00:33:57,406
his brother Joel,
my Uncle Joel,
624
00:33:57,473 --> 00:34:00,679
my mother would
take Ervil food.
625
00:34:04,521 --> 00:34:10,298
There was a guard
outside the door,
626
00:34:10,365 --> 00:34:13,304
a bunk bed in his cell...
627
00:34:16,545 --> 00:34:18,414
A blanket thrown
over the top bunk
628
00:34:18,481 --> 00:34:20,285
to shield the bottom bunk.
629
00:34:20,351 --> 00:34:24,159
And I guess they got it on,
630
00:34:24,226 --> 00:34:27,600
and I was conceived
in an Ensenada jail.
631
00:34:34,212 --> 00:34:37,787
Ervil is put on trial.
632
00:34:37,854 --> 00:34:39,089
He's found guilty of being
633
00:34:39,156 --> 00:34:40,526
the intellectual author
of the murder.
634
00:34:40,593 --> 00:34:42,763
He sentenced to 12 years
in prison in Mexico.
635
00:34:44,300 --> 00:34:45,936
And then the next day,
he's released
636
00:34:46,003 --> 00:34:48,441
by a higher court
on a technicality--
637
00:34:48,509 --> 00:34:50,747
a supposed technicality.
638
00:34:50,813 --> 00:34:53,318
So he walks.
639
00:34:53,385 --> 00:34:55,422
- Bribery was a big thing
in Mexico.
640
00:34:55,489 --> 00:34:57,259
That's--it was a way of life.
641
00:34:57,325 --> 00:34:59,196
And Uncle Ervil
played that well.
642
00:34:59,262 --> 00:35:04,741
He had grown up knowing how to
manipulate and bribe people.
643
00:35:07,647 --> 00:35:09,383
It was very,
very disheartening
644
00:35:09,450 --> 00:35:12,055
that he had been released
from jail.
645
00:35:12,122 --> 00:35:15,428
It made his followers probably
think, yeah, God's behind this.
646
00:35:15,495 --> 00:35:17,066
- Certainly in Ervil's mind
and probably in the minds
647
00:35:17,133 --> 00:35:20,439
of his followers, the fact that
he was able to beat this charge
648
00:35:20,506 --> 00:35:23,444
and--and walk away,
it was just further proof
649
00:35:23,512 --> 00:35:25,381
that he was the One Mighty
and Strong Prophet.
650
00:35:25,448 --> 00:35:28,922
Because not many people
can get away with murder.
651
00:35:31,094 --> 00:35:33,098
Ervil is just
getting warmed up.
652
00:35:33,164 --> 00:35:39,243
He is developing more power,
more money, more women,
653
00:35:39,310 --> 00:35:43,150
more guns, more followers.
654
00:35:43,217 --> 00:35:47,225
- So after Joel,
our prophet was murdered,
655
00:35:47,292 --> 00:35:50,131
my father, Verlan LeBaron,
was left
656
00:35:50,198 --> 00:35:52,837
as president of the church.
657
00:35:52,904 --> 00:35:56,310
We lived in Los Molinos
at the time.
658
00:35:56,377 --> 00:35:58,615
- Verlan knew that
taking Joel's place
659
00:35:58,682 --> 00:36:02,556
would put him
in a position of danger.
660
00:36:02,623 --> 00:36:05,328
He knew that
he was a threat to Ervil.
661
00:36:07,365 --> 00:36:08,602
- He knows he's
in the crosshairs
662
00:36:08,668 --> 00:36:10,740
of Ervil and Ervil's gunmen.
663
00:36:10,806 --> 00:36:14,915
Ervil's desperate--
desperate to kill Verlan.
664
00:36:14,981 --> 00:36:16,584
My dad wasn't safe anymore.
665
00:36:16,651 --> 00:36:18,254
None of us were safe.
666
00:36:18,321 --> 00:36:20,726
We were sitting ducks
if they wanted to come in
667
00:36:20,793 --> 00:36:21,761
and murder us.
668
00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:28,240
So it's a quiet night
the day after Christmas.
669
00:36:28,307 --> 00:36:30,378
Los Molinos seems quiet.
The desert is quiet.
670
00:36:36,057 --> 00:36:40,131
When it's interrupted
by the shrieks
671
00:36:40,198 --> 00:36:42,704
and terror of an explosion.
672
00:36:49,049 --> 00:36:51,453
The tower is on fire.
It bursts into flames.
673
00:36:53,191 --> 00:36:55,429
All the people
in town started running
674
00:36:55,495 --> 00:36:58,702
to help put the fire out.
675
00:36:58,769 --> 00:37:01,641
Once everyone gathered there,
they opened fire.
676
00:37:04,179 --> 00:37:06,919
And then they proceeded
to go through town
677
00:37:06,985 --> 00:37:09,356
shooting at every house
they passed,
678
00:37:09,423 --> 00:37:11,360
filling the homes with bullets,
679
00:37:11,427 --> 00:37:16,070
and throwing Molotov cocktail
bombs on top of the roofs.
680
00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:21,848
Women and children,
681
00:37:21,915 --> 00:37:23,719
mothers with their
nursing babies
682
00:37:23,786 --> 00:37:26,591
are running
from burning buildings
683
00:37:26,658 --> 00:37:28,494
and being picked off
with guns.
684
00:37:30,098 --> 00:37:32,002
People are screaming,
running in terror.
685
00:37:32,068 --> 00:37:34,674
They don't know where
the violence is coming from.
686
00:37:36,377 --> 00:37:39,884
They're firing on their family
members, their relatives.
687
00:37:39,951 --> 00:37:41,621
These are people
they had known and loved
688
00:37:41,688 --> 00:37:43,692
and gone to church with.
689
00:37:52,843 --> 00:37:56,518
24 homes had been burned down.
690
00:37:56,585 --> 00:37:59,557
The place had been firebombed.
691
00:37:59,624 --> 00:38:01,828
People were injured
by gunfire.
692
00:38:01,895 --> 00:38:03,766
Two were dead.
693
00:38:03,832 --> 00:38:07,807
This was just a bloody,
terrible massacre.
694
00:38:07,874 --> 00:38:10,479
- There was a big shootout
down near Ensenada, Mexico.
695
00:38:10,546 --> 00:38:11,848
There was a split-off
polygamist group.
696
00:38:11,915 --> 00:38:13,652
Every home in the village
697
00:38:13,719 --> 00:38:15,288
was firebombed
or simply burned.
698
00:38:15,355 --> 00:38:16,791
Two men died.
699
00:38:16,858 --> 00:38:20,533
19 other people
were critically injured.
700
00:38:20,599 --> 00:38:22,536
- The Los Molinos raid
was just Ervil
701
00:38:22,603 --> 00:38:24,974
getting back at--
at Joel's followers.
702
00:38:25,041 --> 00:38:28,448
Verlan was supposed
to be there, but he was not.
703
00:38:28,515 --> 00:38:30,151
He kept moving around
'cause he knew
704
00:38:30,218 --> 00:38:31,588
Ervil was trying to kill him.
705
00:38:31,655 --> 00:38:33,023
- They caught
everybody off guard.
706
00:38:33,090 --> 00:38:34,760
I mean, they took it
to the next level
707
00:38:34,827 --> 00:38:37,432
of trying to burn us down
and kill people.
708
00:38:37,499 --> 00:38:38,434
- None of these murders
happened
709
00:38:38,501 --> 00:38:41,908
without Ervil's say-so.
710
00:38:41,975 --> 00:38:44,480
But he always made sure
to be physically
711
00:38:44,548 --> 00:38:46,083
well away from them.
712
00:38:48,020 --> 00:38:50,491
This is part
of his brilliance...
713
00:38:51,795 --> 00:38:53,598
As a criminal mastermind,
really.
714
00:38:57,205 --> 00:38:59,577
He had his followers,
his young men and women,
715
00:38:59,644 --> 00:39:01,714
carry out the attack.
716
00:39:01,781 --> 00:39:04,987
And he was nowhere in the area.
717
00:39:12,469 --> 00:39:13,805
We were living in Denver.
718
00:39:13,872 --> 00:39:18,080
We had a revolving door
of other sister wives,
719
00:39:18,147 --> 00:39:21,220
older siblings tending us.
720
00:39:21,287 --> 00:39:24,560
- Two people that we really
loved were Rena and Ramona.
721
00:39:26,564 --> 00:39:30,438
- Ramona was our oldest sister
from our mother.
722
00:39:30,506 --> 00:39:32,877
And she was like
a second mama to me.
723
00:39:32,944 --> 00:39:36,852
Ramona was married
to Dan Jordan.
724
00:39:36,919 --> 00:39:40,559
She married him
when she was 17.
725
00:39:40,626 --> 00:39:43,866
She had a little bit
of a rebellious streak in her.
726
00:39:43,933 --> 00:39:47,673
I remember a tomato plant
that she grew,
727
00:39:47,740 --> 00:39:50,779
and it actually was pot, so.
728
00:39:52,115 --> 00:39:56,123
Rena Chynoweth was
Ervil's youngest wife.
729
00:39:56,190 --> 00:39:58,696
She was his 13th wife.
730
00:39:58,762 --> 00:40:00,766
Rena was maybe 16.
731
00:40:00,833 --> 00:40:03,037
She was still a teenager
when she married Ervil.
732
00:40:03,104 --> 00:40:06,010
- We had no way of
knowing how much darkness
733
00:40:06,077 --> 00:40:11,053
she had already endured
by the time she was 16.
734
00:40:11,119 --> 00:40:16,296
- Well, he'd been after me
since I was about 12 years old.
735
00:40:16,363 --> 00:40:19,002
Of course, they start early,
pursuing the girls
736
00:40:19,069 --> 00:40:22,776
at a very young age
in polygamous societies.
737
00:40:22,843 --> 00:40:25,248
He wasn't the only one,
but he was very persistent.
738
00:40:25,315 --> 00:40:29,824
I didn't want anything
to do with him in that respect.
739
00:40:29,890 --> 00:40:34,900
I--I felt respect for him
as a leader and as a prophet,
740
00:40:34,967 --> 00:40:37,338
but I didn't want
anything to do with him.
741
00:40:37,405 --> 00:40:39,644
I did not want to marry him.
742
00:40:39,710 --> 00:40:41,346
When you're 12 years old,
you're pretty impressionable,
743
00:40:41,413 --> 00:40:44,721
especially when this big,
tall, important man comes up
744
00:40:44,787 --> 00:40:47,192
and says,
you're supposed to be my wife,
745
00:40:47,259 --> 00:40:49,296
and God has told me so.
746
00:40:49,363 --> 00:40:52,402
And so for a year
or so there, I--
747
00:40:52,468 --> 00:40:53,839
I believed him.
748
00:40:53,905 --> 00:40:58,281
And during that time,
he sexually molested me.
749
00:40:58,347 --> 00:41:02,624
Later on, I--
I rebelled against the idea
750
00:41:02,690 --> 00:41:04,259
that I was
going to marry this man.
751
00:41:04,326 --> 00:41:09,837
And, uh--but by the time
I was 16--this was--
752
00:41:09,904 --> 00:41:12,977
the division of the church
had already taken place.
753
00:41:13,043 --> 00:41:17,185
Um, when I was 16,
he forced me to marry him.
754
00:41:20,057 --> 00:41:21,762
- Of course, that was
a revelation from Ervil
755
00:41:21,828 --> 00:41:23,632
that Rena had to marry him.
756
00:41:23,698 --> 00:41:27,573
So conveniently,
that's the revelation he got.
757
00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:31,714
- The only way
you can actually make sure
758
00:41:31,781 --> 00:41:34,888
that these girls will be
compliant to marry old men
759
00:41:34,954 --> 00:41:39,195
is to get them before
they're fully sexually mature,
760
00:41:39,262 --> 00:41:40,899
and to get them
before they actually
761
00:41:40,966 --> 00:41:43,037
have a mind of their own.
762
00:41:45,643 --> 00:41:47,746
- It was creepy old men...
- It was.
763
00:41:47,813 --> 00:41:52,322
- Marrying very young,
underage girls for sex.
764
00:41:52,389 --> 00:41:54,059
- Yeah.
765
00:41:56,865 --> 00:42:02,409
Ramona was also coerced
into marrying Dan Jordan.
766
00:42:02,475 --> 00:42:04,680
- Ervil wasn't just grooming
767
00:42:04,747 --> 00:42:06,984
Rena and Ramona
to become wives.
768
00:42:07,051 --> 00:42:11,627
He was grooming them
to become killers for God.
769
00:42:14,701 --> 00:42:19,008
In his campaign to try
to kill his brother Verlan,
770
00:42:19,075 --> 00:42:22,081
Ervil settled on this new idea.
771
00:42:36,377 --> 00:42:40,553
Ervil announced
that God had told him
772
00:42:40,620 --> 00:42:43,958
there was another
couple of people
773
00:42:44,025 --> 00:42:45,996
that had to be eliminated.
774
00:42:46,063 --> 00:42:50,973
And, uh, that's when I first
heard the name Rulon Allred.
775
00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:53,110
I had never heard
of the man before.
776
00:42:53,177 --> 00:42:55,816
Ervil explained
that he was the leader
777
00:42:55,882 --> 00:42:58,421
of a rival polygamist group,
778
00:42:58,487 --> 00:43:01,895
that this man was leading
his people astray,
779
00:43:01,962 --> 00:43:04,900
and God wanted him
out of the way.
780
00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:11,948
- My father was perceived
to be a prophet of God.
781
00:43:12,015 --> 00:43:15,221
He felt that
he was representing the Lord
782
00:43:15,287 --> 00:43:18,460
to his family
and to his followers.
783
00:43:18,528 --> 00:43:24,372
He had 48 children
with his 7 wives.
784
00:43:24,439 --> 00:43:29,049
He was also
a naturopathic physician.
785
00:43:29,116 --> 00:43:32,122
- Even though polygamy was
illegal in the United States
786
00:43:32,189 --> 00:43:35,695
at that time, there were still
fundamentalist prophets
787
00:43:35,762 --> 00:43:38,100
who had large followings,
like Rulon Allred,
788
00:43:38,167 --> 00:43:40,806
who was running his church
out of Salt Lake City.
789
00:43:40,873 --> 00:43:43,144
Rulon Allred, even
though he lived very modestly,
790
00:43:43,211 --> 00:43:46,017
a lot of money was coming in
to Allred's church.
791
00:43:46,083 --> 00:43:49,122
And I think that--
that Ervil was--
792
00:43:49,189 --> 00:43:52,596
cast a covetous eye
to that money.
793
00:43:52,663 --> 00:43:58,407
Cast a covetous eye to the
size of, uh, Allred's flock.
794
00:43:58,474 --> 00:44:01,915
- There was some jealousy
there because my father was
795
00:44:01,982 --> 00:44:05,589
a very respected,
influential person
796
00:44:05,655 --> 00:44:07,459
and had a huge following.
797
00:44:07,526 --> 00:44:12,101
And Ervil wanted that devotion
for himself.
798
00:44:12,168 --> 00:44:15,374
- To Ervil's belief,
he was the only prophet.
799
00:44:15,441 --> 00:44:17,679
Anyone else who said they were
was a false prophet.
800
00:44:17,746 --> 00:44:20,952
Ervil's gonna
take over the world.
801
00:44:21,019 --> 00:44:24,727
Once Ervil decided
he had to kill Rulon,
802
00:44:24,794 --> 00:44:27,567
he called together
his top lieutenants.
803
00:44:27,633 --> 00:44:30,706
And they had a meeting
where Ervil announced
804
00:44:30,773 --> 00:44:34,246
he'd had
a new divine revelation.
805
00:44:34,312 --> 00:44:38,988
- He commanded people
to be executed
806
00:44:39,055 --> 00:44:42,663
and/or threatened
to execute anyone
807
00:44:42,729 --> 00:44:43,998
that didn't agree with him.
808
00:44:46,003 --> 00:44:47,839
It got pretty scary.
809
00:44:57,793 --> 00:45:02,068
According to Rena,
Ervil makes two women,
810
00:45:02,135 --> 00:45:04,205
his wife Rena Chynoweth
811
00:45:04,272 --> 00:45:07,647
and his stepdaughter
Ramona Marston,
812
00:45:07,713 --> 00:45:09,482
go kill Rulon Allred.
813
00:45:11,220 --> 00:45:16,163
- In our cult,
you had to do what Ervil said
814
00:45:16,229 --> 00:45:19,937
because if you didn't,
it put a target on your back.
815
00:45:20,004 --> 00:45:23,176
- You were in danger
for your own life.
62548
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