Cult Insanity

by Irene Spencer

  Ervil’s sixth wife, Linda Johnson, who lived in National City and had been Vonda’s roommate, presented herself as a hostile witness. She took the Fifth Amendment twenty-eight times when asked about her relationship with Ervil.

  At that point the judge stopped the trial because of insufficient evidence to support the conspiracy charge, which made a new trial necessary.

  Vonda’s next trial—begun almost eleven months later—ended after all the revamped evidence and compelling testimonies were presented, and prosecuting attorney Gary Rempel made his closing statement.

  On May 13, 1979, the jury found Vonda White guilty of murder. Almost a month later, she received the maximum prison term, life imprisonment. As far as I know, she never gave up her belief in Ervil; she remained convinced he was a true prophet. In fact, she allowed her children to be raised in Ervil’s cult.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Two years after my uncle Rulon’s murder, Ervil and his wife Lorna were arrested. The Mexican police found them in their hideout near Atlixco, in a small town south of Mexico City.

  In the United States, investigator Dick Forbes was notified of their capture and that Ervil was being expelled from Mexico as an “undesirable.” The FBI was waiting for Ervil as he walked across the bridge separating the two countries. On June 1, 1979, Ervil was arrested and taken to the Webb County Jail in Laredo, Texas.

  Dick Forbes was euphoric that Ervil had been apprehended. He and his companion, Gary Pederson, had flown in from Salt Lake City, and another detective, Wayne Fowler, from National City, California, joined them to get more information about the Dean Vest case. The detectives began interrogating their captive in the jail of the U.S. marshal’s office. Forbes read Ervil his rights, then listed his outstanding warrants. There were three, one from Price, Utah; one from San Diego; and one from Salt Lake City. After Forbes had read his statements, Ervil was taken before the U.S. judge in Laredo, where he was arraigned for “unlawful flight.” His bail was set at $100,000, and Ervil was returned to his cell.

  While in Laredo, the three detectives held several interviews with Ervil. At first he remained silent, except to answer yes or no. But Forbes pressed him for answers. Finally, Ervil admitted that he was a prophet and the leader of the Church of the Lambs of God. He also unabashedly declared that he was the “anointed one” who would bring about the millennium, bragging that he was the only person on Earth designated to lead God’s kingdom and prepare a worthy people to meet Christ at his Second Coming. Ervil also admitted that he had written many of his church’s publications.

  Forbes was excited when Ervil admitted that he had written the threatening pamphlets, Hour of Crisis—Day of Vengeance, Response to an Act of War, and several others. Ervil took pride in claiming to be the author. He had always flaunted his writing skills, so I’m sure he felt superior to his interrogators.

  Wanting to hear it from Ervil’s own mouth, Forbes asked him if traitors or those who were disobedient to the law of liberty would be put to death. To set him straight, Ervil replied, “Once the person fully understands the law, then willfully disobeys, he brings judgment upon himself.”

  At one point, Ervil rose from his chair, stating that he had no more to say.

  Lieutenant Fowler told Ervil that he didn’t have to talk, but he wasn’t allowed to leave. Both Forbes and Pederson talked about the murders of Joel F. LeBaron, Robert Simons, Dr. Rulon Allred, Dean Vest, and Ervil’s own daughter Rebecca.

  Ervil sat as though oblivious to their accusations, revealing his unwillingness to listen. He stared at the floor. The detectives interrupted Ervil’s silence, asking if he was still following what they were saying. He nodded yes as they continued. After an hour and a half, Fowler and Forbes ended their questioning and began packing up, indicating their intention to leave. Ervil congratulated the two men, using his habitual flattery. He praised them for being “brilliant” men who knew how to do their job. A smirk crossed his face as he finally rose to the occasion and began responding to their final positions.

  “I do want to tell you some things that may help you to understand,” Ervil began (Prophet of Blood, p. 327).

  To their amazement, Ervil proceeded to ramble on for several hours, explaining his religious beliefs and those of his followers. He said he had summed it all up in his pamphlet The Law of Liberty. The detectives were taking notes during the session and also taped his long-winded speech. Ervil’s preaching seemed to be nothing more than an opportunity to show his sense of importance by inflating his ego. He made it clear that he was the head of every government the world over. He said every president and leader who didn’t subject themselves to his authority was a criminal.

  On June 11, 1979, Ervil arrived in Salt Lake City and was held and arraigned for trial.

  During the time that Ervil was in jail in Utah, he wrote a July 9 letter to Walter Mondale about the “deplorable state of the union” and “government officers whose thinking is distorted by religious fanaticism,” implying President Jimmy Carter. Seeking sympathy, he explained his dilemma, claiming that he was falsely imprisoned. For some reason, that letter was never mailed, but he did mail other writings (Prophet of Blood, p. 298).

  Ervil was enraged by every leader who claimed authority—from the president of the United States to the pope—and all who would not acquiesce to his authority.

  While in prison, Ervil allowed only two or three people to interview him. Two detectives from National City spoke with him first. They pressed him about the murder of Dean Vest in 1975, but Ervil refused to answer their questions. As always, he began preaching to them, often quoting the Bible. They saw firsthand Ervil’s fanatical teachings, and they quickly came to understand how he could tie anyone up in knots when it came to religion.

  At one time, Laurie Beckland, from the San Diego Tribune, tried to interview Ervil for a story, but his incessant ranting over the scriptures provided her with no facts and nothing that would interest her readers. When she left, she couldn’t remember any of the religious doctrines he’d tried to teach her, but she knew she’d never forget his foul breath, which, for her, overpowered his confusing rhetoric. To my knowledge, Beckland was the only reporter to ever interview Ervil.

  Finally on May 12, 1980, his trial began in Salt Lake City. Judge Ernest F. Baldwin presided in the Third District Court. The jury consisted of three women and nine men. Special prosecutors were led by David Yocum who gave the opening statement. Evil was charged with ordering the murder of my uncle, Dr. Rulon Allred, and attempting to kill my husband, Verlan, for vengeance and money. Yocum alleged how “pecuniary gain for Ervil is his belief that he was commanded by God to kill and take over Allred’s church and Verlan’s church and their tithing and membership and eventually take over the world” (Prophet of Blood, p. 333).

  Unable to afford a lawyer of his own choosing, Ervil accepted a team of court-appointed lawyers led by John Hill. He declared that Ervil “was only a religious leader. He was a theologian . . . a preacher,” thus could not be blamed for the actions of others in his church who became radically violent (Prophet of Blood, p. 333).

  The prosecution called forty-three people as witnesses. Among them were the following:

  Richard Bunker—the man in Dr. Allred’s office

  Don Sullivan—Lloyd’s son who aided the assassins and stalked Verlan

  Jack Strotham—who aided the assassins and stalked Verlan

  Bonnie Sullivan—the widow of Lloyd Sullivan

  Owen Allred—Dr. Allred’s brother

  Verlan LeBaron—the brother whose death Ervil ordered

  Conway LeBaron—Ervil’s cousin and confidant

  Esther Spencer—Ervil’s sister

  Merlin Kingston—a leader of the Kingston group

  Carol Jensen—the widow of Earl Jensen

  Melba Allred—the widow of Dr. Allred

  Isaac LeBaron—Ervil’s son

  These witnesses told all they knew, that though Ervil was not at the murder scene, he had given the
assassination orders and then fled to Mexico. The evidence was overwhelming!

  The four defense witnesses were Ervil’s wife Lorna Chynoweth and her mother, Thelma Chynoweth, and Alex Chynoweth along with Bill Rios (Ervil’s brother-in law), all of whom were LeBaron family members, which fact did not help the case.

  At the conclusion on May 28, the jury deliberated for only three hours before returning with the verdict: guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The jury was allowed to go home for the weekend but was to return on Monday to decide if the punishment would be life in prison or death.

  Unfortunately, right after the verdict was read, Siegfried Widmar, who had worked so hard to get Ervil arrested, tried, and punished, gave a televised interview stating that Ervil had commanded at least eight additional murders.

  Two of the jurors learned of Siegfried’s interview. When they reconvened on Monday, the defense claimed that the jury had been prejudiced and could not pass sentence. In Utah, the death penalty requires a jury. Since the jury was now unable to proceed, the judge sentenced him to prison for life.

  On June 2, 1980, Ervil was incarcerated in the state prison at Point of the Mountain.

  We all hoped that his imprisonment would end the violence, but Ervil made it his business to prolong the anguish, even after his death in 1981. He ordained his sons to carry on in his stead, so between Ervil’s order and the continued workings of his followers, twenty more people were “blood atoned” after Ervil died.

  A YEAR LATER, my son Kaylen, whom I was visiting in San Diego, answered the ringing phone. He said hello and stood still for a few moments. Then he jumped up, waving the receiver and shouting, “Thank God! Thank God!”

  He slammed down the phone and grabbed me by the waist. “Mom, Mom, Uncle Ervil is dead! He’s dead! It’s all over the news. They found him on the floor in his cell during their three in the morning watch. They say he died of a heart attack.”

  I’d never felt such euphoria, and the tears on my cheeks expressed only sheer joy. I felt absolutely no sorrow for this psycho-mastermind who’d cut short the lives of eight of our family and friends. Finally . . . my murderous brother-in-law had been stopped. We were free!

  His death merited a celebration. Kaylen jumped in his truck and drove to the 7-Eleven. He came home with five different flavors of Häagen-Dazs ice cream and two large packages of chocolate chip cookies.

  Kaylen and I howled, danced around the room, and shouted at the top of our lungs—in between spoonfuls of ice cream and bites of cookies. The date was August 16, 1981, one of the happiest days of my life. I called all my children, expressing my relief and satisfaction, and we rejoiced together.

  Two days later, August 18, 1981, at approximately two o’clock in the afternoon, I lay sprawled on the floor with my head on a pillow, just relaxing. A cross breeze blew in through the screen door as the phone rang. Kaylen, thinking I was sleeping, answered on the second ring hoping not to disturb me.

  “What? What?” he yelled. “Are you sure? Is he dead?”

  I sat up, wondering what or whom my son could be talking about. Kaylen covered the mouthpiece. “Mom, Daddy’s dead. The Red Cross just verified it. He was killed in a head-on collision by Mexico City.”

  His words pierced me like a dagger. What a transition in just two days—a death that liberated so many from suffering, and another death that robbed my children of their father. Verlan had lived in constant fear, hiding not only in Mexico and the U.S. but in Nicaragua as well. He had spent almost ten years looking over his shoulder, sleeping fully dressed, never able to let down his guard.

  For the first time, I felt guilty that we had celebrated Ervil’s death because I realized that his family was feeling the same heartache, loss, and devastation as we were.

  Though Verlan was never able to be everything I’d hoped for in a husband and father, I was glad he was finally free of the burdens and fears he’d carried for so long.

  Soon I realized I, too, was free. I didn’t know exactly what I’d do or where I’d go, but for the first time, I could make my own plans and decisions without repercussions. Finally after years of living in fear and being controlled by a religious cult, my future stretched out before me, inviting me into a new adventure . . . called life!

  EPILOGUE

  This must be concluded with a brief summary of events either orchestrated or caused by Ervil LeBaron and this cult insanity.

  Before Ervil’s last arrest, trial, sentence, and death, he ordered the following crimes:

  September 1971—Earl Jensen received the “black hand” life threat by Ervil.

  August 20, 1972—Joel F. LeBaron was murdered by Dan Jordan and Gamaliel Rios. Ervil and Conway were also in the getaway vehicle.

  December 26, 1974—Ervil’s soldiers raided Los Molinos. As a result, Edmundo Aguilar and Moroni Mendez died, and thirteen others were wounded.

  January 1975—Neomi Zarate was murdered by Vonda White, aided by Yolanda Rios (both were Ervil’s wives).

  April 23, 1975—Robert Hunt Simons was murdered by Ervil’s stepson, Eddie Marston, aided by Mark Chynoweth and Lloyd Sullivan.

  June 16, 1975—Grover Dean Vest was murdered by Vonda White.

  April 1977—Ervil’s daughter Rebecca was strangled with a rope by Eddie Marston and Duane Chynoweth, Ervil’s brother-in-law.

  May 10, 1977—Dr. Rulon C. Allred was assassinated by Rena Chynoweth, Ervil’s thirteenth wife, aided by Ramona Marston, Ervil’s stepdaughter.

  WHILE IN PRISON, among other items, Ervil wrote the Book of New Commandments, in which he listed some fifty people who should be blood atoned. Verlan told me that not only his, but both Charlotte’s and my name were on the list. Ervil had also ordained his son Arturo Morrel LeBaron to be his successor as “worldwide patriarch,” and he had ordained at least six other sons as “high priests” to perpetuate the Lambs of God cult, and continue the blood atonement killings.

  When first locked up, Ervil lived with the general population. But when he tried to form a following inside the prison, he was put in a solitary cell.

  Because most of his original followers eventually defected—including leaders and several wives—he received fewer and fewer visitors, so his depression and mental illness intensified.

  Finally on August 16, 1981, Ervil was found dead in his cell, evidently from a heart attack.

  Ironically, two days later, on August 18, 1981, my husband Verlan and his friend John Adams died in a tragic car accident in Mexico.

  Many hoped that their deaths would end the feud and the blood atonement, but they did not. Even after Ervil’s death, the madness continued.

  After Ervil’s demise, Arturo succeeded him as the One Mighty and Strong patriarch.

  In 1983: Isaac LeBaron, Ervil’s son, committed suicide on June 17.

  Two of Ervil’s daughters by Delfina—Lillian (married to Mark Chynoweth) and Delia—committed suicide, as did nine of my nephews, nieces, and close relatives.

  Two or three of Leo’s troops were killed in the autumn when they made a raid on Arturo’s gang in La Joya, their hideout ranch in Mexico. During the confrontation, ten-year-old Norma LeBaron, Ervil’s daughter, was shot in the leg.

  Lorna Chynoweth, Ervil’s wife, was blood atoned by her own son Andrew and Andrès Zarate, who had received orders from Arturo LeBaron (Ervil’s son by Delfina). Her body has never been found, nor have any of the Lambs of God been tried for her murder.

  Leo Evoniuk murdered Arturo in December in La Joya. Then Heber became their head patriarch.

  In 1984: Gamaliel Rios was assassinated by Heber in La Joya. His body was never found.

  Gamaliel’s brother, Raul Rios, was also executed by Heber’s men.

  Yolanda Rios, Ervil’s wife and a sister to Gamaliel and Raul, was murdered by Heber’s men.

  Heber and his followers became drug runners and car thieves.

  Patricia LeBaron’s baby, fathered by her half brother Heber, died and was buried along the roadside.


  In 1985: Andrès and Alex Zarate disappeared, allegedly murdered by Heber’s followers.

  In 1986: Andrew LeBaron was murdered by Heber’s men in the summer. His body has never been found.

  On November 5, Heber held up a bank in Dallas, was arrested, and then released on $50,000 bail. He jumped bail and fled to Mexico. There he was deposed and Aaron became the last of the patriarchs.

  In 1987: Jorge LeBaron, Mary Lou and Ervil’s son, was murdered by Douglas Barlow.

  Mary LeBaron, Dalila and Nephi Marston’s daughter, was killed by her husband, Heber LeBaron. (How ironic that Mary [also known as little Maria] survived the horrific automobile crash near Ensenada that claimed both her parents’ lives only to be blood atoned as an adult.)

  Sandra LeBaron, thirteen years old, was killed by her brother Richard.

  In 1987: Leo Evoniuk was murdered on May 21 by Heber LeBaron and Douglas Barlow (Rosemary’s son). His body has never been found.

  Daniel Ben Jordan was murdered on October 16 while deer hunting in Utah. His killer was Heber, who was aided by his half sister, Patricia LeBaron, whom he had taken for one of his wives.

  In 1988: Duane Chynoweth, Ervil’s brother-in-law, and his eight-year-old daughter Jennifer were assassinated at four o’clock in the afternoon on June 27 by Richard LeBaron, aided by Patricia. At the same time Mark Chynoweth (who was both Ervil’s brother-in-law and son-in-law) was killed by Heber, aided by Cynthia LeBaron and Natasha; and Eddie Marston (Ervil’s stepson by Anna Mae) was murdered by Douglas. They were all killed by Aaron LeBaron’s orders.

  In 1991: Natasha LeBaron, Lorna’s daughter, was strangled with a wire by fourteen-year-old Thomas, one of her younger half brothers who followed Aaron. She was buried in a grave that she thought she’d dug for someone else, and her body has never been found.