Criminology - Jeffrey Lundgren

Episode Date: June 16, 2024

Jeffrey Lundgren was living in Missouri in the early 1980s. He had a wife and four children and was heavily involved in the RLDS church. However, he became disillusioned with the church because he didn't agree with what he saw as some of its progressive views. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss Jeffrey Lundgren. After a stint in the Navy, Jeffrey had a hard time holding down a job. However, he was able to attract followers who agreed with his preachings and were willing to help support him and his family. In 1984, Jeffrey told his followers that God had commanded them to move to Ohio. Jeffrey Lundgren held a lot of sway and power over his followers, and he ultimately used them for deadly purposes. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology   An Emash Digital production

Criminology is a true crime podcast that may contain discussion about violent or disturbing topics. Listener discretion is advised. Everyone and welcome to episode 312 of the criminology podcast. This is Mike Ferguson. And this is Mike Morford. Mr. Mike Morford. How you doing, man? I'm doing good.

How you doing? I'm doing pretty good, except my AC is on the fritz and it's supposed to be 95 here. So my family is not real happy about that part. We're trying to get it fixed. Why does it seem that the air conditioning always breaks when you need it the most? Oh, it does. It does. It could have broken in the last four weeks at any time.

And it wouldn't have been that big a deal. But all of a sudden, it's going to be 95 and the thing just shuts down. Yeah, I was in a different, I was in a different situation. We didn't really need air conditioning as much as we needed a boat because we got, I think Florida must have got different areas. got up to 18 inches of rain yesterday over the past couple days. That's a lot of rain. Yeah.

Well, let's go ahead and give our Patreon shoutouts. We had Kerry Marshall and Charlotte Upton. So a lot of great new support. We really appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you so much for that support. It means a lot to us. And for anyone else that would like to support the show,

you can go to patreon.com slash terminology to sign up. All right. It's time to jump into this week's episode. You know, there have been, it seems like, a lot of instances of cult-like behavior making headlines recently. Cults are nothing new. They've been around for ages, but they really seem to have exploded in the 70s and 80s. And then now the way these cases have been grabbing attention lately, it seems like cults are really on the rise.

It makes you wonder why that is. Now, most of us have heard of some of the bigger, well-known cults that made some of the more explosive headlines like the Heaven's Gate Called or Nexium, we've heard of cult leaders like Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and David Koresh, but those are some of the most infamous. There are many more cult leaders you may not have heard of, and one of them we'll be discussing today is Jeffrey Lundgren. According to Clark Prosecutor.org in 1990, Jeffrey Lundgren told a jury, it's not a figment of my imagination that I can, in fact, talk to God.

He had been arrested on January 7th of that year, in California by federal authorities, after police in Cortland, Ohio, found the bodies of four of his former followers buried in his abandoned barn. It was another disgruntled follower, who he once trusted, who would turn Lundgren in and blow the whistle on his crimes. There's no doubt that more crimes would have followed had Lungren not been stopped. Jeffrey Lundgren was born in Independence, Missouri on May 3, 1950. His parents, Don and Lois Lungren were part of the reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the R-L-D-S. This church differs from the LDS Church in Utah, the church that Lori Vallow and Ruby Frankie

belong to. Many that knew him agree that Don was very strict and quick to punish his children. Lundgren later claimed that his father physically abused him. He didn't do very well in school and was mostly known as a loner, but he did have one hobby, which he shared with Don. The two began hunting together, and Don would teach him about the use and maintenance of guns. In 1969, Jeffrey's girlfriend, Alice Keeler, was pregnant with their first child. The two met while attending Central Missouri State University in Warnsburg, where he majored in

electronics. In 1970, Lundgren enlisted in the United States Navy. That same year, he married Alice. It was also the same year that their first son was born. they named him Damon Paul. Jeffrey ended up asking for an early release from the Navy, claiming that he was needed to help care for his young family. It was denied, but he was honorably discharged in 1974, just shy of four years of service.

It was this year that their second child, another son named Jason, was born. After his discharge, he and Alice, along with their two children, lived in San Diego, California. but they couldn't afford it for long, with two kids and a plan to have more, so they moved back to Missouri. It was here that their third child and first daughter was born in 1979. They named her Kristen. Shortly after Kristen was born, Lundgren began to abuse Alice and the children. Multiple sources report that Alice once visited a hospital due to a ruptured spleen, but the actual cause differs from author to author. Some claim that she was violently pushed down the stairs, and others say that a doorknob caused it. Either way, it was no secret, that Lundgren had a temper

that he liked to take out on his family. After his discharge from the Navy, Jeffrey Lunghorn held a series of odd jobs, including doing maintenance at hospital. His employment never lasted very long. In 1980, their four child, a son named Caleb, was born. Jeffrey began to lose faith in the RLDS Church as early as 1981. He didn't agree with some of the ways that they differed from the LDS Church. He wasn't particularly happy with the fact that women could be ordained, which is just one of the ways that the RLDS Church is seen as more progressive. They also didn't practice polygamy, which Jeffrey would go on the try.

He thought that he could do a good job preaching about his beliefs, and while still living in Missouri, he began to attract followers. because he wasn't holding steady employment and was spending so much time active in the church, many people began to donate to his family. One thing I'm always curious about is when these cults start out and the person that's the leader begins to build momentum and gets the following, I wonder what it is about them that really makes his followers support them the way that they do. Like this guy, he doesn't have anything special.

going on. He's just a guy with a family that's not really doing much, but he gets these people to start donating to him. And he's just got these ideas about some different things between one church and the other that he wants to try and pursue. And I wonder what makes those people on the ground floor of the cult start to give them the support that they need to get momentum. Yeah, it's a good topic because obviously to be a cult leader, you need to gain a follow. Well, how do you do that? I mean, I think of most cult leaders as being very charismatic. I mean, I think that's the quality that they have to possess in some form to get others

to, you know, buy into their message, to follow them. But, you know, this Jeffrey Lundgren, it does seem strange. He serves in the military, has a hard time holding down a job. but he does have some ideas. And through whatever method, he's able to start attracting followers to the point where, you know, they're willing to donate money to his family. Now, back to your point, exactly what he had that allowed him to do that, we don't really know.

But there's got to be a combination of, you know, charisma and some other personality traits that a lot of these types of individuals share. I also wonder if they surround themselves with people that were sort of aimless and looking for something to be a part of and maybe they pray on that a little bit. I do think there's a facet of that. I don't know about the aimless part so much, but the looking for something, you know, whether it's a group to belong with or someone who they feel understands them. There's got to be a component of that as well.

In 1984, Jeffrey Lundgren told his followers that God had commanded him and his followers to move to Kirtland, Ohio. On August 19th, the Lundgren family arrived and visited the temple. Jeffrey accepted the job, which was more of a volunteer position of senior temple guy at the Kirtland Temple. They would receive $125 a week, and the family was providing. free housing right next to the temple. At the same time, he began to teach Sunday school classes, which were very popular. It was at the temple that he began to gain even more followers as he

started to promote a new way of interpreting scriptures. He claimed it was a method he had thought of on his own, but it's just a literary technique focused on pattern recognition. He also taught classes on the Book of Mormon in the Bible, both of which he knew very well. During these tours and classes, Lundgren was able to insert his own beliefs and interpretations little by little. It was around this time that Jeffrey began to steal money from the church, skimming from donations and from sales at the visitor center. Soon, he was teaching classes and sermons out of his home, away from the temple.

And this is likely where his following really took hold. In October 1984, Jeffrey ran into a friend of his from the Navy while giving tours. Kevin Curry was thrilled to see him and readily accepted an invitation to the Lungren home. Soon, he decided to move to Kirtland to be closer to Lungren and follow his teachings. It wasn't long before Kevin Curry was giving his entire paycheck to his old friend, Jeffrey Lungren. In May 1985, a couple, Danny Kraft and Sharon Blunchley were seeking jobs as guides at the Temple. when they met Jeffrey Lungren. Like Kevin Curry, Danny Krap began to give Jeffrey his paychecks.

Over Memorial Day weekend, 20-year-old Richard Brand traveled from Missouri to Kirtland for a tour of the temple, where he met Jeffrey Longren. In 1986, Richard returned to Kirtland to follow Jeffrey's teachings. Richard Brann also invited his friend, recent divorcee, Greg Winship, to join him. Winship, who was looking for a purpose in life, was also taken with Jeffrey Longer's teachings and believed he was a true prophet. That August, a couple named Dennis and Tanya Patrick, along with their daughter, Molly, moved from Independence, Missouri to Cortland. The Patrick's knew Alice and Jeffrey Lungman from their time at Central Missouri State University.

Dennis and Tanya had witnessed Jeffrey Lungerman physically abused his children and his wife Alice, and though they apparently disagreed with his behavior, it didn't stop them from believing in Jeffrey as a prophet. So you have, you know, all of these. different individuals, some of them couples, you know, moving to Curtland, Ohio. Why? Because they believe in Jeffrey Lundgren. They believe he's a prophet. They believe in his teachings. And it seemed like some of this took hold for many people very quickly. I mean, you think about visiting and then deciding to uproot your family and move halfway across the country. country to be near this guy. And not only that morph, but these instances of people giving up their

entire paychecks. I mean, it's just shocking a little bit to me on how some of this goes down. Yeah, there are a lot of religions where people will hide or give some of their income to their church of choice. And depending on maybe what religion is, what church is, it could be a different amount. But when you start seeing someone give their entire paycheck over them, basically what they need to live on, then you might think there's something a little bit odd about that. Lundgren's teachings began to change around September of 1986. They weren't just focused on interpreting the scriptures anymore. And he started to make many references to violence and sex. Kevin Curry left the group, but those who remained believed in Jeffrey Lundgren as a prophet.

and his successor to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Jeffrey claimed to be able to speak to God and told his followers that he had important visions. Soon he was preaching that 10 people, followers, locals, and church officials alike, would need to be killed before the apocalypse could begin and Zion could be established. Jeffrey began to speak of what according to Fox 2 St. Louis, he called Pruning the vineyard, the male followers began to train in combat and other paramilitary skills as they prepared. These skills were mostly taught by Damon Lundgren, Alice and Jeffrey's oldest son. You know, so we've been talking about it. For me, it's one thing to think someone is charismatic

and maybe even to believe that they are a prophet, to believe that they speak to God. But now we're getting into an area where he is claiming that 10 people need to be killed. At what point do people start to question him, to start to question his motives? And that's something I think for me that comes up with a lot of these cults. You know, I can see how people are looking for something to belong to. I get that. But at a certain point, it seems like things start to change. And many of these cults and maybe people are just so wrapped up into them by the by that point that they just don't really see it. I don't know. The paramilitary training just seems to me a little bit over the top and is getting away from the actual practicing of religion. Yeah, I think it stands out to

you. I mean, you don't drive through both cities and see people attending church out on the front lawn doing paramilitary exercises, but I don't think also you have most churches who are talking about the fact that X number of people need to be killed. I mean, we're going down a very strange path here. Two predicted dates for the second coming came and went with no such event. Lundgren had promised that Jesus in his second coming would only deem those inside the Kirtland Temple righteous. All others would be destroyed. He soon shifted his focus to a vision he had that he and his followers would seize the temple. In the spring of 1987, Dennis Avery, his wife, Cheryl, and their three daughters had moved from Missouri to Cortland to be close to Jeffrey Longren and to be able to follow his teachings.

The Avery's knew the Lungrens from back when they all lived in independence. They had liked Jeffrey's teachings at scripture classes even then. Jeffrey and Alice, though, didn't like the Avery's at all. It was something never disclosed to the Avery family themselves, but everyone else knew and were party to the jokes and rants about them. Alice was particularly unhappy that the Avery's had moved to Cartland and basically asked her husband what he was thinking, letting them come and why he had let the family join them. According to blockprowal.com, Jeffrey replied, so I can get their money. He would frequently refer to Dennis as a miserable excuse for a man. The Avery family bought their own property.

Instead of moving into the house behind the temple with the Lundgren's and some of the other followers, they gave 10 of the $19,000. They received when they sold their home in independence to the Lundgren's followers Sharon Blunchley, Richard Brand, Daniel Kraft, and Gregory Winship were living in the Lundgren home. In November 1987, after the Lundgrens were asked to leave the house behind the temple, probably because of all the extra people on the property, coupled with Lundgren's increasingly extremist views. They moved into a rented farmhouse.

Many of his followers moved into the home with him. Lundgren's cousin, Debbie Oliveras, also moved into the farmhouse. That December, Ron and Susan Love moved to Kirtland and began to follow Lundgren's teachings. Jeffrey Lundgren was officially fired from his position in January, 1988. In response, he withdrew his membership from the church, basically meaning they could not officially kick him out. According to Curtland's stake president, Dale Luffman, Lungren's termination was for what the news herald called ethical and moral issues that are critically important to the church. That skimming he had been doing total at least $25,000, but possibly as much as $40,000.

Despite having been fired from the Curtin Temple, London continued to heavily focus on his teachings. He claimed that the group would need to what he called recapture the Kirtland Temple, before a huge earthquake would cause the land it was built on to rise so that the second coming of Christ could happen. When this happened, they would help him to establish Zion. Despite being fired, Jeffrey Lundgren was still getting new followers, one named Shar Olson, joined after Jeffrey was terminated, but ended up leaving before the cult would go on to do something unspeakable. In February 1988, Kevin Curry left the group again. By this time, he was disillusioned and terrified. He fled to Buffalo, New York, and contacted the FBI to let them know about the

plans to storm the temple. Lundgren was angry that Curry left again and was even more upset when Shar Olson left the group. On April 29, 1988, a local told Kirtland Police Patrolman Ron Andalsec that there was a cult living at the farmhouse. This led to increase scrutiny on the group and surveillance on the property. So we've talked more about, you know, people joining the group. Why would they join? You know, those questions come up. But here we also see that a number of people left the group.

And I think you see that very often with these kinds of cults as well. at a certain point, some individuals start to see that things are headed in a direction that they're not happy with and they don't want to be a part of it anymore. Yeah, and sometimes like in this case, people that are leaving will go to the authorities and say, hey, you need to check this out because this isn't right. And that seems to be how some of these Colts wind up getting on the authorities radar in the first place. But they get that information.

and then it becomes, well, what do we do with it? You know, what have they really done? There might be a lot of talk. There might be surveillance, and in this case there was, but have they committed any crimes yet to this point? And how do the authorities go about stopping what may become a future crime? Yeah, I think the authorities have to be wary when they hear about these cult movements. and uprisis because of, you know, past history, people like Jim Jones and David Koresh,

they can do a lot of damage and harm a lot of people. So I think, you know, they couldn't just brush stuff off. In the suburbs of D.C., a woman fails to show up for work and is found brutally murdered. I wonder which emergency. We just walked in the door and there's blood in the foyer. For the next two decades, the case remained unsolved until new technology. allowed investigators to do what had once been impossible. A new series from ABC Audio in 2020,

Blood and Water. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. May 3rd, 1988 was the date Jeffrey gave the group for what would be the storming of the Curtland Temple. It was also Jeffrey Lungerun's 38th birthday. When the day came, he mysteriously changed his mind, proclaiming that the time wasn't yet right for the task.

In reality, Curtin Police Chief Dennis Yarborough had questioned Jeffrey about the storming of the temple on May 2nd, thwarting the plan. He, like everyone else in town, and other higher-ups in the church, had heard about and were concerned with Lungren's teachings. The pressure from law enforcement didn't help Jeffrey Lungren's temper, nor did members leaving the group, or yet another date passing without his prophecies or visions coming true. Jeffrey began to teach that a third of the world was made to live with Christ. A third of the world would have to fight for that, and a third of the world was made to be destroyed. He was creating a dog-eat-dog atmosphere among his followers. By April 1989, the Avery family's fates had been decided.

They were completely unsuspecting, trusting fully in their so-called prophet and his teachings. Jeffrey had long despised the Avery's and hatched a plan to get rid of them. Apparently, they were not devout enough in his eyes since they maintained their own property and didn't pay him a tithe of 100% of their income. The final straw was that Dennis Avery began to question some of Lundgren's teachings and he would do so publicly during the classes making him look back. Jeffrey told the rest of the followers that instead of killing the 10 people he had mentioned previously from a vision or massacring everyone who got in their way, all they would need to do was kill the Avery's,

and it would set in motion the second coming. For many members, they were just relieved that it wasn't them that Jeffrey had chosen to die. While they didn't exactly want to cooperate in any of this, living at the Longwood's home, there was no real way to talk privately about their thoughts or band together to defy him. Author Cynthia Sass, who has written about this case, told the News Herald, talking to each other was murmuring and rebellious and therefore sinful. Greg Winship and Debbie Oliverus were married on April 4th at Jeffrey Lungren's request. On the 5th, Richard Brand and Sharon Blunchly followed suit.

So obviously more if we're getting ready to head down a really bad path. And I just kind of want to break it down for a minute. Jeffrey Lundgren is being seen as a profit by his followers. and at first he says, okay, 10 people need to die. But then he switches course. And he says, no, really just the Avery family has to die in order for, you know, all of my prophecies to come true. But what's behind it?

Real visions or being told by God or the fact that he doesn't like these people. And they're not giving him all of their minds. So to me, this is the point where they start planning these murders and talking about killing this family, that if there's anyone that's not fully bought into this guy and his teachings and is thinking about repercussions or their actions, this is the point where they need to step up and say, I can't be part of this. This is wrong. And you think somebody would come to their senses here. I think the other thing that you often see with some of the. of these types of organizations, cults, or whatever you want to call them, especially the ones who claim to be religious is this setting of a date, right? And we see it here in this story. You know, on this date, something is going to happen. Well, that date comes and goes and and nothing happens. So another date is set. That date comes and goes. And whatever is predicted to

happen doesn't happen. And so things have to change course and new plans have to be drawn up. But I think for me, you know, I feel like some of these people are so indoctrinated by this point that they just believe everything coming out of Jeffrey Lundgren's mouth. And then those people who maybe are not are too fearful to speak up or maybe are. are fearful to leave the group. Yeah, and I can understand if you're in their shoes, maybe they don't know who around them that they can trust to voice their concerns. Maybe they're worried that if they speak up, they'll be on Jeffrey's list of people to kill. So it had to be a pretty tough situation for some of the people possible. On or around April 12th,

Larry Johnson and Ron Love began to dig the grave, the Avery's would end up in, as instructed by Lundgren. It was inside the old barn. And by the time it was finished, it was six feet wide, seven feet long, and four feet deep. Though Lundgren had told them it was for the Avery's, both men were. They weren't gleefully digging this grave. They were trying not to fall onto Lundgren's bad side. Ron Luff told oxygen, while we were digging it, I was scared. I thought I might be digging my own grave, you know? We knew very well. It could be either one of us or someone of our family. No one really knew. Who was going to end up in that hole for sure? This hole was hidden from the family and the followers were instructed to keep Dennis Avery away from the barn. About the time the

hole was being dug, Jeffrey Lungren instructed Cheryl Avery to write a letter to her family, informing them of her upcoming move to Wyoming. Lundgren had been preaching about his visions and how important going on a trip into the wilderness was. Two followers, Kevin Curry and Char Olson, left the group around the time he had started to talk about the trip, which is right around when Catherine and Larry Johnson began to follow Lungren's teachings. This plan to move wasn't completely out of the blue, and it seemed like everyone would be going together.

Cheryl Avery probably figured that all of the followers had been instructed to write similar letters. The trip was a huge deal to Jeffrey Lundgren. He had convinced the group to prepare to the point that those with jobs had quit and used all of their money to buy supplies. Those with credit cards were encouraged to max them out. The Avery family were then invited to dinner at the Lundgren's home. Since most of the followers lived there, it also probably seemed like it was going to be a completely normal group thing. Jeffrey Lundgren explained to his followers on April 16th that the sacrilegrin,

sacrifices were necessary for the rest of the group to see God. That same day, Jeffrey Lundgren used Dennis Avery's credit card to purchase three weapons, including a Colt 45 caliber handgun. On the following day, April 17th, the Averys withdrew their daughters from school, thinking they would be going on an extended trip into the wilderness. In reality, they would be having the last meal their lives in the Lundgren home. When the meal was over, Jeffrey, his son Damon, and four of the followers, Richard Brand, Daniel Kraft, Gregory Winship, and Ron Luff, went out to the barn, where the grave had been prepared. Alice Longren, along with her three youngest children, left the property to visit Tanya and Dennis Patrick.

The Avery family stayed inside, as did the rest of the women and their children. Once the group was ready, Ron Luff lured the Avery family, one by one, out into the barn, where they were ambival. Jeffrey then used a 45-calibur semi-automatic weapon to shoot each of them multiple times. On his way to the barn, Dennis Avery took off his glasses because it was so foggy outside, he couldn't see it all with them on. Once he was inside, Ron Luff lifted his shirt and began to taste him. According to the book, Prophet of Death by Pete Early, this didn't render Dennis Avery unconscious. It just hurt and made him start yelling, God damn it. Jeffrey Lundgren would later use this against Dennis Avery's character, saying Dennis had cursed God. He was clearly under Satan's

power. Greg Winship, Richard Brand, Danny Kraft, and Damon Lundgren all tackled Dennis Avery and pinned him to the ground. His mouth was covered with duct tape and his hands and legs were bound. Also with tape, according to author Peter Early, they specifically left his eyes uncovered, as Richard Brand would later explain, because he was supposed to see Jeff when Jeff shot him. Brandon Kraft picked Dennis Avery up by the legs and shoulders and carried him over to the pit. Jeffrey Lundgren waited until he had managed to get back up onto his knees and look up from the grave. According to early, Jeffrey would later say, I looked him in the eyes because I wanted him to know who was sending him before God for his wickedness.

Jeffrey then invited his followers to look into the pit. As per the prophet of death book, Jeffrey's son Damon, who was just 19 at the time of the murders, said, I started crying. I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen anything like that before. It was my own father that had just did that. Ron Luff then went inside and told Cheryl Avery that her husband needed her help with something in the barn. She left the children inside and walked to her death.

Windship, Bran, and Kraft surrounded her immediately, binding her ankles and wrists with duct tape. They also covered her mouth with tape. And unlike with Dennis, they covered her eyes. Luff started the chainsaw to cover up the sound of more gunshots. Brand and Luff carried her to the pit. Lundgren shot her twice in the chest and once in the stomach. But she didn't die immediately.

Instead, likely laying there for up to five minutes as she bled to death. 15-year-old Trina Avery was told her parents needed her in the barn. As soon as she stepped inside, she was surrounded and gagged and bound with duct tape. Just like her mother had been, Luff and Brand carried her to the pit. Lundgren's first shot did not penetrate her skull. It only caused pain. He shot her twice in the back. 13-year-old Backey Avery was lured to the barn with the promise of seeing horses.

Brandon Kraft bound her arms and legs with duct tape and her eyes and mouth were covered. They carried her to the hole she was shot twice. Seven-year-old Karen

was the last living member of the Avery family. She also followed Luff to the barn to see the horses. After she had been wrapped in duct tape, Luff took her over to the pit. From above, he shot her twice in the top of the head.

The group then covered the bodies with lime, dirt, rocks and trash before heading back into the home to hold a prayer meeting like nothing had happened Alice Lundgren and her three youngest children returned to the farmhouse just after 11 p.m. And for me more, you know, it was hard just to go through that because the entire time I'm thinking about each one of the members of the Avery family and how they met their fate at the hands of these people whom I think they trusted, mistakenly, obviously, but they thought they were part of this group. They trusted these people. So for them to say, you know, hey, come out to the barn or

whatever, they would have gone. And they did go. And, you know, to me, it's the way that each member was killed. Basically, you know, thrown into this pit, shot. and then they would prepare for the next member of the family. I mean, it's shocking that all of these people inside this barn bought in to going along with killing this entire family. Shooting anybody and throwing them down into a pit like that is bad enough. But when you're doing it to multiple children as well, I mean, that's especially difficult to hear those details.

and I think in the end the main reason they were killed wasn't because Jeffrey heard some mysterious message from God or whatever is because he just didn't like these people. His wife didn't like these people. So they were chosen to die and he used these teachings as a way to ultimately murder them and then to have his congregation or his followers basically help him do all the dirty work. It's just, again, this is the point where I say, isn't there any voice of reason here? Doesn't anybody come to their sentences and say, we can't do this? On April 18th, investigators from local police and the FBI visited Lungerun's farmhouse. It wasn't in relation to the murder of the Averys. They were questioned, to their surprise, about their cold activity.

Everyone present was asked whether they were there voluntarily and interviewed about weapons in relation to the alleged plans to take the temple by force. It was completely coincidental timing, but it shook Lundgren and the rest of the group. Since no crime that they were aware of, at least, had been committed, authorities left and the group was free to go. But rather than stick around and wait for investigators to find out that they had murdered five people, the group took off on their wilderness trip. They didn't go to Wyoming, like Cheryl Avery had specified in her letter to her family. Instead, they ended up living in tents in the mountains near Davis, West Virginia. During this time, Jeffrey made an attempt to choose Tanya Patrick as his second wife in the polygamous tradition that the group followed under his direction.

But this never happened. Court documents only note vaguely that arrangement did not work out. Instead, Jeffrey set his sights on Catherine Johnson as his second wife. Catherine was already married and her husband, Larry Johnson, wasn't exactly on board with this plan. But Catherine was, and the two ended up separating. And here's something else that throws me for a loop. I have a real tough time understanding some of this. When, you know, some of these organizations, some of these were termed cults are into this polygamous lifestyle. Oftentimes couples are forced to separate, forced to marry other people.

I mean, how is Larry Johnson supposed to be on board? with letting his wife marry Jeffrey. I don't get that. But obviously she was on board with it because they ended up separating. I just think it shows you how much some of these individuals bought into the teachings of Jeffrey Lundgren. In October 1989, Jeffrey Lundgren sold the semi-automatic weapon. He used to kill the Avery family. After this, the group, which was now Lundgren, his friend,

family and about a dozen followers moved back to Missouri. By late December 1989, Larry Johnson had apparently had enough of Lundgren. Johnson managed to contact the ATF in Missouri and informed them of the murder of the Averys. He also provided them with a hand-drawn map. Kurtland police acted on his tip and began to search the property that the Lundgrens had rented on January 3, 1990. They discovered the bodies of Cheryl, Dennis, Trina, Rebecca, and Karen Avery. Now that police had unearthed the bodies, the cult scattered. Some of Jeffrey's followers who had been left behind on the East Coast when the Lungrens decided to flee were found first.

They helped authorities ultimately track down the Lungren family. Just five days later, Jeffrey, Alice, and Damon Lungren were arrested at a hotel in National City, California, near the Mexican border. Ten followers were also arrested. Daniel Kraft and Catherine Johnson were found in the Cleveland National Forest near San Diego, California. The other followers arrested were Ron Luff, Susan Luff, Dennis Patrick, Tanya Patrick, Richard Brand, Debbie Oliveris, Sharon Blunchley, and Gregory Winship. After his arrest, Jeffrey Lundgren told authorities that he had been commanded by God to kill the Averts.

According to NBC News, he said, I cannot say that God was wrong. I cannot say that I am sorry I did what God commanded me to do in the physical act. He insisted that his beliefs were true, saying, I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet. Lundgren also felt that the death penalty should not apply to him. I am not a false prophet. Therefore, I am not worthy of the death penalty. Looking for the best place to shop this Mother's Day?

Go with the brand that makes it easy to send something thoughtful to everyone on your list. 1,800flowers.com. Right now at 1,800 flowers, order one dozen roses and get another dozen free. More flowers mean more smiles, all backed by the quality, attention to detail, and trusted delivery experience that make 1,800 flowers my top choice to send something beautiful mom will love. Make Mom's Day at 1,800flowers.com slash podcast. That's 1,800flowers.com. Alice Lungren claimed that she didn't think her husband was serious when he talked about

murdering people because according to her, as mentioned in the Peter Early book, he would come up with these wild-haired plans all the time and he didn't carry through with them. I thought this was just another one of his insane ideas. She gave examples like the Curtland Temple takeover or like obtaining the golden plates or obtaining the sort of Laban saying words and making an earthquake happen. to me it seems like Alice at this point is conveniently trying to come back to reality and say, oh, I didn't believe all this stuff. He always said this kind of stuff.

But while she was married to him and while this stuff was unfolding, she never doubted it, never left, never had, was fed up with it. She just went along with it. So I think it seems to me like she was just doing a little bit of self-preservation here, trying to distance herself from the crimes.

Oh yeah, I got that as well. But what else is she going to do? If she has any instinct of self-preservation, she has to say some of these things, right? Now, Jeffrey doesn't. He leans into all of it, telling people he's a prophet. He was commanded by God to kill the Avery's.

How could it be wrong if he was commanded by God? But Alice, she goes a different. way. And it's always interesting to see how people act before and then after they're arrested. Because oftentimes, those are two very different things. People seem to change, many people, seem to change very quickly after they're arrested and confronted with the possibility of either doing some really seriously hard time or death. Richard Brand took a plea deal for five counts of aggravated murder in March 1990 and received a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Gregory Winship was sentenced to 15 years to life on five counts of aggravated murder after pleading guilty in April of 1990. The next month, Sharon Blunchley also took a plea deal and received a seven to 25 year sentence for five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. Days later, Debbie Oliveris did the same, pleading guilty to her charges. She received a sentence of seven to 25 years on five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. In August 1990, Alice Lundgren was found guilty of 15 charges.

Five counts of aiding and abetting in the commission of aggravated murder. five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and five counts of kidnapping. Days later, Susan Luff was sentenced to seven to 25 years for five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder after pleading guilty. On August 13th, Jeffrey Lundgren's trial began. A little over two weeks later, he was found guilty of five counts of aggravated murder and five counts of kidnapping. In September, Damon Lundgren was found guilty of four counts each of aggravated.

murder and kidnapping. Two days later, Jeffrey Lundgren was sentenced to death. The date of his execution was set for October 24, 2006. He would have 16 years to appeal and have to live on death row the entire time. Alice was given five consecutive sentences of 20 years to life on the five counts of aiding and abetting in the commission of aggravated murder and five consecutive sentences of 10 to 25 years for kidnapping. She did not receive any sentence for the charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder. Damon was sentenced to 120 years to life on September 26, 1990.

Dennis and Tanya Patrick took guilty pleas on charges of obstruction of justice in October 1990. They each received suspended sentences of 18 months of probation. Danny Krat pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated murder and five counts of kidnapping on November 5th. He received a sentence of 50 years to life. Ron Luff was found guilty on December 20th, 1990, and sentenced to 170 years to life on five counts each of aggravated murder and kidnapping. Catherine Johnson was sentenced to one year in prison for obstructing justice. She was released in March 1991 after serving her time. The same year, Alice was granted a

divorce from Jeffrey. Ron and Susan Luff became estranged. So a lot of different people. got convicted. And, you know, looking at the sentences, there was a wide range. Some of that has to do with people pleading guilty. But I think a lot of it also has to do with the level of involvement that each member had. Now, obviously, we couldn't go through the details of every trial or plea deal. But you can tell. You can tell. that Jeffrey and Ron Love in particular received the harshest sentences, I think then followed by Damon and Danny Krabb. But some of these people were known to have actually either pulled the trigger to kill a member

of the Avery family or at the very least, you know, have bound them, gag them, thrown them in the pit while others, I think, were involved maybe in luring them out to the barn or they were there. They were present. So there's a lot of different people who had culpability in the murders, but the level of that culpability. And the punishment doled out varied pretty widely, really. And, you know, in some of the sentences, it, you know, it seems to me that they're justified, but other ones feel that they're not long enough because any one of these people could have picked up a phone and called the police and said, hey, this is going down. You have to come here and stop it. And nobody lifted a finger to save this family. So, you know, on some level, I think they're all equally guilty because they could have saved this family if any one of them had done.

on the right thing. And it's a great point you're making more. I mean, you know, there are a lot of times where we're talking about lone serial killers. There's nobody there with them to talk them out of doing what they're doing or to say, hey, you know, you shouldn't do that. It's wrong. Whatever. In these scenarios where there's three, four, five, six, eight people involved in a murder or multiple murders, the more people involved means that there are more people who have to all, you know, kind of buy into this group think. And it just becomes at some point really tough to think that that many people could buy into what was happening inside that barn.

To say that these murders had far reaching implications and changed lives as an understatement. And we ask this all too often in some of our episodes, how did some of our episodes, how did some anyone, anyone in this group not come to their senses and just say, hey, this is wrong, we can't do this. According to culteducation.com, Susan Luff later said, I still don't know what happened. Something went terribly wrong. Her estranged husband Ron Luff said in 1991 that he has always wondered if he could have done more, saying, I've been through that scenario a hundred times or more. Leading up to the murders, the thought of helping the Avery's never even crossed his mind. He said, I could have put them in a car and taken off, but was that a consideration? A viable

option? No. Susan Lough looks back from behind bars at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville and says with regret, we were supposed to help the hungry. We were supposed to help the poor, but of course, none of that happened. And I really want to break down these. comments by Ron and Susan Love. You know, Susan said, I still don't know what happened. Something went terribly wrong. Well, yeah, obviously something went terribly wrong saying I don't know what happened. Just seems so strange to me.

And then Ron saying, he always has wondered if he could have done more. Again, these are these things to me are just so obvious. Yes, you could have done more. You could have done something to change the course of the entire thing. But he does admit, was that a consideration? And he says no. He never, ever thought about it. The question is, why? And the only answer I can come up with, because he didn't actually give the answer, is that the group thing, the group mentality, the buying in of what Jeffrey Lundgren was selling was too powerful. They were too far down the road

with him at that point. Now, how they got there, that's a, that's a different question, a different story. To me, these people looking at the events that unfolded down the line after years have passed, it's sort of reminiscent of the Manson family. Some of the people that are in prison all these years later looking back, you know, seem to regret what they did. And I wonder if it's because being out of that environment and that influence not being on on them if they're able to see things clearly with the passage of time without someone controlling them. And it seems like, you know, some of them really are regretful. So, you know, I wonder if that's just something that happens for people that are in a

cult when they're separated from the cold and time passes if they can see things from a different standpoint. Yeah, I think a lot of people can. And once they are no longer under the influence of the cult leader or the cult group thing, then I think many people can see the situation for what it really was rather than what the cult leader or whoever was saying it was. Because in this case, there were two very different things. Jeffrey Lundgren's death sentence was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals,

Sixth Circuit. By August 2006, all Lungren's appeals have been denied. On October 24, 2006, 56-year-old Jeffrey Don Lungren was executed by lethal injection at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. His last words were, I'd like to profess my love for God, my family, my children, and my beloved wife. I am because you are. When he said wife, he didn't mean Alice. He meant Catherine Johnson. His body was buried in the cemetery at the prison because no one stepped up to claim it. And there's a thought that runs through my head morph, and it's that if at the end of your life you have no one to mourn you. And in this case, no one to even claim your body, your life has gone horribly wrong. And there's no doubt to me that Jeffrey Lundgren's life, by his own choosing, went

horribly wrong. And some of the people that would have claimed this body were in jail themselves, which means it's gone really horribly wrong because there's a bunch of people involved in what happened. And you're the one that led them there. Richard Brand was released on parole. In March 2010, after serving 19 years, Gregory Winship was released from prison on December 28, 2010, the same week that Sharon Blunchley and Deborah Oliveris were released. released, Susan Luff was released on parole on January 11, 2011. Ron Luff will be eligible for parole in 2048. Alice will be eligible for parole in 20092.

And Damon will be eligible in 2008. Daniel Kraft is eligible this year. So I think as we wrap up this episode, you know, we've talked a lot about the cult aspect of the case. And there's no denying that that's a big piece of it. The fact that a large number of individuals can be sucked in by someone like Jeffrey Lundgren doesn't surprise me all that much. We've seen it happen many, many times. The fact that someone or a large number of people can go along with the idea that this

entire Avery family. has to be killed in order for some prophecy to come true. That is what gets me. Throughout this entire episode, I've been thinking about how do people find themselves in a cult? Why don't they spot the signs that they're in a cult? Why don't they just walk away? And I think it's easy to say,

looking back on this case from where I'm at, hey, I would never fall for that. I'd never find myself under control of someone like that. but, you know, I don't know the circumstances of these people that led them to be in the position they were in for someone who could control them like Jeffrey to take advantage of that and take them under, put them under his spell. So I think it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback and say what you would have done. And, you know, when you find yourself in a cult, sometimes you don't realize you're in one. And I think that was the case with these people. Yeah, I mean, I've seen a lot of documentaries where former members of cults have, you know, spoken.

And these are not, in many instances, unintelligent individuals. Some of these people are very intelligent. And they look back on it and obviously wonder how they could have been duped or sucked in the way they were. But at the time, they didn't see it. And I think it just goes to show you. that there are some individuals that are so charismatic, so good at recognizing what other people are seeking and then providing that, drawing them in, and then essentially using them for whatever their ultimate goal or their ulterior motive really is.

The frightening thing for me is that there might be other cults similar to this one out there right now in the midst of something like what we talked about today. Well, it is scary when one person has that type of hold or power over a group of people. Because if you get on that person's bad side or they don't like you or whatever the scenario may be, how hard is it going to be for this? them to turn their followers against you or your family. Probably not that difficult. It's a scary thought. But as we were there at the end, kind of reading off when people will come up for parole.

And obviously, a lot of people have already been released and actually have been out for well over a decade. The three people that still are in prison really stood out at me. You're talking about the years, 2048, 2,092 and 2009 as being

the years that three of these individuals will be eligible for parole. I don't know about you, but I don't believe that many of us listening right now, especially the people who were involved in this, are going to be alive in 2008.

I think that just speaks to how heinous and serious the crimes were that they got that much time. And they were. I mean, there's no two ways around it. These were vicious, horrible murders that happened to this family. You know, the youngest member was seven years old. And that sticks with me.

And the thought morphed that she was the last one. So at some point, did that little girl see the rest of her family dead right before she was killed? I don't know. Tough case, man. Tough case. But that's it for our episode on Jeffrey Lundgren, if you love the show. But haven't done so yet, take a minute, go out, give us a five-star rating. You can leave a review.

Also, keep telling your friends, word of mouth about the criminology podcast really goes a long way. If you want to find us on social media, we're on X with the handle at CriminologyPod. You can also find us on Facebook by going to facebook.com slash criminology podcast. And you can join our Facebook discussion group, criminology podcast discussion and fans. So that's it for another episode of criminology, but Morph and I will be back with all of you next Saturday night with a brand new episode. So until then, for Mike and Morph.

We'll talk to you next week. Take care, everyone.