Jeffrey Lundgren
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Don Lundgren was a self-proclaimed prophet
, former leader of a cult
group, and convicted mass murder
er of five people. He was married to Alice Keeler who was also convicted of conspiracy to commit mass murder.
and grew up as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). According to his allegations (supported by some of his former neighbors) he was severely abused
as a child, particularly by his father. His mother reportedly did not defend him. Lundgren was, by most accounts, a loner when he was in middle and high school. He became an expert hunter
when he began to spend time with his father as a teenager. The pair would go on hunting trips, and Lundgren became a gun expert, learning shooting and maintenance techniques.
Lundgren enrolled at Central Missouri State University, and he spent time at a house that was specially built for RLDS youth. While at the house, he became friends with Keith Johnson and Alice Keeler.
Keeler, who had been abused by her father as well, quickly bonded with Lundgren, and the two became lovers. The couple married in 1970, and Lundgren enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
Lundgren and his new family settled in San Diego
after he was discharged from the Navy. Once economic problems began to set in, the Lundgrens moved back to Missouri. In 1979, Keeler gave birth to a third child, a daughter. People close to the couple claim that Lundgren seemed distraught by the family's money problems and was tired of his wife.
Lundgren allegedly became abusive after the birth of his daughter. According to hospital records, his wife was hospitalized for a ruptured spleen
, which may have been caused by Lundgren pushing her into a closet door handle. In 1980, the couple had their fourth child, another boy.
In 1987, Lundgren was dismissed as a lay minister by the RLDS.
, on Chillicothe Road, in Kirtland, Ohio
, he volunteered as a tour guide of the historic Kirtland Temple, for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (since 2001, the Community of Christ
). He began to teach the concept of "dividing the word," known as "chiastic interpretation" or "chiasmus
," to interpret scriptures. Lundgren falsely claimed to have created chiastic interpretation. The foundation was that in everything created by God, the right side is a mirror image and, therefore, scripture had to be interpreted using that same method. He cited the Kirtland Temple as an example because the right side was a mirror image of the left side. To apply this concept to scripture, one takes a sentence from scripture; if the sentences before and after are consistent, the center sentence is the "truth"; when the sentences before and after conflict, the center sentence is a lie. His teaching of scriptural interpretations attracted his followers. Lundgren claimed that he moved to Ohio from Missouri because the word, "OHIO" is "chiastic". About 1987, Lundgren was asked to leave the church-owned house and his job as tour guide was terminated due to suspicions of theft.
In 1987, Lundgren and his family moved to a rented farm house, located at 8671 Chardon Road on U.S. Route 6
(aka: Euclid-Chardon Road), east of Ohio State Route #306. Some of the followers knew Lundgren in Missouri while others were attracted to Lundgren when they were exposed to his teachings when he was working as a Temple tour guide. At that time, some followers started to move into his home. Those who moved into the house were Kevin Currie, Richard Brand, Greg Winship, Sharon B. Luntschly, Daniel Kraft, and Debbie Olivarez. Ronald and Susan Luff; Dennis and Tonya Patrick; and, Dennis and Cheryl Avery maintained their own residences. There were others whose names were not made public because they were not significant to the criminal investigation (conspiracy to deprive civil rights, the Kirtland Temple Takeover, and multiple homicide of the Avery family.). While Lundgren was living at the farm house, Lundgren's teachings continued and he began to practice methods of "mind control," which were consistent with Robert Lifton's Criteria for Mind Control. For example, cult members were forbidden to talk amongst themselves; doing so was a sin, called "murmuring." He would eavesdrop on cult members to cause them to believe that he could read their minds.
On April 23, 1988 a neighbor told Kirtland police officer Ron Andolsek that she suspected that a cult was living at the farm house and that Lundgren's son warned the neighbor's children that on May 15th the earth would open up and demons would emerge. On April 28, 1988, a former cult member, referred by the FBI, called Kirtland Police and reported the cult's conspiracy to take over the Kirtland Temple to Chief Dennis T. Yarborough. Yarborough did not believe the informant's information and on May 2, 1988, Chief Yarborough confronted Lundgren at the Kirtland Police Station. When Lundgren left, Yarborough said that he "Neutralized the situation" by warning Lundgren that there were complaints about gun fire on Lundgren's property. Lundgren went back to his followers and told them that the May 3rd Kirtland Temple Takeover was off because he had spoken to a higher power. The Kirtland Police initated surveillance of Lundgren's residence and of church-owned properties. In September 1988, a second informant came forward. Officer Andolsek cultivated the informant and made contact with the ATF and the FBI. The FBI initiated a domestic terrorism investigation.
On October 10, 1988, the day that Lundgren was dismissed from the RLDS church, there was a thunderstorm at the South end of Kirtland. When the sun emerged, a large rainbow appeared to the East. Lundgren told his followers that the rainbow signified the opening of the "Seven Seals." Lundgren and his family soon abandoned the religious group, and Lundgren began to feel a call to teach the Bible
in the way he understood it. He formed his own sect
soon after. Membership never exceeded more than twenty. These were some of the most conservative members of the RLDS who believed that God
communicated through regular revelations although some members admitted that they claimed to have revelations even when they did not. The conservatives were also opposed to more liberal rights for women. This was during a rift with the more liberal members of the church. Alice Lundgren often acted as a cheerleader to Jeffrey Lundgren. She had claimed she had once had a revelation that she would meet an important leader of the RLDS. She later concluded that this alleged revelation referred to Jeffrey.
Lundgren began to offer Bible study services at his home. Lundgren would dominate the services himself and he would intimidate anyone who didn't agree with him. He would later encourage others to intimidate those who disagreed as well. He sought to convince his congregation that he was God
's last prophet. He asked for money from his supporters, and some would give him their life's savings, which often were calculated to be thousands of dollars.
Lundgren then proclaimed he had received a call from God to move to Kirtland, Ohio, a Lake County suburb, located twenty (20) miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. According to Lundgren, he was told by God that he and his supporters would soon witness the second coming of Christ if they moved to Kirtland. Lundgren was attracted to Kirtland because it was the home of the Kirtland Temple, built by Joseph Smith
and Smith's followers. Lundgren would tell his followers that on May 3 (no year specified - May 3 was also Lundgren's birthday), that the "second coming" would happen at the Kirtland Temple and that he and his followers would have to seize the Kirtland Temple by force and hold it for the second coming. The conspiracy involved burglarizing adjacent church-homes and committing murder as part of the "Kirtland Temple Takeover." Lundgren called the land around the temple, "The Vineyards," which had to be "redeemed" or "cleansed" for he and his followers to take the temple.
By this time, seven of Lundgren's 12 followers had moved into the family home. The remaining five were members of Dennis Avery's family. Lundgren felt that the Averys were committing a sin
by not living in his house. The Avery family father, Dennis, sold his Missouri house in order for his family to move to Ohio. Dennis Avery believed in Jeffrey completely and trusted him. Jeffrey, however, considered Dennis Avery to be weak and, when Dennis was no longer useful to Jeffrey, he began talking about Dennis behind his back. Jeffrey often used Dennis as a scapegoat for their troubles even though Dennis was one of the leading contributors. Dennis Avery decided to set apart a relatively small amount of money for his family's use, with a bank account. Once again, Lundgren considered this a sin, because Lundgren wanted all of his followers' money to be given exclusively to him.
In time, Lundgren convinced his followers that they had to seize the temple, from which he had stolen about $40,000, and to kill anyone who stood in their way. He changed his mind, however, and started telling his followers that they had to kill a family of five instead if they wanted to see God. As punishment for their "disloyalty," he chose the Averys. At some point, he referred to the slaughter of the Avery family as "pruning the vineyard," most likely a reference to the allegory of the olive tree found in chapter 5 of the Book of Jacob, part of The Book of Mormon.
trip. A week later, on April 17, 1989, he rented a motel
room and had dinner with all of his followers. He then called his group's men into his room. He questioned each as to their purpose in the action. All of the men assured Lundgren that they were with him in the sacrifice. Dennis Avery was not invited to the meeting in Lundgren's bedroom.
According to followers' admissions, Lundgren later went inside the barn, with a church member named Ron Luff luring Dennis Avery into a place where the other men awaited by asking him for help with equipment for the camping trip. Luff attempted to render Avery unconscious with a stun gun, but due to a malfunction a stun bullet struck Avery but did not knock him out.
Avery then was gagged and dragged to the place where Lundgren awaited. He was shot twice in the chest, dying almost instantly. To mask the sound of the gun, a chainsaw was left running. Luff then told Avery's wife, Cheryl, that her husband needed help. She was gagged, like her husband, but also had duct tape put over her eyes, and dragged to Lundgren. She was shot three times, twice in the breasts and once in the abdomen. Her body lay next to her husband's. The Averys' 15-year-old daughter, Trina, was shot twice in the head. The first shot missed, but the second killed her instantly. Thirteen year old Becky Avery was shot twice and left to die, while six-year-old Karen Avery was shot in the chest and head. Both died.
The barn where the incident took place was demolished November 13, 2007.
Lundgren and the rest of his group went south to West Virginia
. But as months went by and nothing happened, Lundgren became disillusioned, and he and his family returned to California
, leaving the rest of the surviving cult members behind.
Nine months after the killings, in 1990, police, following a tip from an informant, returned to the long-abandoned farm and uncovered the five bodies of the Avery family.
The Lundgrens became fugitive
s. Media attention increased, and police began to track the cult members. The FBI joined in the hunt. Eventually, all of Lundgren's followers were found, and they helped catch him and his family.
Thirteen of Lundgren's sect were arrested, including Lundgren and his wife.
Alice Lundgren received five life sentences for conspiracy, complicity and kidnapping. Jeffrey Lundgren was given the death penalty
.
On October 17, 2006, Judge Gregory L. Frost
issued an order temporarily delaying Lundgren's execution. Lundgren attempted to join a lawsuit
with five other Ohio death row inmates challenging the state's death penalty law, claiming that because of his obesity
the lethal injection
would be particularly painful and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. State Attorney General Jim Petro
appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
in Cincinnati. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order allowing the execution to go forward. The U.S. Supreme Court refused a last-minute request to stop his execution, and Governor Bob Taft
also denied clemency.
On October 24, 2006, Jeffrey Lundgren was executed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
.
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, former leader of a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
group, and convicted mass murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er of five people. He was married to Alice Keeler who was also convicted of conspiracy to commit mass murder.
Childhood
Lundgren was born in MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
and grew up as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). According to his allegations (supported by some of his former neighbors) he was severely abused
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
as a child, particularly by his father. His mother reportedly did not defend him. Lundgren was, by most accounts, a loner when he was in middle and high school. He became an expert hunter
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
when he began to spend time with his father as a teenager. The pair would go on hunting trips, and Lundgren became a gun expert, learning shooting and maintenance techniques.
Lundgren enrolled at Central Missouri State University, and he spent time at a house that was specially built for RLDS youth. While at the house, he became friends with Keith Johnson and Alice Keeler.
Keeler, who had been abused by her father as well, quickly bonded with Lundgren, and the two became lovers. The couple married in 1970, and Lundgren enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
Adulthood
On December 2, 1970, the couple's first child, a boy, was born. By 1974, Keeler was pregnant for the second time. Prior to receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy at the end of his first term Lundgren sought an early release from his term of duty with an argument that his presence was necessary for the sustenance of his family. He was denied for reasons non-necessary according to military recommendations. He received an honorable discharge from the Navy days before his four year enlistment was completed. His second son was born soon after.Lundgren and his new family settled in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
after he was discharged from the Navy. Once economic problems began to set in, the Lundgrens moved back to Missouri. In 1979, Keeler gave birth to a third child, a daughter. People close to the couple claim that Lundgren seemed distraught by the family's money problems and was tired of his wife.
Lundgren allegedly became abusive after the birth of his daughter. According to hospital records, his wife was hospitalized for a ruptured spleen
Spleen
The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
, which may have been caused by Lundgren pushing her into a closet door handle. In 1980, the couple had their fourth child, another boy.
In 1987, Lundgren was dismissed as a lay minister by the RLDS.
Prophet
While Lundgren was living in a church-owned home, located next to the Kirtland TempleKirtland Temple
The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the house of worship was the first temple to be...
, on Chillicothe Road, in Kirtland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, he volunteered as a tour guide of the historic Kirtland Temple, for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (since 2001, the Community of Christ
Community of Christ
The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
). He began to teach the concept of "dividing the word," known as "chiastic interpretation" or "chiasmus
Chiasmus
In rhetoric, chiasmus is the figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures in order to make a larger point; that is, the clauses display inverted parallelism...
," to interpret scriptures. Lundgren falsely claimed to have created chiastic interpretation. The foundation was that in everything created by God, the right side is a mirror image and, therefore, scripture had to be interpreted using that same method. He cited the Kirtland Temple as an example because the right side was a mirror image of the left side. To apply this concept to scripture, one takes a sentence from scripture; if the sentences before and after are consistent, the center sentence is the "truth"; when the sentences before and after conflict, the center sentence is a lie. His teaching of scriptural interpretations attracted his followers. Lundgren claimed that he moved to Ohio from Missouri because the word, "OHIO" is "chiastic". About 1987, Lundgren was asked to leave the church-owned house and his job as tour guide was terminated due to suspicions of theft.
In 1987, Lundgren and his family moved to a rented farm house, located at 8671 Chardon Road on U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6
U.S. Route 6 , also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, a name that honors an American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the U.S. Highway system, running east-northeast from Bishop, California to Provincetown, Massachusetts. Until 1964, it continued south from Bishop to...
(aka: Euclid-Chardon Road), east of Ohio State Route #306. Some of the followers knew Lundgren in Missouri while others were attracted to Lundgren when they were exposed to his teachings when he was working as a Temple tour guide. At that time, some followers started to move into his home. Those who moved into the house were Kevin Currie, Richard Brand, Greg Winship, Sharon B. Luntschly, Daniel Kraft, and Debbie Olivarez. Ronald and Susan Luff; Dennis and Tonya Patrick; and, Dennis and Cheryl Avery maintained their own residences. There were others whose names were not made public because they were not significant to the criminal investigation (conspiracy to deprive civil rights, the Kirtland Temple Takeover, and multiple homicide of the Avery family.). While Lundgren was living at the farm house, Lundgren's teachings continued and he began to practice methods of "mind control," which were consistent with Robert Lifton's Criteria for Mind Control. For example, cult members were forbidden to talk amongst themselves; doing so was a sin, called "murmuring." He would eavesdrop on cult members to cause them to believe that he could read their minds.
On April 23, 1988 a neighbor told Kirtland police officer Ron Andolsek that she suspected that a cult was living at the farm house and that Lundgren's son warned the neighbor's children that on May 15th the earth would open up and demons would emerge. On April 28, 1988, a former cult member, referred by the FBI, called Kirtland Police and reported the cult's conspiracy to take over the Kirtland Temple to Chief Dennis T. Yarborough. Yarborough did not believe the informant's information and on May 2, 1988, Chief Yarborough confronted Lundgren at the Kirtland Police Station. When Lundgren left, Yarborough said that he "Neutralized the situation" by warning Lundgren that there were complaints about gun fire on Lundgren's property. Lundgren went back to his followers and told them that the May 3rd Kirtland Temple Takeover was off because he had spoken to a higher power. The Kirtland Police initated surveillance of Lundgren's residence and of church-owned properties. In September 1988, a second informant came forward. Officer Andolsek cultivated the informant and made contact with the ATF and the FBI. The FBI initiated a domestic terrorism investigation.
On October 10, 1988, the day that Lundgren was dismissed from the RLDS church, there was a thunderstorm at the South end of Kirtland. When the sun emerged, a large rainbow appeared to the East. Lundgren told his followers that the rainbow signified the opening of the "Seven Seals." Lundgren and his family soon abandoned the religious group, and Lundgren began to feel a call to teach the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
in the way he understood it. He formed his own sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
soon after. Membership never exceeded more than twenty. These were some of the most conservative members of the RLDS who believed that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
communicated through regular revelations although some members admitted that they claimed to have revelations even when they did not. The conservatives were also opposed to more liberal rights for women. This was during a rift with the more liberal members of the church. Alice Lundgren often acted as a cheerleader to Jeffrey Lundgren. She had claimed she had once had a revelation that she would meet an important leader of the RLDS. She later concluded that this alleged revelation referred to Jeffrey.
Lundgren began to offer Bible study services at his home. Lundgren would dominate the services himself and he would intimidate anyone who didn't agree with him. He would later encourage others to intimidate those who disagreed as well. He sought to convince his congregation that he was God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's last prophet. He asked for money from his supporters, and some would give him their life's savings, which often were calculated to be thousands of dollars.
Lundgren then proclaimed he had received a call from God to move to Kirtland, Ohio, a Lake County suburb, located twenty (20) miles east of Cleveland, Ohio. According to Lundgren, he was told by God that he and his supporters would soon witness the second coming of Christ if they moved to Kirtland. Lundgren was attracted to Kirtland because it was the home of the Kirtland Temple, built by Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith was founder of what later became known as the Latter Day Saint movement or Mormons.Joseph Smith may also refer to:-Latter Day Saints:* Joseph Smith, Sr. , father of Joseph Smith...
and Smith's followers. Lundgren would tell his followers that on May 3 (no year specified - May 3 was also Lundgren's birthday), that the "second coming" would happen at the Kirtland Temple and that he and his followers would have to seize the Kirtland Temple by force and hold it for the second coming. The conspiracy involved burglarizing adjacent church-homes and committing murder as part of the "Kirtland Temple Takeover." Lundgren called the land around the temple, "The Vineyards," which had to be "redeemed" or "cleansed" for he and his followers to take the temple.
By this time, seven of Lundgren's 12 followers had moved into the family home. The remaining five were members of Dennis Avery's family. Lundgren felt that the Averys were committing a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
by not living in his house. The Avery family father, Dennis, sold his Missouri house in order for his family to move to Ohio. Dennis Avery believed in Jeffrey completely and trusted him. Jeffrey, however, considered Dennis Avery to be weak and, when Dennis was no longer useful to Jeffrey, he began talking about Dennis behind his back. Jeffrey often used Dennis as a scapegoat for their troubles even though Dennis was one of the leading contributors. Dennis Avery decided to set apart a relatively small amount of money for his family's use, with a bank account. Once again, Lundgren considered this a sin, because Lundgren wanted all of his followers' money to be given exclusively to him.
In time, Lundgren convinced his followers that they had to seize the temple, from which he had stolen about $40,000, and to kill anyone who stood in their way. He changed his mind, however, and started telling his followers that they had to kill a family of five instead if they wanted to see God. As punishment for their "disloyalty," he chose the Averys. At some point, he referred to the slaughter of the Avery family as "pruning the vineyard," most likely a reference to the allegory of the olive tree found in chapter 5 of the Book of Jacob, part of The Book of Mormon.
Murders
On April 10, 1989 in Kirtland, Ohio, Lundgren ordered two of his followers to dig a pit in the barn, in anticipation of burying the Averys' bodies there. The anticipation was that there could be five bodies buried in the pit. Lundgren told the rest of his followers, including the Averys, that they would go on a wildernessWilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
trip. A week later, on April 17, 1989, he rented a motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
room and had dinner with all of his followers. He then called his group's men into his room. He questioned each as to their purpose in the action. All of the men assured Lundgren that they were with him in the sacrifice. Dennis Avery was not invited to the meeting in Lundgren's bedroom.
According to followers' admissions, Lundgren later went inside the barn, with a church member named Ron Luff luring Dennis Avery into a place where the other men awaited by asking him for help with equipment for the camping trip. Luff attempted to render Avery unconscious with a stun gun, but due to a malfunction a stun bullet struck Avery but did not knock him out.
Avery then was gagged and dragged to the place where Lundgren awaited. He was shot twice in the chest, dying almost instantly. To mask the sound of the gun, a chainsaw was left running. Luff then told Avery's wife, Cheryl, that her husband needed help. She was gagged, like her husband, but also had duct tape put over her eyes, and dragged to Lundgren. She was shot three times, twice in the breasts and once in the abdomen. Her body lay next to her husband's. The Averys' 15-year-old daughter, Trina, was shot twice in the head. The first shot missed, but the second killed her instantly. Thirteen year old Becky Avery was shot twice and left to die, while six-year-old Karen Avery was shot in the chest and head. Both died.
The barn where the incident took place was demolished November 13, 2007.
Case
Officers coincidentally came to Lundgren's farm to talk to Lundgren on April 18, 1989, the day after the murders. After this he left town.Lundgren and the rest of his group went south to West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. But as months went by and nothing happened, Lundgren became disillusioned, and he and his family returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, leaving the rest of the surviving cult members behind.
Nine months after the killings, in 1990, police, following a tip from an informant, returned to the long-abandoned farm and uncovered the five bodies of the Avery family.
The Lundgrens became fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
s. Media attention increased, and police began to track the cult members. The FBI joined in the hunt. Eventually, all of Lundgren's followers were found, and they helped catch him and his family.
Thirteen of Lundgren's sect were arrested, including Lundgren and his wife.
Alice Lundgren received five life sentences for conspiracy, complicity and kidnapping. Jeffrey Lundgren was given the death penalty
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
.
Execution
The Ohio Supreme Court set October 24, 2006 as his execution date. According to the state attorney general's office, as of August, 2006, he had exhausted his appeals.On October 17, 2006, Judge Gregory L. Frost
Gregory L. Frost
Gregory Lynn Frost is a United States federal judge.Born in Newark, Ohio, Frost received a B.A. from Wittenberg University in 1971 and a J.D. from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law in 1974. He was an Assistant prosecuting attorney of Licking County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Ohio...
issued an order temporarily delaying Lundgren's execution. Lundgren attempted to join a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
with five other Ohio death row inmates challenging the state's death penalty law, claiming that because of his obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
the lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
would be particularly painful and amount to cruel and unusual punishment. State Attorney General Jim Petro
Jim Petro
James M. “Jim” Petro is an American politician from the Republican Party, and a former Ohio Attorney General. Previously, Petro also served as Ohio State Auditor. Petro was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Ohio during the 2006 Ohio Primaries, but lost to Ken Blackwell...
appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
in Cincinnati. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order allowing the execution to go forward. The U.S. Supreme Court refused a last-minute request to stop his execution, and Governor Bob Taft
Bob Taft
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the 67th Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.-Personal background:Taft...
also denied clemency.
On October 24, 2006, Jeffrey Lundgren was executed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility
The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in Lucasville, Ohio, United States. The prison was constructed in 1972 and currently contains the death house for Ohio where death row inmates are executed...
.