Thomas Arthur Green
Encyclopedia
Thomas Arthur Green (born 1948) is a Mormon fundamentalist in Utah
who is a practitioner of plural marriage
. After a high profile trial, Green was convicted by the state of Utah on May 18, 2001 of four counts of bigamy
and one count of failure to pay child support
. This decision was upheld by the Utah State Supreme Court
in 2004.
in the church's Great Lakes Mission
(Indiana and Michigan) from June 1967 to June 1969. In the 1980s, while in his thirties, Green left the LDS Church and converted to a type of Mormon fundamentalism which teaches that its adherents should practice plural marriage
. The LDS church stopped allowing polygamy in the 1890s. He was to eventually take seven wives. He was also a one-time Apostle for the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
, a fundamentalist group that split from the Apostolic United Brethren
, another fundamentalist group.
Attorney David Leavitt
,http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/24/national/main513227.shtml alleged that Green married teenagers, divorced them, and then collected the welfare payments they received as "single mothers" while he continued living with them. Described as "Utah's first high-profile bigamy case in half a century," Green's trial attracted substantial national attention and some international media coverage. His other wives also all refused to testify against him.
On June 24, 2002, Green was convicted of child rape
for having sex with 13-year-old Linda Kunz, who is now his legal wife. Kunz, who refused to testify against Green at the trial, was born in 1972, and gave birth to her first child with Green in 1986. Green had four other wives and 35 children in all. Tom Green was sentenced to five years in prison for the first conviction, and five years to life in prison for the second conviction. While in jail, one of his wives reportedly left him and took their children with her. Green was released from prison on parole on August 7, 2007.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
who is a practitioner of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
. After a high profile trial, Green was convicted by the state of Utah on May 18, 2001 of four counts of bigamy
Bigamy
In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
and one count of failure to pay child support
Child support
In family law and public policy, child support is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child following the end of a marriage or other relationship...
. This decision was upheld by the Utah State Supreme Court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
in 2004.
Religion
Green was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served as a Mormon missionaryMormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in the church's Great Lakes Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
(Indiana and Michigan) from June 1967 to June 1969. In the 1980s, while in his thirties, Green left the LDS Church and converted to a type of Mormon fundamentalism which teaches that its adherents should practice plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
. The LDS church stopped allowing polygamy in the 1890s. He was to eventually take seven wives. He was also a one-time Apostle for the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as The Righteous Branch, The Branch Church, The Peterson Group and Christ's Church, is a fundamentalist Mormon sect of the Latter Day Saint movement...
, a fundamentalist group that split from the Apostolic United Brethren
Apostolic United Brethren
The Apostolic United Brethren is a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist church within the Latter Day Saint movement. The sect is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, another fundamentalist group.
Trial and conviction
The prosecution, led by Juab CountyJuab County, Utah
Juab County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,238, and by 2005 had been estimated at 9,113. It was named from an Indian word meaning thirsty valley, or possibly only valley. Its county seat and largest city is Nephi.Juab County is part of the...
Attorney David Leavitt
David O. Leavitt
David Okerlund Leavitt is a criminal justice attorney and businessman from Utah.- Early life :David Leavitt was born to Dixie and Anne Leavitt, the fifth of six brothers. He was raised in Cedar City, Utah and also spent time in Loa on the family farm. He was involved in public life from a young...
,http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/24/national/main513227.shtml alleged that Green married teenagers, divorced them, and then collected the welfare payments they received as "single mothers" while he continued living with them. Described as "Utah's first high-profile bigamy case in half a century," Green's trial attracted substantial national attention and some international media coverage. His other wives also all refused to testify against him.
On June 24, 2002, Green was convicted of child rape
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
for having sex with 13-year-old Linda Kunz, who is now his legal wife. Kunz, who refused to testify against Green at the trial, was born in 1972, and gave birth to her first child with Green in 1986. Green had four other wives and 35 children in all. Tom Green was sentenced to five years in prison for the first conviction, and five years to life in prison for the second conviction. While in jail, one of his wives reportedly left him and took their children with her. Green was released from prison on parole on August 7, 2007.
Documentary film
Green and his lifestyle were the subject of the British-made documentary One Man, Six Wives and Twenty-Nine Children which was released in 2000 at the New York International Documentary Film Festival.External links
- PBS Religion & Ethics: Polygamy online companion to October 2, 1998 program
- Mormon reaction to media coverage of Thomas Green and his trial