Ervil LeBaron wasn’t your average church leader. Unless your average church leader claims divine instructions to kill rivals, family members, and anyone else who gets in the way. Operating under the banner of fundamentalist Mormonism, LeBaron and his followers, the self-proclaimed “Church of the Lamb of God,” carved a path of violence across Mexico and the American Southwest, leaving a body count estimated between 25 and 30 people. His hit list included fellow polygamists, former followers, his own brother, and even his pregnant teenage daughter.
Roots in Revelation and Schism
To grasp how things went so murderously wrong, a quick detour into Mormon history helps. Joseph Smith’s 19th-century revelations, including the controversial practice of polygamy (“plural marriage”), led to rapid growth but also significant friction. While the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) officially renounced polygamy in 1890 under pressure from the U.S. government, fundamentalist groups splintered off, determined to continue the practice.
Among them was Alma Dayer LeBaron, who, following his own perceived divine instruction, moved his family (including two wives) to Mexico in 1924. The LeBaron clan developed a reputation for receiving “revelations,” alongside documented struggles with mental illness among several family members. Ervil, born in Mexico in 1925, grew up steeped in this environment of religious fervor and familial eccentricity.
From Preacher’s Son to Polygamous Power Broker
Initially, Ervil served under his older brother, Joel, who inherited their father’s ministry and established the “Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times.” While Joel was seen as devout and hardworking, Ervil developed a taste for power, expensive suits, flashy cars, and women. He aggressively pursued wives – reportedly marrying 13 in total, including underage girls – justifying it all as God’s will. His charisma drew followers, but his arrogance and perceived misuse of church funds caused friction.
The Split and the First Kill
By the early 1970s, Joel and Ervil clashed over leadership and the direction of their community, particularly a settlement in Baja California called Los Molinos. Ervil envisioned a tourist destination; Joel, an agricultural commune. The tension culminated in 1972 when Joel removed Ervil from leadership.
Stung by the demotion, Ervil declared Joel a traitor against God, punishable by death. He formed his own sect, the “Church of the Lamb of God,” and shortly after, in August 1972, Joel LeBaron was ambushed and murdered in Ensenada, Mexico. Though Ervil wasn’t physically present, his followers carried out the hit. He was charged, briefly jailed, convicted, and then released on a technicality after serving only a day.
Blood Atonement and a Reign of Terror
Freed and emboldened, Ervil leaned heavily on the controversial, long-abandoned Mormon fundamentalist doctrine of “blood atonement”—the idea that certain sins could only be forgiven if the sinner’s blood was shed, preferably by righteous believers. Ervil decided he got to decide who needed “atoning” and who would carry it out.
He issued decrees demanding tithes and obedience from other fundamentalist groups, threatening death for non-compliance. His followers, increasingly isolated and paranoid, became a heavily armed group living under aliases. The violence escalated:
● The Los Molinos Raid (December 1975): Ervil ordered an attack on the Firstborn community, hoping to eliminate his younger brother Verlan (who had taken over after Joel’s death). The raid left two dead and thirteen wounded, but Verlan escaped.
● Noemi Zarate (January 1975): A follower deemed disloyal, Zarate was lured out and murdered by Ervil’s wife, Vonda White. Her body was never found.
● Bob Simons (April 1975): A rival polygamist leader in Utah, Simons was lured to a remote spot under false pretenses and executed.
● Dean Vest (June 1976): A disillusioned high-ranking follower and Vietnam vet, Vest was shot dead in his kitchen by Vonda White as he prepared to leave the cult.
● Rebecca LeBaron (April 1977): Ervil ordered the murder of his own 17-year-old, pregnant daughter, apparently for being disruptive. Two young followers strangled her; her body was dumped and never recovered.
● Rulon Allred (May 1977): A prominent Utah polygamist leader who refused Ervil’s demands, Allred was gunned down in his office by two young female followers, including Ervil’s 16-year-old wife, Rena Chynoweth.
Capture, Prison, and a Hit List from Beyond the Grave
Despite the mounting body count, the law eventually closed in. Vonda White was convicted for Dean Vest’s murder. Ervil himself was finally captured in Mexico in 1979, extradited, and tried in Utah for orchestrating Rulon Allred’s murder. Convicted in 1980, he was sentenced to life in prison.
But prison didn’t silence Ervil. He penned a 500-page manuscript, the Book of the New Covenants, which essentially served as a hit list naming dozens of perceived enemies – defectors, rival leaders, investigators, even prison officials – marked for “blood atonement.”
Ervil died of a heart attack in prison on August 16, 1981. Coincidentally, his brother Verlan died in a car crash in Mexico hours later. Ervil’s death, however, wasn’t the end. His children and remaining followers began methodically working through the names in his book.
More Murders and the “4 O’Clock Killings”
The violence continued for years:
● Isaac LeBaron (1983): Ervil’s son, who testified against him, died in a suspicious “suicide.”
● Lorna Chynoweth LeBaron (1983): One of Ervil’s wives, killed while trying to defect. Body never found.
● Arturo LeBaron (1983): Ervil’s oldest son, killed by a rival within the fractured group.
● Gamaliel Rios & Yolanda Rios (1984): Followers deemed traitors, killed and buried. Bodies never found.
● Leo Evoniuk (1987): Rival leader killed near Santa Cruz, CA.
● Dan Jordan (1987): Former follower killed execution-style during a hunting trip.
● The 4 O’Clock Murders (June 27, 1988): In a chillingly coordinated strike, three former members named in Ervil’s book – Mark Chynoweth, Duane Chynoweth, and Eddie Marston – were murdered at precisely 4:00 PM in Houston and Irving, Texas. Tragically, Duane Chynoweth’s 8-year-old daughter, Jennifer, who witnessed her father’s murder, was also shot and killed.
Justice, Fear, and an Enduring Shadow
The brazenness of the “4 O’Clock Murders” led to renewed investigations and eventual convictions. Several of Ervil’s children, including Heber, Aaron, Patricia, Richard, and Cynthia (who testified against her siblings), received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the post-Ervil killings. Jacqueline LeBaron, suspected of orchestrating the 1988 hits, remains a fugitive.
Even with key figures imprisoned, the shadow of Ervil LeBaron lingers. His deadly ideology infected multiple generations, and former members still fear reprisals from those who might still adhere to the Book of the New Covenants. The story serves as a grim reminder of how absolute faith, when twisted by a charismatic and ruthless leader, can justify almost unimaginable violence.
Bibliography:
- United States v. Barlow, LeBaron (41 F.3d 935) – 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (1994): This court document details the appeals and confirms the convictions of Douglas Barlow, William Heber LeBaron, and Patricia LeBaron for charges related to the 1988 “4 O’Clock Murders,” outlining the crimes and the religious obstruction aspect. URL:
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/41/935/564118/ - “LeBaron gets 45-year sentence” – Deseret News (June 13, 1997): Reports on Aaron LeBaron receiving a 45-year federal prison sentence for ordering the 1988 killings under racketeering laws (RICO). URL:
https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/13/19317456/lebaron-gets-45-year-sentence/ - “Woman faces charges in Texas polygamist deaths” – KSL.com / Associated Press (May 14, 2010): Reports on the capture and extradition of Jacqueline LeBaron.1 It also mentions the sentences of others involved, including the youngest (Richard LeBaron, 16 at the time) receiving a five-year sentence after pleading guilty regarding Jenny Chynoweth’s death. URL:
https://www.ksl.com/article/10769082/woman-faces-charges-in-texas-polygamist-deaths - “Jacqueline Lebaron Sentenced to Prison” – FBI Press Release (September 8, 2011): Official confirmation of Jacqueline LeBaron’s three-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges related to the 1988 murders, detailing her role and the crimes committed by her siblings.2 URL:
https://www.fbi.gov/houston/press-releases/2011/jacqueline-lebaron-sentenced-to-prison - “‘Daughters of the Cult’: Who Was Polygamous Cult Leader Ervil Morrell LeBaron?” – People Magazine (January 9, 2024): A recent overview providing background on Ervil LeBaron, the cult’s history, key murders (including Joel LeBaron, Rulon Allred), and referencing the “Daughters of the Cult” documentary. URL:
https://people.com/all-about-ervil-morrell-lebaron-daughters-of-the-cult-8422942
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