William Heber LeBaron is a convicted murderer who once led the cult Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God.

Early years

William Heber LeBaron was one of 54 children sired by

Ervil LeBaron Ervil Morrell LeBaron (February 22, 1925 – August 15, 1981) was the leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group who ordered the killings of many of his opponents, using the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the murder ...

, a member of a polygamous

Mormon fundamentalist Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, ...

group. The LeBarons were descendants of Benjamin F. Johnson, one of the earliest followers of Latter Day Saint movement founder

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

. When

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

renounced

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

, Johnson and his family became

s and continued the practice. Johnson's grandson, Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr., believed that Johnson was the rightful successor to Smith, and that Johnson had appointed Alma to follow him. Alma LeBaron moved his family to Mexico, where the government showed no interest in prosecuting polygamists. After Alma's death, his son

Joel Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

founded The Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times and named himself the

One Mighty and Strong The One Mighty and Strong is the subject of an 1832 prophecy by Joseph Smith, the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The prophecy echoes and parallels the words and prophecies contained in Isaiah 28:2 and Isaiah 11:11; 2 Nephi 3:21-25. ...

. Ervil LeBaron served as his brother's second-in-command for several years, but in 1967 began preaching that he, and not Joel, was the true leader of the church. By 1972, Ervil founded his own sect, the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God. He preached the importance of

blood atonement Blood atonement is a disputed doctrine in the history of Mormonism, under which the atonement of Jesus does not redeem an eternal sin. To atone for an eternal sin, the sinner should be killed in a way that allows his blood to be shed upon the gr ...

, a long-renounced Mormon principle that required that the blood of sinners be shed to ensure that they have a place in Heaven. Ervil LeBaron also claimed that he was the true leader of all polygamous Mormon sects, and that they should all

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

to support him and his church. Those who refused were threatened with violence. Ervil died in jail in 1981, after being convicted of plotting the murder of Rulon C. Allred, leader of one of the largest polygamous sects. While incarcerated, Ervil crafted a list of people who deserved blood atonement, consisting of people who had left his church or otherwise upset him. Ervil's manifesto also included a list of men who would succeed him as leader of the cult. His son Heber was listed second, after Ervil's eldest son Arturo.

Cult leader

Heber LeBaron was 20 years old when he assumed leadership of the cult after his elder half-brother's death. Under his leadership, the cult fully embraced criminal enterprises.Anderson He was convicted in Arizona of operating a large auto theft ring. He was also charged with attempted murder of a guard during a bank robbery in Texas. LeBaron committed to enforcing his father's wish to blood atone perceived traitors. After his younger half-brother Richard agreed to testify against him, LeBaron was convicted of killing former cult member Mark Chynoweth in one of what was known as the 4 O'Clock Murders. Chynoweth's brother Duane, Duane's 8-year-old daughter Jennifer, and LeBaron's half-brother Ed Marston were also killed at approximately the same time, 4 pm on June 27, 1988.

Post-conviction

LeBaron claims to have converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and to be ashamed of his actions while with the cult.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebaron, Heber 20th-century criminals American people convicted of murder American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment People from the Mormon colonies in Mexico Religiously motivated violence in Mexico Mormonism and violence Heber