Shivangi Sinha
Enduring a childhood within a cult exerts profound and distinctive consequences on an individual, transcending the comprehension of those raised in conventional environments. The subjective worldview ingrained in them becomes their sole reality, making it challenging for outsiders to grasp their perspective. Aron LeBaron, a son of Ervil LeBaron, navigated a comparable environment, and the life he led, marked by atrocities akin to those of his father, unfolds as a harrowing narrative within ‘Daughters of the Cult.’
Aaron LeBaron Succeeded His Brother Heber LeBaron
Ervil LeBaron, initially a member of the Church of the First Born of the Lamb of God, relocated his family from the original sect. Adopting the title of God’s true “Prophet,” by the mid-1970s, he not only preached violence and armed his family but also issued threats to rival polygamist fundamentalist groups, compelling them to join him or face death. Infamously, he orchestrated the murder of Rulon Allred, and allegations suggest he may have been responsible for the killings of dissenting members within his own family—those who questioned, deviated, or chose to leave the group. This reign of terror persisted until Ervil’s arrest for murder, concluding with his demise while serving his sentence in 1981.
Following Ervil LeBaron’s demise, his family began to disband, and his writings were compiled into ‘The Book of the New Covenants.’ While many disapproved of this book due to its inclusion of a hit list and other violent teachings, a faction of his family in Mexico, primarily composed of his young teenage sons, embraced the desires he’d carefully outlined in the book. William Heber soon led this group known as the Kingdom of God and operated it like a mafia gang, engaging in activities such as auto theft and various atrocious crimes. The group later expanded its operations to the United States under Heber’s leadership. After Heber’s forced dismissal owing to the chaos he’d caused, his younger brother, Aaron LeBaron, assumed the role of leader.
Aaron LeBaron, possessing a more spiritually inclined disposition compared to his preceding brother, was not as rambunctious. Displeased by members departing from his father’s group, Aaron, with criminal tendencies reminiscent of his father, sought to bring them to justice. Gathering the younger children of the sect, he arrived at the doorstep of Dan Jordan in Utah. Jordan, Ervil’s former second-in-command, had deviated from Ervil’s teachings and aimed to take the group in a different direction. Despite accepting Aaron into his home, believing he would provide free labor for his appliance shop, Jordan met his demise during a deer hunting camp. While no eyewitnesses emerged, suspicions pointed toward Aaron and Heber as the likely perpetrators of the crime. The latter had become second in command.
In subsequent years, family members lived in fear of Aaron and Heber, apprehensive of facing a similar fate as Jordan’s in 1987 if they contemplated leaving the group. Their concerns were tragically confirmed on June 27, 1988, when former members Duane Chynoweth, Mark Chynoweth, and Eddie Marston were simultaneously shot under similar circumstances. The coordinated nature of the attacks suggested a premeditated plan. Duane’s 8-year-old daughter, who witnessed the events, was also targeted and shot in the face when the assassin realized she could serve as a witness. The community was enveloped in dread following these murders, uncertain of the extent of the brothers’ capabilities.
Where is Aaron LeBaron Today?
After the murders, law enforcement intensified their efforts to apprehend members of the LeBaron family, recognizing them as a significant threat to society. Several members were captured, and in 1993, after a few others came forward to reveal the truth, Heber received a life sentence for the four murders committed in 1988. He was the triggerman for Mark. Meanwhile, Aaron remained at large, evading law enforcement. Cynthia LeBaron and Richard LeBaron, other family members, cooperated with the police, providing detailed testimonies about the group’s activities in exchange for immunity. Their revelations contributed to the legal case and implicated Aaron in the murders as the mastermind.
The police uncovered that the plan for the killings was devised shortly after Aaron assumed leadership of the group. Coordinating with the squads assigned to each of the three locations, he remained in contact with them from Mexico. Aaron allowed for surveillance of each victim for weeks leading up to the shootings. In 1997, Aaron was arrested and faced trial for his involvement in the murders. During sentencing, he neither admitted to wrongdoing nor sought leniency. He went on a rant about dedicating his life to crime prevention and aiding young people in avoiding trouble. He said, “My goal and purpose in life is the hope of doing in my life more good than Ervil LeBaron did bad.” Aaron received a 45-year sentence for racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, and conspiracy to violate the civil rights of the victims. He’s thus currently incarcerated at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution-Bastrop in Camp Swift, Texas, from where he’s scheduled to be released on October 9, 2033.
