Sounak Sengupta
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry: Unholy Matrimony’ follows the story of a survivor and whistleblower, Carol Christie, who revealed the stories of physical abuse meted out by a sect in Chatsworth, Ontario, since the early 70s. Her book and consequent interviews with the media led to the arrest and sentencing of the sect’s leaders in 2016. So who is Carol, and what is her story? Let’s find out.
Who is Carol Christie?
Carol Christie was born in Owen Sound in Ontario, California. She was only 18 when her mother allegedly forced her to marry Stanley M. King, the founder of the fundamentalist sect Church of Jesus Christ Restored. Carol claimed that Stanley practiced polygamy, and she was one of his six wives with whom he sired children. A few years into marriage, she gave birth to two of his children, born in 1977 and 1979.
According to news reports, Stanley left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1972 over “doctrinal issues to form the more conservative Church of Jesus Christ Restored.” He died in 1986, and allegedly all six wives of his, as well as the reigns of the church, were passed over to his youngest son, Frederick “Fred” Madison King, born to his only legal wife.
Carol was the whole sect’s whistleblower and the abuses Stanley and his sons perpetrated on members when she filed a lawsuit in 2010. She alleged that Fred made her wash the decomposed body of his late father for several days after his death and used to beat her, pull her hair, spit and pour water on her, call her racist and derogatory names, and insult her indigenous roots.
Carol further shared that Fred carried on several instances of physical abuse and mental trauma against most of his parishioners in the name of disciplining them. She would finally flee the church on March 23, 2008, after being continually abused in front of other members for allegedly speaking rudely to a 12-year-old. Per her court testimony, “He (Fred) came over to her chair, pulled her hair back, and spat in her face. He pressed his finger repeatedly into her upper chest area and flicked the ridge of her nose with his fingers. He slapped her on the head repeatedly.”
Where is Carol Christie Today?
According to the show, Carol met her present husband, John Christie, after escaping the church and was attracted to his kind and benevolent spirit. He helped her cope with the two-decade of abuse she had suffered at the hands of the Kings, and she finally filed a lawsuit against the church in 2010. It was settled out of court, which prompted another five escapees to file another lawsuit. The exact payouts of the lawsuits have not been disclosed due to a confidentiality clause in the settlements.
The sect and the abuse perpetuated by its so-called Prophets got national attention when a popular network televised Christie’s story on November 17, 2012. The Ontario Provincial Police launched an investigation into the church and King siblings on November 20 of the same year. Moreover, Christie and her husband, John, co-wrote a book describing the ordeals faced by her and other members in 2013, alleging the Kings of polygamy though it was never proved in court.
Fred and his elder brother, Judson William King, were arrested in April 2014, and the latter was charged with assault with a weapon, uttering death threats, and four counts of assault. Meanwhile, Fred was charged with sexual exploitation, sexual interference, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of assault causing bodily harm, five counts of uttering death threats, two counts of assault with a weapon, and ten counts of assault.
Fred pleaded guilty to nine assault charges involving four church members between December 12, 1988, and August 10, 2008, in May 2016, after all the remaining charges against him were dropped. As of now, Carol is in her 70s and continues to use the proceeds of her books to help other members and victims of the church. Her husband stated she had spent around a third and a half of the payout helping others who escaped the church.
Read More: Where is Fred King Now?
