Pasceni
10-29-2006, 05:31 PM
Cult leader headed to execution in Ohio
By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press Writer
29 minutes ago
KIRTLAND, Ohio - Sixteen years ago, Jeffrey Lundgren tried to convince a jury that he was a prophet of God — and therefore not worthy of the death penalty.
"It's not a figment of my imagination that I can in fact talk to God, that I can hear his voice," he said. "I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet."
Lundgren's argument didn't sway jurors: They recommended the cult leader be executed for the killings of Dennis Avery, 49; his wife, Cheryl, 46; and their daughters, Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and 7-year-old Karen.
Lundgren's execution was scheduled for Tuesday. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his last appeal Tuesday morning, his lawyer said.
The evidence against him was compelling: Lundgren, upset by what he thought was the Avery family's lack of faith, arranged a dinner hosted by cult members. Afterward, he and his followers led the Avery family members one by one — Dennis first, Karen last — to their deaths in a barn.
Each was bound and shot. A chain saw was used to muffle the gunfire while remaining Avery family members cleaned up after dinner.
"I cannot say that God was wrong. I cannot say that I am sorry I did what God commanded me to do in the physical act," Lundgren, now 56, told a jury in 1990 in a bid to spare his life.
Over the years 40 judges have reviewed Lundgren's appeals. The most recent claimed lethal injection would be cruel and unusual punishment, particularly since Lundgren is overweight and diabetic.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Monday allowing the execution to go forward, overturning a lower court ruling that would have delayed the execution to allow Lundgren to join a lawsuit challenging Ohio's use of lethal injection.
Lundgren formed a religious cult after he was dismissed in 1987 as a lay minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the main Mormon church.
Lundgren said God commanded him, through interpretation of Scriptures, to kill the Averys, who were members of the cult, which had about 20 members.
Lundgren was careful to make sure no one would be looking for the Averys. Before the murders, he directed Cheryl Avery to write to her family and inform them that they were moving to Wyoming and would provide contact information when they got settled.
The case was cracked eight months later when a dissident cult member, upset that his wife had been selected to become Lundgren's second wife, tipped off authorities. On Jan. 4, 1990, the bodies were found.
Thirteen cult members were charged in the case, including Lundgren's wife, Alice, now 55, and their son, Damon, now 35, both serving life prison terms.
Police Sgt. Ronald Andolsek, who as a patrolman led the investigation into the cult killings, said the crime was personalized for him three days after the bodies were dug up when, for the first time, he saw a group photo of the Avery family.
"It hit me right then," he said.
Andolsek compared Lundgren's mind-control tactics to that used by other cult leaders such as David Koresh, Jim Jones and Charles Manson. "They used the same methods on their followers," Andolsek said. "Jeff wasn't the first. He won't be the last."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_re_us/ohio_execution
By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press Writer
29 minutes ago
KIRTLAND, Ohio - Sixteen years ago, Jeffrey Lundgren tried to convince a jury that he was a prophet of God — and therefore not worthy of the death penalty.
"It's not a figment of my imagination that I can in fact talk to God, that I can hear his voice," he said. "I am a prophet of God. I am even more than a prophet."
Lundgren's argument didn't sway jurors: They recommended the cult leader be executed for the killings of Dennis Avery, 49; his wife, Cheryl, 46; and their daughters, Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and 7-year-old Karen.
Lundgren's execution was scheduled for Tuesday. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his last appeal Tuesday morning, his lawyer said.
The evidence against him was compelling: Lundgren, upset by what he thought was the Avery family's lack of faith, arranged a dinner hosted by cult members. Afterward, he and his followers led the Avery family members one by one — Dennis first, Karen last — to their deaths in a barn.
Each was bound and shot. A chain saw was used to muffle the gunfire while remaining Avery family members cleaned up after dinner.
"I cannot say that God was wrong. I cannot say that I am sorry I did what God commanded me to do in the physical act," Lundgren, now 56, told a jury in 1990 in a bid to spare his life.
Over the years 40 judges have reviewed Lundgren's appeals. The most recent claimed lethal injection would be cruel and unusual punishment, particularly since Lundgren is overweight and diabetic.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Monday allowing the execution to go forward, overturning a lower court ruling that would have delayed the execution to allow Lundgren to join a lawsuit challenging Ohio's use of lethal injection.
Lundgren formed a religious cult after he was dismissed in 1987 as a lay minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of the main Mormon church.
Lundgren said God commanded him, through interpretation of Scriptures, to kill the Averys, who were members of the cult, which had about 20 members.
Lundgren was careful to make sure no one would be looking for the Averys. Before the murders, he directed Cheryl Avery to write to her family and inform them that they were moving to Wyoming and would provide contact information when they got settled.
The case was cracked eight months later when a dissident cult member, upset that his wife had been selected to become Lundgren's second wife, tipped off authorities. On Jan. 4, 1990, the bodies were found.
Thirteen cult members were charged in the case, including Lundgren's wife, Alice, now 55, and their son, Damon, now 35, both serving life prison terms.
Police Sgt. Ronald Andolsek, who as a patrolman led the investigation into the cult killings, said the crime was personalized for him three days after the bodies were dug up when, for the first time, he saw a group photo of the Avery family.
"It hit me right then," he said.
Andolsek compared Lundgren's mind-control tactics to that used by other cult leaders such as David Koresh, Jim Jones and Charles Manson. "They used the same methods on their followers," Andolsek said. "Jeff wasn't the first. He won't be the last."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_re_us/ohio_execution