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Show 1r.urx.i.,v THY. 1 HKRM D lw FV'o. Pa;e 3 Murder Victim's Father Shocked, Says S renda Followed Mainline Mmi Stoi Safe I By VICKI BARKER the Lafferty Herald Staff Writer Brenda Wright Lafferty. 24. victim in what appears to be a cult slaying Tuesday in American Fork, was a good solid member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- v Saints but not the fundamentalist tvpe. according to her father. Police have started a manhunt for a religious cult leader, brother-in-laRonald Watson Lafferty, 42, who has been charged with the Tuesday double murder of her and her daughter, Erica Lane Lafferty. "She had no desire to be any part of anything like that." said Brenda 's father, James Louis Wright, Wednesday in a telephone interview from Kimberly, Ida. Brenda Lafferty: Energetic, Bubbly A Brenda Wright evening news anchor. 24 year-ol- d Lafferty most recently aspired to write children's books no doubt inspired by her perky infant daughter. The two died at the hands of what some police sources say appear to be a religious cult killer at their American Fork home some time after noon Tuesday. The victims' father and husband, found them dead. Brenda was born July 1960 in Logan, the second of six daughters and a son of LaRae Warnick and James Louis Wright. Mrs. Wright and her two tiny daughters in 1961 followed the head of the family from Logan, where he was studying agronomy at Utah State University, to Ithaca. IV. Y., where he attended Cornell University. They lived briefly in Twin Falls, Ida., and finally settled in Kimberly in 1966, where Brenda entered first grade "She was always very vivacious, energetic, bubbly," her dad recalled, tears choking his voice. "She used to get really excited over presents." Brenda was tall and slender with light brown hair, and was a strong contender one year in contests leading up to the Miss America pageant. As Miss Twin Falls, she took the city's heart with her on the way to the top, winning the title of first runner-u- p to Miss Idaho. Brenda was a quick learner and a "very gifted writer," her father said. "She wanted eventually to go into writing KBYU-T- V w "She followed the (LDS) church leadership IOC percent." In April 1982, Brenda married Allen Lafferty, the son of now deceased Provo chiropractor Watson L. Lafferty. Allen, 26, is the youngest of six Lafferty sons and two daughters. Allen is a former LDS missionary to Thailand. He is in construction, currently working on contracts from an Ogden firm to do interior home finishing jobs. His specialty is ceramic tiling. According former beauty scholarship program contender and children's stories." her high school yearbook in Kimberly, expressing a journalistic skill that developed further in two and at the years of study at the University of She was editor of Idaho-Mosco- to her father, Brenda and Allen met in an LDS student ward at Brigham Young University where she was a student. He was attending Utah Technical College. "We met him in July 1981. We were happy she'd found a good young man," Wright said. They were married the day before she graduated in the spring of '82 and lived in the Lafferty home in Provo until December while Allen's parents, Watson and Claudine Lafferty, filled an LDS mission. Then the young couple moved to American Fork. The Laffertys, said Wright, "seemed like a very close-kni- t, dedicated, idealistic family." Wright said said he believed swimming." He said Brenda made friends easily, and met many of them while working as a sales clerk at Castleton's at the University Mall in Orem, her father said. Brenda was the first of her brothers and sisters to marry and the first to present her parents with a grandchild, Erica Lane. a petite little girl, "Oh, we loved her. She was a joy very active. She was learning to speak quickly and would have been walking soon," her grand dad said. "Brenda became very much a mother. She got involved in handcrafts, sewing, canning and other things. Before that She wanted to get Into TV she was very career-orientebroadcasting," he said. (Continued From Page family was born into Mormonism just as the Wrights were On Brenda's side of the family are ancestors that include Mormon pioneers who helped settle Utah Valley. Brenda's dad was born in Lindon in the same house as his father. Her was James Thomas W right, a farmer m mm. w$ w W m great-grandfath- who gave the world an improved peach that became known as the J.T. W right peach Brenda s grandparents on her mother's side were the Warnicks of Pleasant Grove The young couple visited the Wrights in Idaho for most holimost recently in April to days celebrate Erica's first birthdav. The families last got together in mid-Jun- e in American Fork. Brenda kept up an active correspondence with her parents, ft . "V rs n 4 FACTORY yy r INSTANT REBATE calling her mother. LaRae, weekly. A letter mailed earlier from Brenda arrived at her par- ents" home on Pioneer Day, the day she was murdered. the Wrights, both 50 years old. received the tragic news of the deaths of ; -- M their first married child and first grandchild at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. "First we assumed they'd been killed in an accident then I asked how it happened." Wright said. "It was a total shock." "It's sad it had to happen this KEEP FOOD i FRESH, NOT JUST COLD!! '! f way." The Wrights spent Wednesday notifying relatives, mostly concentrated in Utah Valley and Montana. Wright said his greatest concern is for the double burden Allen Lafferty has to bear losing his beautiful wife and child while police seek one of his brothers as the murder suspect. Allen called the Wrights early Wednesday and told them "he feels like he's been greatly strengthened to be able to face up to it," Wright said. The father-in-lasaid he and his wife love Allen like a son. "We don't have any hard feelings or animosity toward anybody. We won't hold any vengeance or malice," Wright said. THIS IS QUALITY ! An American Appliance Tradition Of Excellence u fly - FACTORY INSTANT j REBATE rien ds P am Pict up 1) Impala station wagon. Provoan Kaye L. Jensen says he was close to both brothers. He said that two years ago the two were "moral and sensitive men who were active in their Mormon faith." Ron Lafferty was a counselor in a bishopric and served on Highland's first city council in 1977, leading a drive to curb beer sales in the town's only grocery store. But, Jensen said, in a matter of months the two mens' lives changed drastically. Both were divorced and embraced what he describes as splinter religious groups that stem from the Mormon faith and espouse modern-da- y polygamy. At one point Dan Lafferty's daughter found her situation at home to be so bad that she asked the Jensens to take her in for awhile. Dan Lafferty pulled his children from the public schools. Jensen says the big change followed events in 1982 when Dan Lafferty got into trouble with the law over traffic citations and his refusal to recognize police officers as legal authority. In one incident he rolled the power windows of his car up as an arresting Highway Patrol officer reached in and drove away, injuring the officer slightly. Dan Lafferty spent 30 days in jail and was put on probation for second-degre- e felony escape for injuring an officer. He was also ordered to have a psychiatric evaluation in the Utah State Prison. Another close relative said Dan developed religious and political beliefs that challenged constituted law and authority and this finally led to his excommunication from the LDS Church. Relatives asked not to be identified because of fear they may become a target of the Lafferty brothers who they believe are capable of hunting them down for remarks they don't like. "Both have very strong tempers and they will go to any ends," one relative said. That, person and Jensen both say that Ron Lafferty followed his brother Dan's leadership and eventually also was excommunicated from the LDS Church. Jensen says Ron was once a very idealistic person who worked as a crane operator. Then he refused to do a job at the Utah State Prison, stating it was immoral to help with work that put men in prison. "But now he's changed," Jensen said. "Both these men are obsessed with a false ideal. They have fallen and there has to be an LDS orientation they have lost the Holy Ghost and are now posessed by the devil. " Both sources say that at one point the men were following a religious leader called The Prophet Onias, who reportedly was a student at Brigham Young University, but a Lafferty relative said the two men by then felt they were "above that prophet's 45-d- leadership." Jensen and the family member say the two tried to win the minds of their four other brothers over, but their wives resisted the efforts. Both sources say the wives' resistance could be a possible motive for Tuesday's brutal killing. "There's only one reason I can think of for such a killing," said the unidentified relative. "They must have tried to get Allen to go along with their ideas and when Brenda fought against the idea it must have aroused their tempers." Allen Lafferty said he had his own suspicions about what the motive for the killings may have been, but refused to discuss it. "I will leave it up to police authorities to ponder the motives," he said. He claimed he hadn't seen his two brothers in about three months but knew they were in town. "I knew they were here and that their disposition had changed radically, but I couldn't anticipate anything like this happening." He. confirmed reports of Ron and Dan Lafferty trying to win them over, but described it as "mainly missionary efforts." "Met them believe what they wanted and let them do their own thing." w College of Southern Idaho where she earned an associate degree in communications in 1980. Two years later in Provo, she graduated from Brigham bride with a bachelor of arts Young University, a day-ol- d diploma in communications under her arm. Wright said he and his wife were happy Brenda found a young man to marry who liked the same things she did "the outdoors things: motorcycle riding, fishing, boating, - The unidentified relative says polygamy is part of the two brothers' religious beliefs and said they believe there may be plural wives somewhere in the background. "I think he (Ron) believes this because polygamy is acceptable in the scriptures and because he likes Brigham Young," the relative believes the said. "I also think he has a strong sex drive and also '' Lord wants him to live polygamy. And I think he does. Allen confirmed many members of the Lafferty family are now more or less in hiding. Jensen and the unidentified relative said that after going to the pacific Northwest another change seemed to have occurred in the two men. Ron Lafferty emerged somehow as the leader and Dan Lafferty the follower. Kaye Jensen's son Mike said he last saw the two men in April. "It was last LDS conference when they came by and told me that deceased LDS founder Joseph Smith was going to appear at conference," he said. The two men said God talked to them and said the dead LDS leader was displeased with present church leadership and was going to appear in conference and dismiss the present leadership. "They were friendly and not scary or anything," Mike added. "I would say they just had let their hair and beards grow and kind of looked like mountain men." The Jensens said when they last saw Tim and Watson Lafferty, two other brothers, over a year ago they also had a mountain manlike appearance. REFRIGERATOR WITH "FREEZER ON BOTTOM" Lafferty Brothers Court Appearances Dan Lafferty, sought by police for questioning in the July 24 Erica Lafferty of American Fork, is familiar police and courts. The former Provo and Salem chiropractor appeared in court times during 1982 in cases he filed in the Fourth District Court. appeared as a defendant on criminal charges in October 1982. of Brenda and Amana Puts Food Freshness In Luxurious Convenience! An American Appliance Tradition Of Excellence murder to Utah several He also FACTORY INSTANT i$1 Ron Lafferty of Alpine, who has a warrant for his arrest in the slayings, was the defendant in a 1983 divorce case. Allen Lafferty of American Fork, husband of the slain victims, filed one suit with his brother Dan. The following list summarizes the Lafferty's legal activities in 1982 and 1983: 60734 Daa c. Lafferty vs. Utah County, County Attorney Noall Wootton, and Bill Huish, County Clerk. Dan completed a declaration of candidacy for the office of Sheriff, and attempted to pay for it with a check drawn on the "Money Account of the United States." When Huish refused to accept it, Lafferty filed suit. Among other things, he charged that Huish had broken his oath of office by not keeping the accounts of his office in gold or silver, as required by law in light of the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8. He appealed this case to the Utah Supreme Court May 26, 1982. The Supreme Court did not look at the case until Jan. 13, 1983, when the election for sheriff was over. The appeal was dismissed because the appellant failed to prosecute his appeal. REBATE 1 I WATER REFRIGERATOR ICE 60855 Dan C. Lafferty vs. LaVorn G. Sparks and the Utah County Republican Party. Dan proclaimed himself a candidate for Utah County Sheriff on the Republican ticket and attended a "meet the candidate" night. Sparks denied him the right to speak as a Republican candidate. Dan filed a complaint, May 18, 1982, which Judge Allen B. Sorensen dismissed. XN FREEZER Dan Lafferty and Allen Lafferty vs. Utah County, and Guy 60856 Buriiingham, deputy county attorney. Dan and Allen attempted to pay for their automobile registrations with a check drawn on the "Money Account of the United States." When county officials refused to accept it, they filed suit May 18, 1982. Amana Builds 'em Better! on grounds that they alleged nothing in their complaint that amounted to misconduct on the part of the defendants for which civil liability could attack. Judge J. Robert Ballif dismissed the action In the above three cases, Dan Lafferty filed affidavits of May 18, 1982 based on the public money issue. impecunios-it- An American Appliance y Tradition Of Excellence Dan was charged in a criminal complaint filed with the Fourth District Court Oct. 7, 1982. Charges included speeding, no safety inspection, evading an officer, assault by a prisoner (Dan) and escape from a police officer. He was found guilty following a trial in which he represented himself. He underwent a diagnostic evaluation at the Utah State Prison prior to his December 1982 sentencing, and subsequently was placed under one year of unsupervised probation. 8478 05) GH? G3B SIMMS ....... Craig Madsen in the Utah County Attorney's office prosecuted Dan five times for traffic offenses In 1982 in different courts. One involved an incident in the Springville Justice of the Peace court when J.S. Christensen, Spanish Fork Justice of the Peace, filled in for Otto B. Collings. In that Incident. Madsen had to push Christensen int ;i Hp room to keep him from being attacked by about 50 of Lallem's followers. The followers then attempted to arrest Madsen. One follower said if Madsen laid a hand on him, Madsen would be struck dead. Madsen promptly laid a hand on him and asked where the lightning bolts were. ... 4 l.' -- U Wf H Hf R( wl Dianna S. Lafferty vs. Ronald W. Lafferty, divorce. Plaintiff awarded deciee May 25, 1983. She got custody of the six of their seven children still at home. At that time, Ron's address was listed as 400 W. 36 S., Orem. 63615 . - , "t5. f f i " ! AMERICAN APPLIANCE 981 North 1200 WEST, Orem i M Hour: 9:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. -- Mon.-Fr- i. 9:00 225-079- o.m.-5:O- Q 6 p.m. Sot. f |