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Show Victim's hMsbamd gives testimony Didn't expect slaying of family By MARC HADDOCK Alan Lafferty took the stand Tuesday morning to testify in the first-degree murder trial of his brother Dan in Utah's Fourth District Court in Provo. Dan is accused of killing Alan's wife, Brenda, and fifteen-month-old daughter Erica in American Fork on July 24th. When court resumed at 1:30 p.m. prosecutors said they would call two more witnesses and complete the presentation of their case. brother Ron which referred to "six mighty ones fighting side by side." Watson pointed out there were six Lafferty brothers and Alan was the only brother not participating in the activities of the School of the Prophets. Alan said his wife objected to his brothers' activities "I know that was well known because she communicated com-municated with their wives. Cross-examining his brother, Dan Lafferty stressed that he had not "expressed any unkindness towards Brenda Lafferty." Earlier in the day, jurors heard . : ' ; ; V .: ' ' , ' ' .; : . -J : . . . ' " :. -: ; . - i, - - - i - : : 1? . . ;J ' - U , .' , I L I ts i ,: ? , -1 r-f I J jl 1 1 1 1 job in Knapp's hometown of Wichita, Kans., in late June of 1984 and ended when Knapp and Charles Alan Carries were arrested in Cheyenne, Wyo. A few days After meeting Dan, he met Hon Lafferty and watched asLafferly received and wrote down a "revelation" telling Knapp to accompany the two men westward. "It was unique to watch," Knapp testified. "First there was a hesitation in Ron's hand. Then he started beckoning the spirit." The three men traveled in Ron Lafferty's green Chevrolet station wagon from Kansas through Colorado, Wyoming, British Columbia and Washington to Oregon, where they met a woman that Dan "met up with and they took it from there," Knapp said." Traveling in two cars, with Dan and Leoran Monahan and her two daughters in Monahan's station wagon, and Ron, Knapp and Monahan's two sons in Ron's station wagon, the group made their way down the coast to Sacramento, where Ron Lafferty and Knapp became separated from the others. It was in Sacramento, in the middle of July, that Knapp testified they met Chip Carnes in a rest stop, where Knapp said Carnes "was in a spiritual slump." Knapp said the three men headed for Big Water, Utah, where they hoped to find Dan -- but arrived about 30 minutes after he had left. A few days later, on July 22, they were reunited at the home of Claudine Lafferty, the defendant's mother. Knapp also described the events of July 24, and testified that that morning the brothers had discussed the need for the murders of their -sister-in-law and her baby and said Dan told him, "There is no greater sacrifice than that of a first-born. He told how he and Carnes sat outside Alan and Brenda Lafferty's American Fork residence and watched Dan Lafferty force his way into the home. He said he heard Brenda Lafferty scream from inside her home, saying, "I knew it was going to come to this," and, "Don't hurt my baby, please," four different times. In response to a question from Watson about what he did when the commotion continued, Knapp said quietly: "Well, Lord forgive me, I told Ron he ought to go in and help his brother out." Knapp testified that the noise continued for about 10 minutes, and then "it got quiet -just quiet." Five minutes after that, Dan and Ron Lafferty came from, the back of the house. "They had blood on their shirts and their pants and their boots, but they didn't have blood on their hands. They had washed them." On the way to the Chloe Low residence in Highland, Knapp-testified Knapp-testified further about the conversations con-versations between the defendant and his brother. "It blew my mind," Knapp said. "It came up that their brother would be relieved. They didn't show no grief or nothing." Knapp's testimony included a description of the burglary of the Low home after the brothers found it was deserted, and the subsequent trip to Wendover, Nev., where, two-and-a-half hours after the visit to the Lafferty residence, the four men were trying to earn more money in a gambling casino. On the way, Knapp said, Dan had told his brother "something about the spirit, 'I felt the spirit' or 'The spirit was with me.' Something to that effect. He said it was no problem doing the baby in." He said he and Carnes left the Laffertys sleeping in a motel room registered to Knapp and took off in Ron's station wagon, throwing out . the brothers' belongings along the way, as they made their way through Idaho to Cheyenne, Wyo., to the home of Carnes's sister-in-law'. There the two men were arrested bj Wyoming police officers. Other individuals testifying Monday included the Lafferty's next . door neighbors, Cory and Christine See Laffortv page 3 Alan Lafferty testified that although he had previously heard about a revelation calling for the "removal" of his wife and daughter he didn't think his brothers would carry out the crime. Alan said although he had never seen the revelation, Dan had told him about it at their mother's Prove home in late March or early April of 1984. "I was informed that this revelation was received and that my wife's life and my daughter's life would be required by the Lord. "Alan said he told his brother that he should be certain the revelation was : authentic. He also told the jury that "in a moment of pride I said that much like Isaac that if God required it from me to do it, I would do it,i but he would have to tell me himself. Unless that happened I would defend their lives with my life against . anyone. Alan said he didn't tell his wife abouti the revelation. He said he felt it would not be valid unless it received unanimous approval from the School' of the Prophets, "a religious study group to which his brothers belonged. Alan said his brothers Ron and 1 Dan at one time tried to get hirn involved in the group. He discussed joining the organization with his wife. "She preferred that I not participate," par-ticipate," he said. Deputy Utah County Attorny Wayne Watson referred Alan to a March 9, 1984 revelation given to his testimony from two memebers -of the School of the Prophets, Barry Crowther and Bob Crossfield, who is also known as Onias. Both men said that Dan Lafferty had supported a revelation from his brother Ron calling for the "setting apart of a killing instrument" to carry out the revelation calling for the removal of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, as well as Chloe Low and Richard Stowe, both from Highland, Utah. Crowther told Dan "You and Ron had prayed about the revelations and felt they were from the Lord and you wanted to know if we were of the same mind. That was rejected by everyone else and with that you left the meeting. Other individuals testifying Tuesday morning were Mrs. Low and her husband Stewart, Stowe, and seven law enforcement officials who gathered evidence in the case. Opening the trial proceedings Monday, Watson laid out what he called a "scenario or a road map" for the jury, describing what the prosecution would try to prove in the subsequent days of the trial. The statement included a graphic description of the murder scene on Juiy 24, where American Fork Police Detective Gary Caldwell found Brenda Lafferty "lying in a tremendous pool of blood with her hair pulled back," her throat cut from ear to ear and an electrical cord cut from a vacuum cleaner wrapped around her neck. His voice nearly breaking with Dan Lafferty explains his views at brief conference following selection of jury Friday. discovery of the body of the victim's 15-month-old daughter, Erica, who was also found with her throat slashed, lying dead in her crib. Watson said the prosecut ion would call 30 witnesses and present (i7 exhibits in the course of the trial lhat would link Dan Lafferty to the "ii.ai-!ors,-and would also establish a motive for the killings. The most graphic testimony was delivered by Ricky Martin Knapp, who described a month long Odyssey (hat began when he and Dan Lafferty Laf-ferty "witnessed - shared our 'testimonies of Jesus Christ", when both were working on a demoliton J jf Continued from front page UTviews, asking (iKstions provided by the defense and I he proseeuliion. Mr. Lafferty was allowed lo ask further questions if he desired, hut, it was reported he asked only a few of these. Of the 100 prospective jurors called in, only two were dismissed because they felt media coverage of the case would make it difficult for them to be impartial, said Gary Weight, advisory co-counsel with Michael Ksplin for Mr. Lafferty. During his 10-mintite press conference, con-ference, Mr. I-afferty was asked whether he planned to rely on divine guidance in preparing his defense. He replied he is "mindful that all should be prepared for divine guidance," and said, "I pray continually, con-tinually, which I would encourage everyone to do. "Me clarified a challenge he made to the potential jurors when the selection process began. At that time he said he is an "unfranchised citizen" and as such could not have any of his peers on the jury. Mr. Lafferty said by this he meant he is a "free man" and "not bound "down by contracts and licenses," such as a driver's license or' social security number. The majority of his peers aren't registered to vote because of their beliefs and as the jury list is taken from the registered voters, it would mean none of his peers would be on the list. He said he is not opposed to. the jury system or to the government in fact, he said, "1 have great respect for it." Colledge, who said they had seen Ron Lafferty's green station wagon outside the Alan Lafferty residence the afternoon of the murders. 1 Colledge testified he heard "a loud 1 noise next door like someone moving 1 furniture," and his wife told the jury , she heard a "big bang. Things on my walls shook." Four American Fork police of-' of-' ficers testified, including Det. Gary 1 Caldwell, and Officers Don Smith, ' Larry Burnham and Terry Fox. All were used to introduce evidence 1 collected in the course of the 1 department's investigation. 1 Included in that evidence were ' many items thrown from the station ! wagon by Knapp and Carries, in-eluding in-eluding a knife believed to be the murder weapon, suitcases con-! con-! taining the personal belongings of 1 the Laffertys and a briefcase con-i con-i taining the journals and writings of ' Dan Lafferty. The "revelation" calling for' the ' "removal" of the victims as well as '! Mrs. Low and Richard Stowe was ' also introduced as evidence. Smith lf said he found the revelation in the pocket of a shirt belonging to Ron 1 Lafferty that was found in a closet in the Orem- home of Joe Fowers the J day after the murder took place. Among the exhibits was an July 13 entry in Dan Laffety's personal journal which read: "I don't think I " have previously mentioned this ' impression that Ron has been feeling that we may have to reenter Utah in power with slaughter weapons ... If it is to be, Lord place the weapons in our hands." Other witnesses during the first day of testimony were from the state medical examiners office, who detailed the extent and nature of the victims' wounds, which indicated that Brenda Lafferty had been beaten and strangled before her throat was slashed. Dan's trial began as scheduled on Thursday, Jan. 3, with 95 county residents questioned to serve on the jury. Picking of the six man, six woman jury was completed Friday afternoon. Two male alternates arc-also arc-also sitting on the jury. At a short press conference held in the foyer of the Utah County Building following the jury selection, selec-tion, Dan stated, "I feel good about the jury." He said he believes he will get a fair trial "because all the people on the jury are Christians. That will have very significant influence on their ability to be jurors, otherwise they would be hypocrites wouldn't they?" The jurors were . described by attorneys in the case as being between bet-ween 30 and 50 years old, with the majority "blue collar" workers. Following their selection, Judge Bullock instructed them not to read newspapers, watch television, talk about the case with anyone and not to talk with reporters. Reporters were barred from the jury selection process with Mike White, a reporter with Associated Press, allowed in for general questioning as a "pool representative." represen-tative." Dan Lafferty requested Mr. White leave for the one-on-one questioning so jurors would not feel intimidated in answering questions by knowing a reporter was present . Judge Bullock conducted the in- |