Jeffrey Lundgren was executed by the State of Ohio for five murders
According to court documents Jeffrey Lundgren was part of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now called the Community of Christ. The group believed that the end of the World was coming. The Avery family (Dennis Avery, age 49; Cheryl Avery, age 46; Trina Denise Avery, age 15; Rebecca Lynn Avery, age 13; and Karen Diane Avery, age 7.) were out of the groups favor and would be invited over where each person was led one by one to a barn where they were murdered
Jeffrey Lundgren would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
Jeffrey Lundgren would be executed by lethal injection on October 24 2006
Other Members Sentencing
Alice Lundgren – Aggravated Murder (5 counts), Kidnapping (5 counts) – 150 years to Life.
Damon Lundgren – Aggravated Murder (4 counts), Kidnapping (4 counts) – 120 years to Life.
Ronald Luff – Aggravated Murder (5 counts), Kidnapping (5 counts) – 170 years to Life.
Daniel Kraft – Aggravated Murder (5 counts), Kidnapping (3 counts) – 50 years to Life.
Gregory Winship – Murder (5 counts), 15 years to Life.
Richard Brand – Murder (5 counts) – 15 years to Life.
Sharon Bluntschly – Conspiracy to Aggravated Murder – 7-25 years.
Deborah Olivarez – Conspiracy to Aggravated Murder – 7-25 years.
Susan Luff – Conspiracy to Aggravated Murder and was sentenced to 7-25 years.
Kathryn R. Johnson – Obstructing Justice – 1 year.
Dennis Patrick – Obstructing Justice – 18 months, sentence suspended and placed on 1 year probation.
Tonya Patrick – Obstructing Justice – 18 months, sentence suspended and placed on 1 year probation.
Jeffrey Lundgren Photos
Jeffrey Lundgren FAQ
When Was Jeffrey Lundgren Executed
Jeffrey Lundgren was executed on October 24 2006
Jeffrey Lundgren Case
Jeffrey Lundgren, the self-professed prophet who killed five people in what he said was a sacrifice demanded by a higher power, died by lethal injection Tuesday in a death demanded by the state. Lundgren walked the 17 steps to the death chamber without the well- worn Bible that he used to control his cult, which formed after he broke from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
As a dozen people watched from the other side of a glass wall, Lundgren issued a 15-second statement that mentioned fellow cult member Kathryn Johnson, his second wife. “I want to profess my love for God, my family, my children and my beloved Kathryn,” he said while staring at the ceiling. “I am because you are.” Moments after the lethal combination of three drugs was injected into his beefy arms, Lundgren heaved a big sigh, his eyes fluttered, and then he was still. Minutes later, at 10:26 a.m., he was pronounced dead.
He died more gently than his victims. Dennis and Cheryl Avery and their daughters, Trina, 15, Becky, 13, and Karen, 7, were led one by one past a buzzing chain saw to a muddy pit, where they were bound with duct tape, shot and dumped into a common grave. Lundgren claimed that the 1989 slayings were commanded by God.
Among those witnessing the execution was U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette, who served as Lake County’s prosecutor at the time of the slayings. LaTourette said the killings were a cowardly act committed to silence those who began to doubt Lundgren’s status as a deity. “Even after 16 years, I still can’t get the vision out of my head of 7-year-old Karen Avery,” LaTourette said. “As we removed the parents from the pit, we all said we didn’t want there to be children.” Other witnesses included Cheryl Avery’s younger brother, Donald Bailey of Missouri. In an act of defiance, he walked up close to the death chamber’s glass window to ensure that Lundgren knew he was there.
“He got what he deserved,” said Bailey, who said the family has suffered depression and nightmares from the horror. In a written statement, Bailey said he was convinced that Lundgren would kill again if he were released from prison. “There is only one sure way to make sure this never happens again: To be sure his life is forfeited for the terrible deeds he has done. The memories of his victims and the welfare of society and demands of justice all dictate this final act of cleansing,” Bailey wrote. “My only regret is that he has but one life to give.”
After the execution, prison officials said Lundgren had been so certain that he would win a delay that he napped much of the morning. His lawyers were not present when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to accept his last appeal a little more than an hour before the scheduled 10 a.m. execution. Gov. Bob Taft denied Lundgren’s request for clemency. Lundgren had hoped to stay his execution while courts considered a lawsuit arguing that the state’s method of execution, lethal injection, is cruel. A U.S. District Court judge stayed the execution last week so that Lundgren could join the lawsuit, but a three-judge panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision Monday night.
The once haughty prophet who surrounded himself with loyal followers died with no family members or friends among the witnesses. With no one claiming his body, Lundgren will be buried in a simple ceremony in a prison grave in Chillicothe. Other convicts will serve as pallbearers.
The Avery family was buried years ago in the rolling hills of Missouri. A Missouri church community raised thousands of dollars to pay for the burial and to launch a children’s charity so that the memory of Trina, Rebecca and Karen Avery would not end in a muddy pit in Kirtland.
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