‘American Monster: Band of Brothers’ delves into the harrowing double homicide of Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter Erica, and its harrowing aftermath. In other words, it describes everything from the case’s connection to the Mormon community to aspects related to divine revelations and the involvement of the former’s brothers-in-law, Ron and Dan Lafferty. So now, if you’d like to know more about Ron in particular – the mastermind behind the insane but sensational infamous murders – we’ve got all the details you need.
Who is Ron Lafferty?
As the eldest of eight siblings born to Watson Leroy Lafferty and Claudine Jones, Ronald “Ron” Watson Lafferty grew up in Utah as a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . However, the family was said to be quite dysfunctional as the patriarch was a disciplinarian who was not afraid to beat his wife, six sons and two daughters in the name of punishment. Things only got worse when Ron and his younger brother Dan were introduced to the concept of polygamy, which they came to believe was central to their lives.
After all, the two siblings quickly joined a radical polygamous group, leading all of their other brothers – including the youngest, Brenda’s husband Allen Lafferty – to be swayed as well. The young, new mother understandably resisted the fundamentalist idea, allegedly sparking resentment from her brothers-in-law that did not improve when Ron’s wife left him. He believed Brenda had helped convince the mother of their six children to file for divorce after she refused to let him take another partner, and that’s when God ‘told’ him to ‘take it away’, her and her daughter.
According to court documents, Ron, a self-proclaimed prophet, could not ignore the divine revelation he received, prompting him to work with Dan and a few others to kill Brenda and her toddler on Pioneer Day 1984. If not wasn’t enough, records further suggest that he didn’t particularly mind hurting Erica as he thought she would “grow up to be just as despicable as her mother”. One of the people indirectly involved (because she was in the getaway car) later testified that Ron admitted to slitting Brenda’s throat and was grateful to his brother for “making the baby”.
Is Ron Lafferty dead or alive? How did he die?
Despite being declared mentally ill, Ronald “Ron” Lafferty was found fit to stand trial and was therefore convicted of capital murder in 1985 before being sentenced to death. Additionally, he has always maintained the view that his conviction was the result of a conspiracy between the state, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and “invisible spiritual forces.” As a result, he filed several appeals with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Utah Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court over the next 34 years, but it didn’t. ultimately was useless.
Ron had chosen to be executed by firing squad, a possibility the Utah legislature later removed, but it turned out that it wouldn’t be necessary anyway. At the age of 78, while still hoping to pursue other legal options, he died of natural causes while on death row at Utah’s maximum security state prison in Draper on November 11, 2019. One of his lawyers later released a statement claiming that although he never thought it himself, Ron was actually mentally ill and was never able to help them. in any procedure. “Mr. Lafferty, like other mentally ill inmates, was not treated for his mental illness as he should have been,” she wrote.
Read more: How did Brenda Lafferty die?
