I've been called three times. First was an open- and- shut prostitution case, second time, they copped a plea at lunch time. I hit the jackpot the third time. It was a cult murder and kept me away from work for seven weeks (at full pay, God bless the UAW ) There were disgusting videos and photos and pathetic, depressing testimony. How did the fire department get stuck with digging those bodies up?
A seriously scary person had assembled a group of disaffected Mormons, and was planning some terrible violence that would initiate the reign of God on Earth. He controlled these people to the extent that they could not communicate with the outside world, and even believed that they could only pray through him, because only he knew the secret language of prayer. The leader, Jeff Lundgren, is on Death Row in Ohio, and I have granted him an exception to my usual anti-capital punishment policy.
His second-in-command was on trial in Toledo, Ohio because of publicity in the Cleveland area where the murders took place. The man on trial in Toledo worked outside the farm where the group lived and provided most if not all of their income, apart from the members credit cards which were surrendered to Lundgren.
Eventually, despite skilled application of classic brainwashing techniques, one man started to doubt and decided to leave the farm with his family. They knew Lundgren's plans, and to keep everything secret, and to prevent the spirit of doubt from spreading, the man, his wife and their three daughters were killed and buried in a barn on the farm. The Toledo defendant brought the victims out one by one and patrolled the area to see that the gunshots didn't alert anyone.
The plea was not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury didn't go for it and after all the minimum kidnapping and unlawful restraint and other sentences are served, Ron Luft will be eligible for parole. He'll be about 160 years old
A fascinating experience, but harrowing. Luft's family broke my heart,and when Lundgren was brought in, I felt myself in the presence
of an honest-to-god evil person.