Shivangi Sinha
Lifetime’s ‘The 13th: Escaping Polygamy’ is inspired by real events surrounding the Church of the Lamb of God, a violent Mormon fundamentalist sect founded in the early 1970s by Ervil LeBaron in northern Mexico. The latter’s thirteenth wife released a tell-all book years after his death. One of the most infamous crimes linked to the group was the 1977 assassination of Rulon C. Allred, a rival church leader. Ervil orchestrated the killing, and among those believed to have allegedly carried it out was Ramona Marston, his stepdaughter and a devoted member of the sect. Over the years, she has been the subject of media attention and public scrutiny, especially as former insiders have come forward with various allegations.
Ramona Marston Was Allegedly Sent to Kill Ervil LeBaron’s Rival in Utah
Ramona Marston grew up in Mexico during the 1950s, where her family became early members of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times, a Mormon fundamentalist group led by Joel LeBaron. When Joel’s younger brother, Ervil LeBaron, broke away to form his own splinter sect, the Church of the Lamb of God, claiming prophetic authority, Ramona’s family followed him. Raised in this insular and extremist religious environment, she was immersed in the group’s rigid doctrines from an early age. Obedience to Ervil was absolute, polygamy was practiced, and members believed in “blood atonement,” a doctrine that justified violence against those who defied the church.
Ramona was reportedly 17 years old when she was married to Daniel Ben Jordan, a senior member of Ervil LeBaron’s Church of the Lamb of God. Allegedly, her half-sister Faye was married to the same man on the very same day. It was an arrangement not uncommon in the sect’s polygamist structure. Ramona was known for having a bit of an eccentric streak and occasionally pushing boundaries, but she ultimately accepted her role within the church and its demands, including plural marriage.
On May 10, 1977, Ramona was allegedly one of the women involved in the assassination of Dr. Rulon Allred, the leader of a rival Mormon fundamentalist group, the Apostolic United Brethren. The murder had been ordered by Ervil as an act of “blood atonement.” Ramona, along with Ervil’s wife, Rena Chynoweth, traveled to Allred’s clinic in Murray, Utah. According to Rena’s later confession, it was she who pulled the trigger, but Ramona was present at the scene and reportedly stood in shock during the act. The two of them ran away from the scene and were not immediately caught.
Ramona Marston Has Stayed Away From the Limelight Since Her Arrest
In November 1978, both Rena Chynoweth and Ramona Marston were arrested in Utah in connection with the murder of Dr. Rulon Allred. However, Ramona skipped bail shortly after and vanished. Since then, she has remained underground, her whereabouts unknown, and has successfully stayed below the radar for decades. Rena, on the other hand, later confessed to her role in the murder in her 1990 memoir ‘The Blood Covenant.’ She provided a detailed account of the events, stating that she was the one who pulled the trigger. She also alleged that Ramona was present at the scene and had been sent to commit the crime alongside her. Despite her alleged involvement, she has never faced trial and has not reappeared publicly.
