The 13th Wife Escaping Polygamy True Story, Explained

Lifetime’s ‘The Thirteenth Wife: Escaping Polygamy’ or ‘The 13th Wife: Escaping Polygamy’ opens with an unexpected visit from a reporter to Rena Chynoweth’s home, prompting a tense confrontation filled with probing questions. Reluctantly at first, Rena begins to unravel the harrowing story of her past within a radical offshoot of the Mormon Church, once led by the infamous Ervil LeBaron. As she recounts her experience as his 13th wife, she sheds light on the sect’s extreme polygamous practices, religious manipulation, and the crimes, including multiple murders, carried out in the name of faith. With Michael Nankin at the helm, the film explores the emotional and moral complexities of escaping a world shaped by coercion, fear, and blind devotion. It delves into themes of religious extremism, resilience, and the power of personal truth.

The Thirteenth Wife is Based on the True Story of a Religious Leader’s Child Bride

‘The Thirteenth Wife: Escaping Polygamy’ unearths the deeply unsettling and almost unfathomable world Rena Chynoweth once inhabited. Her personal recollections are both haunting and heartbreaking and are made even more powerful by the fact that they’re rooted in real-life events. Written by Anne-Marie Hess, the film closely follows the rise and fall of the Church of the Lamb of God, a violent polygamist cult founded by Ervil LeBaron in Mexico. The name of his thirteenth wife was Rena Chynoweth, and she ended up escaping after Ervil’s arrest but still faced many threats. She went on to give a tell-all interview in which she also admitted that she had killed someone while she was a part of the church, even though she had been legally acquitted of the crime.

Rena Chynoweth was just three years old when her parents, Thelma and Leland, joined the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Times in Mexico, then led by Joel LeBaron. However, a deep rift soon formed when Joel’s brother, Ervil LeBaron, broke away to create his own faction—the Church of the Lamb of God. Claiming prophetic leadership, only a small number of devoted followers, including Rena’s family, were with him. At the heart of his split was his radical belief in “blood atonement,” a doctrine he began actively enforcing. It meant punishing people who had “lost their way from God” and killing them. In 1972, Ervil ordered the assassination of his own brother, Joel, marking the beginning of a reign marked by manipulation, fear, and violence. Alongside these extreme beliefs, he imposed strict rules that maintained tight control over his followers.

Ervil LeBaron took thirteen wives and fathered numerous children within his breakaway sect. The last one was 16-year-old Rena Chynoweth, and she later revealed it was entirely against her will. In his community, Ervil personally decided who could marry whom, exercising complete authority over personal relationships. He also ran an auto shop where followers worked collectively but allegedly indulged in auto theft. Committed to his doctrine of “blood atonement,” Ervil sought to eliminate Verlan LeBaron, Joel’s successor and dispatched Rena and others to raid Verlan’s compound in Los Molinos, Mexico. Though no one was harmed in that incident, Ervil escalated his plans after his release from prison in 1975.

Many of Rena Chynoweth’s Murder Allegations Have Not Been Proven in Court

Ervil LeBaron moved some members of his family, including Rena, to San Diego, California. In 1977, he handpicked the latter, his stepdaughter Ramona Marston, and others to assassinate Rulon C. Allred, a rival fundamentalist leader from Salt Lake, Utah. Rena was arrested for the crime, but after a trial in March 1979, she was acquitted because of a lack of evidence. It was after this that, on June 1, 1979. The religious leader was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the US for Rulon’s murder. In 1980, he was convicted of the crime and was handed down a sentence of life imprisonment. He continued to interact with other fellow members of his church and wrote down a 400-page “bible” known as The Book of the New Covenants. It contained commandments, principles, and a “hit list,” which detailed the people who had to be punished for being disobedient. One of them was Rena, who had left the church with her children, Erin and John Ryan.

In ‘The Thirteenth Wife: Escaping Polygamy,’ Rena’s character recounts a series of murders allegedly orchestrated by Ervil. In real life, many of these claims remain unproven in court and are based on long-standing accusations. Among the most serious is the allegation that Ervil ordered his 10th wife, Vonda White, to kill Noemi Zarate, a woman who had threatened to go to the authorities in 1974. Though this particular case was never legally confirmed, Vonda was convicted of the murder of Dean Grover Vest, a church member planning to leave the sect. Ervil has also been linked to the suspicious death of his own daughter, Rebecca, who was reportedly distressed after being separated from her child.

The Movie Intertwines Real-Life Characters to Build an Authentic Account

The film also brings to life several significant figures from Ervil LeBaron’s cult, adding emotional weight and historical context to the narrative. Bud Chynoweth, a devoted follower, is shown grappling with the loss of his wife, Neomi, who was allegedly murdered. The latter’s mother, Lorna, also one of Ervil’s wives, vanished under suspicious circumstances, and her remains were never recovered. Another key character is Daniel Ben Jordan, portrayed as Ervil’s trusted lieutenant. In real life, Jordan distanced himself from the cult following Ervil’s arrest and went on to form his own religious group in Utah, where he lived with his family. However, his departure did not guarantee safety. In 1987, Jordan was mysteriously killed while camping in a forest. Just a week later, Aaron LeBaron, one of Ervil’s sons, was arrested, accused of threatening Jordan’s wife and children with a firearm.

After Ervil’s death in prison in 1981, control of the Church of the Lamb of God did not fade; it simply shifted hands. Two of his sons, Arturo and Heber LeBaron, are believed to have taken up leadership roles within the cult, continuing many of their father’s dangerous ideologies. Rena later alleged that even after Ervil’s passing, she lived in constant fear. According to her, Arturo and Heber were involved in maintaining their father’s brutal legacy, and she claimed they issued threats to those they considered traitors, including herself. Rena has said that she feared for her safety and that of her family for years, stating that the organization still operated in secrecy and carried out acts of intimidation.

In 1990, Rena published her memoir ‘The Blood Covenant,’ in which she recounted her experiences and openly admitted to killing Rulon C. Allred on Ervil LeBaron’s orders. Two years later, Allred’s family filed a civil lawsuit against her. Rena did not appear in court, citing fears for her safety and ongoing threats from former cult members. The court found her liable and ordered her to pay $52 million in damages. Like in the film, Rena also appeared on the tabloid talk show ‘Sally,’ where she said she had reformed, was raising her own family, and was actively helping others, especially children, flee abusive religious environments and polygamy. ‘The Thirteenth Wife: Escaping Polygamy’ remains largely faithful to these events, presenting a coherent narrative that ties together her personal journey, the crimes of the sect, and the emotional toll it took. It’s both unsettling and deeply human.