As time passed, his dogma became even stranger. Tennessee Ex-Cop Sues After Becoming Porn Meme, Claims She Was 'Groomed' for Sex With Coworkers He became obsessed with homeopathic treatments and herbal remedies, teaching followers that through proper diet they could live to the age of a tree. When lightning struck a tree at the Home Place, he taught his followers that the tree had divine powers and was a gateway to heaven. Stephen calmly waited until his uncle got close, and then he reached behind the seat and pulled out a shotgun, leveling it at his uncle. Their neighbors had no idea that the family were prominent members of the Kingston clan, the most powerful polygamist cult in America and one of the most dangerous. The clan kids from there would come to school not properly dressed for the cold, and they were always getting in fights. The lawsuit from Michaels and the Nelsons asserts the defendants are liable for up to $27 million in damages and another $20 million in penalties. Thanks, it read. He served one day in jail. If you messed with one of them, you were messing with them all., When Stephen was nine, an accident at Washakie set in motion a chain of events that would eventually prompt him to leave the cult. Paul lived in 1935, at address, Washington. The pressure became so intense DeRieux stopped going to dances. Shortly after that meeting, the complaint continues, Mrs. Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of the mainstream church, which abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it. No record of the case is available at the court clerks office. Some people say they funneled the money through Mexico. His life was in danger, the voice on the other end warned. The Order was founded by Elden Kingston, Stephens grand-uncle, at the height of the Great Depression. Its a quiet, haunting place, with massive hayfields that stretch to the horizon. Mark Shurtleff, the Utah attorney general, has spent years investigating the clan, gathering birth certificates and genealogical data, and has come to believe that the cult is guilty of a long list of crimes, including child labor, tax evasion, welfare fraud, polygamy and the sanctioning of underage marriages to blood relatives. Instead, he had walked away from the family three years earlier to make a life of his own. DeRieux was photographed in Layton, Wednesday, July 11, 2018. The clan is lead today by Charles E. Kingston's son, Paul E. Kingston, who is said to have more than 30 wives. He then severed her index finger, cleaned off the three bones, and carried them with him the rest of his life, believing that the totem kept her spirit with him. Father of Avisa Kingston; Susannah Mary Allison; Samuel Kingston and Paul Kingston. [10][11]. Paul F Kingston. By the time the teenagers sped away, they had made off with more than $80,000 in silver. It empowered Stephen before that, no one had ever stood up to Daniel Kingston or any of them, says a former member. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. According to Montana court documents, the couple had an argument at their apartment and DeRieuxs then-husband threw her down a flight of stairs. You could be such an asset to the Order., Trending But within the Order, where drinking soda pop was against the rules, it was a pretty big deal.. The other seven are brothers or sons of Paul Kingston. When one of his favorite wives died, he missed her so much that he dug her up from her grave. (Paul Kingston and other leaders of the family ignored repeated requests for comment for this story. The group also teaches its members that only those with so-called pure blood will survive the apocalypse, according to the lawsuit. Hansen said during family home evenings nights when a mans family gathers for religious studies and games her husband would take girls 12 and older who were single and lead them in a teaching. No one would accept the guilty by association view in any other culture that has been adopted by the public for ours. He slept with a different one each night, in accordance with their ovulation cycles, and sometimes disappeared during lunch to have sex with a favorite. This article related to the Latter Day Saint movement is a stub. The jury in Alex Murdaugh's high-profile murder trial will visit the scene where his wife Maggie and son Paul were brutally murdered, before they decide the disgraced legal scion's fate.. One afternoon, as Stephen and his cousin were taking a break from fixing a tractor that had broken down in a hayfield, Daniel Kingston pulled up. Unable to visit his mother, Stephen would leave a $100 bill in her mailbox or, with his brothers, buy her new furniture. When Paul turned 21, he married Richaun Dye. Regardless, all those applying should do so legally.. 03/01/2023 9:00 a.m. Police divers cut a path through the ice to reach the victims. Among those Kingston Group brides who marry as minors and for whom The Tribune was able to find birthdates, the average age was 16 years, 7 months and 12 days. One baby deemed to have too many deformities was allegedly put in a shoe box and left to die. They are paid not in cash but in scrip, an arcane form of credit used by the Mormon pioneers that can only be redeemed at company stores. But age alone wont determine her answer. If they kill me, they kill me, he says. They had 4 children: John Hozlette Kingston and 3 other children. The Mormon Church officially banned polygamy in 1890, and some of the defiant bands of fundamentalists who refuse to give up the practice have been pushed out of the city and into the desert, where they eke out an existence in rusted-out trailers and sprawling compounds. We want to hear it. It was a grimy, derelict-looking place. A review of wedding certificates shows how the teen marriages are sanctioned at the highest levels of the Kingston Group. We've received your submission. Survivors include his wife, Debra Meeks Kingston, his father, Paul James Kingston, III of McKeesport, PA, children, Brandon E. Kingston & wife Janna of Vidalia, CA, Kevin Ely of Tyler, Jessica Ely of Paris, Phillip Briley of Oklahoma City, OK and Justin Briley & wife Cynthia of Paris, thirteen grandchildren along with two sisters and one brother. For parents, there can be other practical considerations in letting a teen marry, Hansen said. She then met with two women who helped her complete financial aid forms. It was all just innocent teenage stuff, recalls Ron, who has since left the clan. Stephens father seemed to marry a new girl every year, each one younger and prettier than the last. The lawsuit describes crimes and issues within the Kingston Group that have no direct relationship to the student aid applications. On the surface, the operation is legit: From Salt Lake, the Order controls some 100 businesses spread out over the Western states, from a casino in California to a cattle ranch in Nevada to a factory that makes lifelike dolls in Utah. When Elden died in 1948, leadership of the Order fell to Stephens grandfather, J.O., a short, miserly man with bony shoulders and thinning hair. Then one night, a clan member called and told him that the Order planned to kill him. A sheriffs deputy traced the license plate of the Honda to a run-down house in a working-class suburb south of the city. The teenagers sitting in the driveway on South Bonner Circle that afternoon in 2009 knew the operation well. It was all fun, Stephen recalls. It was also around then that Stephen, at the age of 14, began to see the clan for what it really was. This didnt belong to you anyway., As big as the heist was, it attracted almost no attention in Salt Lake. Over 75 years, the Kingstons have amassed a fortune worth an estimated $300 million, but the operation skirts the edges of the law. These days Stephen works on a cattle ranch near the Idaho border, just down the road from where he grew up. By 18 she was pregnant with her first child and ended up having four children in four years. The Order's top man, Paul Kingston, counts a half-dozen such relatives among his 20-plus wives, according to ex-members and Attorney General's investigator Ron Barton. For Stephen and the other kids on the ranch, the highlight of each week came on Sundays, when they traveled the hour and a half south to Salt Lake for church. Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? He no longer believed in the Order, but he knew that leaving would mean being shunned by his own family, and because he had been forbidden from making friends outside the clan, there would be few people in the world he could turn to. Still stunned at the sudden loss of their brother, Stephen and his siblings were numb with grief. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Genealogy profile for Paul Kingston Paul Kingston (1824 - 1894) - Genealogy Genealogy for Paul Kingston (1824 - 1894) family tree on Geni, with over 240 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. It wasnt forced, said the woman, who asked not to be identified because of stigmas that often come with being associated with a polygamous sect. Or wed set traps and raise them as pets., In many ways it was an idyllic childhood, except for the fact that the ranch also doubled as a work camp for disobedient clan wives and rebellious kids. Create Biography She's since left the marriage and wants the legal marriage age raised to 18. He has held several high-level positions in government and education and worked as a consultant, so he likely has earned a significant income over the years. If you knew where to look and the Knight boys did it was easy to find. In his teens, Stephen and five of his half brothers stole $4,000 from their father. [9], He is believed to have practiced polygamy in the past, potentially accruing as many as 40 wives and fathering up to 300 Children. Theyre trying to paint a picture, Markey said, give the judge and, frankly, the defendants, when they see the complaint, give them the context, which is to the effect, We know what's up. He finished a three-year term as Chair of the Department of Sociology in August 2007. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The lawsuit was filed May 24 in Salt Lake Citys federal court by Mary and Bryan Nelson. Luke Brown now insists that he and his brother simply borrowed the silver, and planned to return it to their aunt later. As he talked to the woman who lived there, Luke Brown came out of the house, and his brother Scott soon joined him. When they arrived in Grand Junction, all three couples filled out the papers for a marriage license. The young women ranged from about age 18 to 22. In all likelihood, Stephen and his brothers had stolen the gold from Patty Kingston first and then the Brown boys, in an effort to emulate their cousins rebellious acts, had robbed their aunt weeks or even months later. Because of the clans distrust of banks, the Order had cash hidden all over the place, a poorly kept secret within the family. The Kingston Group is not affiliated withthe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) based on the Utah-Arizona line that is run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting girls he considered brides. Paul Kingston succeeded his father John Ortell Kingston as the leader of the Kingston Clan on his father's death in 1987. Thanks for your understanding. Yet its teen marriages in the Kingston Group that spurred the Utah Legislature to act this year. And it would be several years after that before he stole from his father for the first time. View Site If the father believes his son received true direction from God, the son is sent to Paul Kingston or one of the people he designates to consider marriages. A state court website says the judge must conclude that the marriage is voluntary and in the best interests of the minor.. Frances was born on November 4 1892, in Indiana. As lore has it, Elden was the one mighty and strong predicted by Scripture, who holding the scepter of power in his hand would set in order the House of God. With thick white hair, a lantern jaw and a commanding presence, he had no problem attracting followers. If they are money-laundering or making money in support of polygamy and incest, then they probably meet the statute.. Former Order members remain convinced the Knights stole the gold. He seemed like the most amazing guy, Stephen recalls. While all that is happening, the potential bride is supposed to have been praying about whom to marry. The suit says sect members might have obtained tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars through false applications. Jessica has begun working with Hope After Polygamy, a charity started by the cast of Escaping Polygamy and other former Kingston Group members to assist people leaving polygamous sects. He told her he believed one did not need to practice polygamy to reach heaven. After the chest of gold was stolen, suspicion among the clans leadership immediately fell on a group of rebellious teenagers who had left the cult a few years before. When youre three years old, they start training you what to say if people talk to you, recalls Jeremy Tucker, a 32-year-old former member of the cult, who now works in construction. He directed some of his own children the plaintiffs estimate he has 27 wives and more than 300 offspring to seek more financial aid than they would have otherwise been entitled to, the suit cites one of his daughters as saying, and when the assistance exceeded what the student needed to attend college, the sect kept the proceeds. Johnson said neither he nor any other representatives of the cooperative society were aware of the lawsuit until contacted by The Salt Lake Tribune recently for comment. He didnt have anyone to help him process what had just happened., Taking advantage of his status as a son of the prophet, Stephen began bending the rules even further. 12 Paul J. WILFONG was born on 4-13-1912 in Marlinton. They teach the girls its their choice, Hansen said, but [say], Heres the selection.. Hanging up the phone, she rushed to her closet. Child trafficking is the illegal movement of children, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation (Erase Child Trafficking). Sometimes his father read the Book of Mormon from the pulpit and talked about things regular Christians would recognize, like tithing or repentance. During his tenure, some members have continued the practice of plural, and intra-family marriage,[3] although neither is practiced by the majority of members and the practice is not required to gain status in the group. It begins with the potential groom. But 16- and 17-year-olds in Utah need only the consent of a parent to wed. Idaho, Colorado and Nevada, where the The Tribune also found Kingston Group marriages, have similar age and parental-consent requirements. Eventually, Stephen was sent back to Washakie and was placed under the supervision of his uncle, one of the familys most feared enforcers. DeRieuxs marriage effectively ended in June 2010. Short and chubby, the Brown boys looked up to the Knight brothers. He is not ready to forgive his father. For the marriages performed in Utah, Bill W. Stoddard signed as the officiant until his death in March. Her father, John Daniel Kingston, has 14 wives. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. At Washakie, he forced clan children to decapitate cows with chain saws to toughen them up, and sometimes beat the children for some infraction of the Orders rules like forgetting to face the Home Place three times a day and pray. Three weeks after Snow married a 21-year-old man in Davis County, Hansens 17-year-old daughter legally married a 24-year-old man in Salt Lake County. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. Snow said her marriage fell apart over her not liking the Kingston Group and her husband wanting to have another wife. They would trek into state welfare offices, their kids in tow, claiming that they had no idea who the father of their children was, or that he was a truck driver who had left them destitute. Four of those appear to be couples from polygamous groups. The plaintiffs filed what is called a qui tam lawsuit in which whistleblowers assist in pursuing individuals who commit fraud against the government. The son of the clans prophet, Knight, then 18, had once seemed destined for a leadership role within the Order. Murdaugh is accused of fatally shooting his son, Paul, 22, with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie, 52, with a rifle near the dog kennels at the family's hunting estate known as Moselle. Knight was born in Salt Lake City, the sixth child of third-generation polygamists. When he noticed that the boys had stopped working, he became enraged. Log In Once logged in, you can add biography in the database. Three of Kingston's 14 wives also are in the photo. Members are primarily born into the. During the approval process, the young man had begun texting Jessica something forbidden but that she says is common among Order teens who have an interest in one another. He kept his office on a side street in central Salt Lake. I am in love with old cars and horses. I could tell she loved him, and it seemed like he loved her too. Within a year, Paul Kingston would take a fourth wife. According to former Order members, they worked long shifts sorting coal and operating heavy machinery in unsafe conditions. According to people who have left the Order, the cult exploits its 2,000 members as virtual slave labor and hides profits from tax collectors. Children born into the clan make up much of the labor force. Now, former members say, girls who will be plural wives meaning they have only a spiritual marriage to their husband are left alone until they are 18 so laws about sex with a minor wont apply. It was a wild place, says Scott Cosgrove, a former detective with the Box Elder County Sheriffs Office, who remembers the ranch as a broken-down spread, guarded by a feral pack of boys who patrolled the fence line from the back of a pickup armed with shotguns. Paul Kingston, the top man within the Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group or The Order, is accused of overseeing what the lawsuit calls a scheme. They believe were Gods chosen people, Snow said of the Kingston Group followers, so you should start having kids as soon as possible.. Stoddard was the president of the Latter Day Church of Christ, the Kingston Groups incorporated religious organization. She wasnt allowed to leave the house until she decided whom to marry. Kent Johnson, a spokesman for the Davis County Cooperative Society (DCCS), which also is named as a defendant, said members are strongly encouraged to strictly adhere to every legal guideline when applying for financial aid. DeRieux says she was still high school age when her father told her she needed to pray about whom to marry, get married and build The Order. Her father also started calling her mother and prodded her to pressure DeRieux to get married. 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