Cult leader headed to execution in Ohio

Associated Press/October 24, 2006
By Thomas J. Sheeran

Kirtland, Ohio -- Sixteen years ago, Jeffrey Lundgren tried to convince a jury that he was a prophet of God — and therefore not worthy of the death penalty.

Lundgren‘s argument didn‘t sway jurors: They recommended the cult leader be executed for the killings of Dennis Avery, 49; his wife, Cheryl, 46; and their daughters, Trina, 15, Rebecca, 13, and 7-year-old Karen.

The evidence against him was compelling: Lundgren, upset by what he thought was the Avery family‘s lack of faith, arranged a dinner hosted by cult members. Afterward, he and his followers led the Avery family members one by one — Dennis first, Karen last — to their deaths in a barn.

"I cannot say that God was wrong. I cannot say that I am sorry I did what God commanded me to do in the physical act," Lundgren, now 56, told a jury in 1990 in a bid to spare his life.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late Monday allowing the execution to go forward, overturning a lower court ruling that would have delayed the execution to allow Lundgren to join a lawsuit challenging Ohio‘s use of lethal injection.

Lundgren said God commanded him, through interpretation of Scriptures, to kill the Averys, who were members of the cult, which had about 20 members.

The case was cracked eight months later when a dissident cult member, upset that his wife had been selected to become Lundgren‘s second wife, tipped off authorities. On Jan. 4, 1990, the bodies were found.

Police Sgt. Ronald Andolsek, who as a patrolman led the investigation into the cult killings, said the crime was personalized for him three days after the bodies were dug up when, for the first time, he saw a group photo of the Avery family.

Andolsek compared Lundgren‘s mind-control tactics to that used by other cult leaders such as David Koresh, Jim Jones and Charles Manson. "They used the same methods on their followers," Andolsek said. "Jeff wasn‘t the first. He won‘t be the last."