On April 17, 1989, five members of the Avery family were shot in the head, executed in a barn in Kirtland, Ohio.
Today, one of the men who helped in the Kirtland Cult Murders is eligible for parole and is expected to be released.
46-year-old Richard Brand, a one-time disciple who testified against cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren, has been approved for parole.
Rep. Steven LaTourette was the Lake County prosecutor at the time, and says he still haunted by what he saw in that barn. Dennis and Cheryl Avery had been murdered, along with their 15, 13 and seven-year-old daughters.
LaTourette says he doesn't begrudge Brand his release. LaTourette says if the Ohio Parole Board is satisfied that he's paid his debt after 16 years in prison, then it's OK with him.
In fact, LaTourette says Brand and the others were good, church-going people before Lundgren brain-washed them. The other cult members were told they'd go to Hell if they didn't help kill the Avery's.
LaTourette also expects some women who were sent to prison to also be paroled now that Brand is getting out. He says their crime was not reporting what was happening, making them accessories.
Lundgren and nine followers were arrested, including his wife and son. Lundgren was executed in October of 2006. Brand has been denied parole three times in the past.
