Jeffrey Don Lundgren, Prophet of Death

On April 17, 1989, Jeff and the group moved all of the Averys' belongings to the farm and rented them a room at a nearby motel. The following day was to be when the group set off on their wilderness retreat. Everyone in the house except the Averys knew that this would be their last meal as the group sat down for supper at 6:30 p.m. that night. The mood in the group was solemn. Most had come to accept that the Averys had to pay for their sins.

Following dinner, Jeff retreated to the bedroom and called all of the men, less Dennis, into the room. As the men walked in, he produced a .45 Colt Combat Elite from the holster on his hip and asked the men one by one whether they were with him or not. Each one showed his support and followed Jeff out to the barn. Once in the barn Jeff explained that they would bring the Averys out to the barn one at a time, whereupon they would bind them with tape, place them into the pit and execute them in a surrealistic concentration camp style. Jeff asked the men if they had any questions. There were none.

Jeff looked over at Ron Luff and said, "Let's do it." Jeff stood over by the pit and Ron walked out of the barn towards the house.

When Ron entered the house, he asked Dennis to come out to the barn and give him a hand preparing equipment for the wilderness trip. Dennis agreed and followed Ron into the night fog towards the barn. When he entered the barn, Ron produced a stun gun and attempted to immobilize Dennis with it. The gun, however, was of low voltage and simply caused him to cry out in pain.

"NO! No, this isn't necessary! Please! This isn't necessary! Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit!"

Regardless of his cries for help, Dennis was no match for the others as they held him down and bound him with duct tape. Richard Brand and Danny Kraft lifted Dennis to his feet and dragged him to the pit where Jeff was now sitting on a pile of dirt with gun in hand. The men lowered Dennis into the pit and quickly backed away as Jeff stood up.

Greg Winship, standing outside of the barn, was given the signal to start a chainsaw in order to muffle the sound of the gun blast. As the chainsaw began to rev, Dennis struggled to his knees. Jeff raised the .45 caliber gun and fired two shots directly into his back. When the chainsaw stopped, all that could be heard was one last gurgling sound escaping the body. Jeff left the pit room and called out to the others, "You'd better see what this looks like." One by one, the men obediently filed into the room and looked down into the pit. No one said a word and after a few brief moments, Ron left the barn and headed back up towards the house.

When Ron entered the house he asked Cheryl to accompany him out to the barn because Dennis needed her help. Cheryl agreed and followed Ron out to the barn. The Avery children, unaware of what was happening in the barn, sat in the living room playing video games and discussing the exciting trip they were to take the following day. One can only imagine the horror that was about to befall them. The wheels were set in motion. There was no stopping Jeff Lundgren now.

"Here they come," exclaimed Damon Lundgren, from his lookout point as Ron led Cheryl to the barn.

In the barn, Ron once again tried to use the stun gun. Again, as before the gun failed. Ron, placing his hand on Cheryl's shoulder and solemnly said, "Just give it up, it'll be easier this way. Just let go." Cheryl did not put up a struggle, sinking down to the floor as the men bound her with the tape. Richard and Ron dragged her over to the pit and lowered her in next to the body of her dead husband. Greg started the chainsaw. Richard stood back and watched as Jeff took aim and fired three shots. The first two struck Cheryl in the right breast, she jerked forward and began to fall back as the third shot pierced her abdomen. Cheryl Lynn Bailey Avery now lay dead next to her beloved husband.

Worried that the shots might have been heard, Jeff ordered the men to go outside and check. Satisfied that no one heard them, Jeff instructed Ron to return to the house and retrieve one of the girls on the premise of playing hide-and-seek.

The girls were still playing video games as Ron walked into the house and asked Trina to come out to the barn with him. Debbie Olivarez and Susie Luff were pacing back and forth in the living room. "Do you think it's happening?" Debbie asked. "I think so," came the barely audible reply.

"Here they come," Damon called out from his lookout as Ron led the innocent fifteen-year-old towards the barn.

Trina stood completely still as the men bound her, most likely unsure what was happening. Once finished securing her ankles and wrists, Richard and Ron picked her up and lowered her into the pit. Trina leaned her head back against the dirt as the first bullet grazed her head. She screamed in pain and fear. The next bullet entered her skull on the left side and exited just below her right ear, killing her instantly. No one seemed to show any concern or remorse over the young girl's death and simply went about checking the premises once again.

Ron entered the house and asked Becky and Karen if they would like to come out to the barn and see the horses. Both girls jumped up eagerly and ran for the door. Ron told them to wait; only one of them could go out at a time so as not to spook the horse. Reluctantly, the girls agreed and Karen sat down in front of the television.

"Here they come," came Damon's now all-too-familiar call as Ron and Becky made their way towards the barn.

Once in the barn, the men pretended to be playing a game as they bound Becky's hands and feet and picked-up the unsuspecting thirteen-year-old. Richard and Ron placed Becky on top of her mother as they lowered her into the blood soaked pit. Greg once again started the chainsaw. Jeff fired two shots. The first bullet struck Becky in the left thigh while the second pierced her chest. Afterwards, Greg shut off the chainsaw and entered the barn, walking up to the pit; he witnessed Becky making rasping and gurgling noises as she lay atop her dead mother. A mercy shot was never fired; the men left the young girl to die and went about their plan.

Karen was becoming impatient, waiting for her turn to see the horses and attempted to run out to the barn; however, Debbie stopped her short.

"I want my Mommy!" exclaimed the child.

"Don't worry, you will be with her soon," One of the women replied.

Shortly thereafter Ron entered the house and told Karen it was her turn to see the horses and bent down so he could give her a piggy back ride.

"Here they come." Damon cried out for the last time as Ron walked towards the barn with the young child on his shoulders.

They taped Karen in the same manner as her sisters before her. Ron then flung the six-year-old over his shoulder and placed her in the pit next to her sister Becky. The chainsaw was started for the last time. Jeff fired two shots, the first bullet striking the child in the chest while the second pierced her skull — ending her short life in an instant.

Following Karen's execution, Jeff instructed Ron and Richard to spread lime over the bodies and cover them with dirt. It took two hours for the men to complete their task at which point they finished up by placing trash bags on top of the grave.

Shortly after the bodies were concealed, Alice called the house, "Is the company gone? Can I come home now?" she asked. Alice was calling from the Patrick's apartment. Earlier, she had left the farm with the younger children before any of the killings took place.

"You better wait fifteen minutes," Debbie replied. Shortly after Alice returned to the house, Jeff called the Patricks and the Johnsons, requesting their presence for a late night class. Following the call, Jeff, Damon and Alice drove to the motel where the Averys were to stay that night and removed all of their belongings.

Jeff's voice was the only one heard throughout the somber dead silence during class. At one point, he asked each person in the room to relate their feelings about what had taken place. Richard, the only one with enough courage to speak, said, "No one should have to die that way." Jeff's explanation, "It had to be done. It was God's will."