Daughters of the Cult is a new Hulu docuseries from ABC News Studios that delves into the thrilling story of Ervil LeBaron, a Mormon cult leader who ordered the killings of his opponents. I’m no stranger to documentaries on cults, having learned about such infamous cases as the Manson family or Warren Jeffs of the FLDS Church. In fact, LeBaron went on to be referred to as the “Mormon Manson.” However, I was unaware of the story of LeBaron, and from what I’ve seen so far, this appears to be another shocking, “how did that happen!?” cult tale.
I was able to preview the second episode of the five-episode deep-dive into the history of a splinter group of Mormon fundamentalist cult members who perpetrate a deadly wave of violence and abuse for decades in the name of their fanatical prophet, Ervil LeBaron. LeBaron and his followers were hidden in plain sight throughout the Southwest and Mexico in the late 1970s.
What Daughters of the Cult does well, is in addition to talking heads telling the details of the crimes and situations surrounding it, we also get insight from past members of the cult, who share some of their harrowing tales. This goes as far as to include multiple children of LeBaron, who speak about their experience being raised under their father’s rule. One of his many, many daughters talks about the excitement of finally meeting her father at the age of 9 – a man who was seen as a Jesus-like figure to his subjects.
Their young lives were a mixture of the usual cult fanaticism and a fugitive lifestyle, as they spent most of their youth on the run from the FBI. A couple of harrowing moments are described in the episode, where the FBI and the police conduct multiple raids on their place of residence – which was clearly a terrifying experience for the children who really didn’t know what was happening. One of LeBaron’s daughters summed her life up succinctly, calling it “a life characterized by fear, chaos and insecurity.”
Most of the second episode focuses on the aftermath of a murder that, we find out, was ordered by LeBaron and carried out by two young female followers. Having not seen the first episode, I’m very intrigued to go back and find out the events that led up to the murder, and of course, what comes next in the remaining three episodes.
Daughters of the Cult premieres Thursday, January 4th, only on Hulu.