Utah v. Lafferty

Utah v. Lafferty was a 1984 murder case in the state of Utah. It gained substantial publicity due to the accused's statement that the murders had been the result of divine revelation. History: Ron Lafferty and his younger brother Dan were charged for the throat-slashing homicides of their sister-in-law Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica, that occurred on July 24, 1984. Ron, a self-proclaimed prophet, claimed to have received a revelation from God in which he was instructed to “remove” several people including the two victims. Attorneys Michael Esplin and Gary Weight were appointed as “standby” counsel for the brothers when they were charged with homicide in August 1984. They represented the brothers during their competency hearings. At the conclusion of the competency evaluations, and while incarcerated in the Utah County jail, Ron Lafferty attempted suicide in December 1984. This resulted in severe injury and mental damages. Following the suicide attempt, Ron was held at the Utah State Hospital for several months. Dan's Case: Dan Lafferty represented himself during trial, although he had access to the standby counsel. The jury trial resulted in a guilty verdict, and he was sentenced to 5 years to life. Esplin and Weight appealed the case to the Utah Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction. Ron's Case: Ron Lafferty was found competent for trial by doctors at the Utah State Hospital. Ron was tried in 1985, convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. The penalty was upheld after an appeal to the Utah Supreme Court. The United States Supreme Court rejected a further appeal. The U.S. District Court for Utah upheld the conviction, however the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the lower courts and reversed the conviction, finding that the state and the lower court judge had committed error in finding Ron competent to proceed. The state of Utah filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court which was turned down. Ron was remanded to the Fourth District Court for Utah for competency proceedings, was found incompetent and was sent to the Utah State Hospital for treatment. Three years later, Ron was found by a court to have had his competency “restored” and in 1996 he was tried again for the crimes. After a 3-week trial, Ron was found guilty of a capital offense. Further appeals to the Supreme Court of Utah and the U.S. Supreme Court were denied. Ron’s case continues to be pursued in the U.S. District Court for Utah. Jon Krakauer's book, Under the Banner of Heaven, is primarily based upon interviews with Dan Lafferty.