Four in Polygamist Clan Convicted in Bombing, Standoff

A federal jury Monday found polygamist Addam Swapp and three members of his clan guilty of 20 counts stemming from the bombing of a Mormon chapel and a 13-day standoff with police officers in which a corrections official was killed.

The jury, after deliberating 25 hours over four days, found clan matriarch Vickie Singer not guilty of one count of attempted murder of FBI agents and two firearms counts, including possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

On the charges of attempted murder against the other three, the jury returned guilty verdicts in the second degree, indicating lack of premeditation. U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins scheduled sentencing for July 1.

The siege at the clan’s farm in Marion by 100 lawmen ended in a shoot-out on Jan. 28 in which state Corrections Lt. Fred House was killed and Swapp was injured.

Swapp, 27, was found guilty of maliciously damaging the church building; attempting to kill FBI agents; assaulting, resisting, impeding, intimidating and interfering with federal agents, and possession of an unregistered bomb.

He was also found guilty of a corollary charge of use of a bomb and two counts of use of a firearm.

The jury found Singer, 45, guilty of most of the same charges as Swapp, with the exception of the attempted murder charge and two corollary firearms charges.

Swapp’s brother, Jonathan Swapp, 21, and Singer’s son, John Timothy Singer, 21, were found guilty of assault and attempted-murder charges and two firearms counts.