Cult Leader’s Wife Waives Extradition in Ohio Killings

The wife of cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren volunteered Tuesday to return to Ohio, where she and 12 other cult members, including her husband and oldest son, are charged in the ritualistic slayings of a family of five.

Alice Lundgren, 38, waived extradition because she wants “to clear her name,” defense attorney Kay Sunday said. The attorney said that the wife was a “captive” of Jeffrey Lundgren, a self-styled prophet and defrocked minister, and was not involved in the killings of Dennis and Cheryl Avery and their three daughters.

“It (waiving extradition) is something she was inclined to do all along, but I advised her to wait because I needed more time to talk to authorities back there,” said Sunday. “The authorities have conceded to me she was not present at the time of the murders.”

Investigators said that Jeffrey Lundgren, 39, shot at least one of the Averys with a .45-caliber revolver. Other cult members described the killings, which occurred in Kirtland, Ohio, near Cleveland, as a sacrifice intended to “cleanse” the group before it moved to the wilderness. Lundgren founded the sect after leaving the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons.

Tuesday’s hearing, which took less than five minutes in Municipal Court, began with Alice Lundgren entering the courtroom, smiling and extending a warm greeting to her attorney. She signed five forms authorizing the extradition. Ohio authorities, who have charged her with conspiracy to commit murder, have 10 days to pick her up.

The Lundgrens were arrested Jan. 7 in National City by federal agents and initially refused to waive extradition. Jeffrey and Damon Lundgren are still fighting extradition. Kathryn Johnson and Daniel Kraft, two other cult members arrested last week near Julian, also refused to waive extradition.

According to Sunday, Lundgren is “very relieved that she” and her three minor children “are now in a safe place.” The three children--ages 15, 10 and 9--were retrieved by Alice Lundgren’s mother, who took them to Missouri.

Sunday said Alice Lundgren feared her husband and worried about her children’s safety when the family was together. Alice Lundgren has had no contact with her husband or 19-year-old son, Damon, since their arrests, the attorney said.

“She felt that her life was in jeopardy and that of her children,” Sunday said. “She could never get all the children away from him at once. He wouldn’t let her take all of the children to the store. . . . She was as much a captive as anything else.”

Despite reports from investigators that Alice Lundgren was cooperating in the investigation, Sunday denied that her client had made any deals with prosecutors.

“She innocently, naively told them what she knew,” Sunday said. “She didn’t do that out of a vindictive motive. . . . She’s not going back to cooperate with authorities.”

The attorney said that Lundgren “has a very different perspective” from other cult members.

“The whole story has not yet been told,” she said.

Meanwhile, in Painesville, Ohio, five cult members were arraigned Tuesday on charges related to the murders. Three defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, conspiracy and kidnaping. Two others entered no pleas.

The pleas were entered in Lake County Common Pleas Court. County officials estimate that trials for the 13 defendants will cost more than $700,000. In order to pay for the trials, the county will need to raise the real estate transfer tax or take out a loan, authorities said.

Times wire services contributed to this report.