Meet Brenda Lafferty, the victim of a horrific crime that took place in Utah in 1984. Learn about her job, height, maiden name, and family. Plus, we reveal the details of what happened to her below.
So keep scrolling down to learn more about Brenda.
Brenda Lafferty’s Story
Brenda Lafferty is the wife of Allen Lafferty. She was born and raised in a Mormon family of the Church of Latter-day Saints. But her family was liberal and she had the freedom to pursue her own interests, so she was an educated person. But she married Allen on April 22, 1982, according to the inscription on her tombstone.
They welcomed their daughter Erica Jane Lafferty on April 28, 1983 in Murray, Salt Lake County, Utah.
Allen came from a fundamentalist Mormon family with a fundamentalist view of the world system. He was raised by his father, Watson Lafferty, a “strict disciplinarian,” and he and his siblings were used to occasional abuse. However, Allen’s two older brothers, Dan and Ron, saw no fault in the way their father raised them.
As his two older brothers grew up, they became troubled individuals, radical fundamentalists who believed that the church should not abandon polygamy. Learn more about Allen’s two older brothers here: Dan Lafferty and Ron Lafferty.
When Dan tried to marry his stepdaughter, he was excommunicated from the LDS Church in 1982. So Dan and Ron eventually decided to join a polygamous sect called the ‘School of the Prophets’.
This is where Brenda and Allen’s two brothers clashed. Tensions increased when Ron’s wife Dianna left him after he attempted to adopt a polygamous approach to life. Brenda encouraged Dianna to leave their marriage when he announced that he wanted to take a second wife.
After his wife’s divorce, Ron goes crazy and starts writing bibles and thinks of himself as the “voice of God” while Dan thinks of himself as the “hand of God”.
The unthinkable happened when Dan and Ron were unable to enroll Allen into their polygamist sect because of Brenda. As a result, a brutal crime was committed that left Brenda dead and her newborn child dead. The incident haunted the Utah community for decades to come.
Dan, as if by an act of God, killed his sister-in-law Brenda and her infant daughter Erica by slitting their throats after knocking Brenda unconscious, wrapping a vacuum cleaner cord around her neck until she went limp.
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Actress Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Brenda Lafferty in Hulu series Under the Banner of HeavenDaisy Edgar Jones’s CV includes Normal people, FreshAnd World War.
Brenda Lafferty Maiden Name
Brenda Lafferty’s maiden name was “Wright”.
Brenda Lafferty Family
Brenda Lafferty was born one of seven children to James Louis Wright and LaRae Wright. Her parents met at a church dance in Great Falls, MT, after returning from a church mission trip. They were married on June 6, 1958.
LaRae was born on February 12, 1934 in Pocatello, Idaho. She graduated from Brigham Young University in 1958 with a degree in Business Education. She taught high school in Browning, MT. LaRae was an excellent typist, played the piano and organ, and had a beautiful singing voice.
LaRae shared after her daughter’s death that she regretted her daughter’s marriage to Allen two months later. Allen did not want Brenda to work, and he told her to turn down an offer of a teaching position at BYU.
Sadly, LaRae passed away on February 15, 2016 at the age of 82.
Speaking of her LDS bishop father, James spoke with KUTV about the deaths of her daughter and granddaughter in November 2019.
“She was a scrapbook collector,” Jim recalled of his daughter as he began flipping through the pages. One of his fondest memories was the first time he gave Erica ice cream. “I had to churn it for her to make it soft like Dairy Queen ice cream,” he said with a fond smile.
Jim has visited his daughter at her grave every week since her death in 1984. “They put Erica on Brenda’s chest like she was holding her,” Jim said. “I really find comfort in being there.”
He went through the worst nightmare possible but Jim’s faith remained unshaken, saying: “It’s just a matter of getting on with life and looking forward to seeing them again.”
Brenda has five sisters: Betty and Bruce McEntire (Bradley, Blake and Brent) of St. George, UT; Bonnie Wright and Howard Minster (Jessica and Nathan Wewers) of Folsom, CA; Janette and Darrell Jack (Abigail, Samuel, Elliott and Lohmen) of Jackpot NV and Hollister, ID; Sharon and Dave Weeks (Victoria, Alexis, Delaney and Madeline) of St. George, UT; Joanna Lea and Jeff Henry (Sadie) of Marysville, WA.
Betty spoke to author Jon Krakauer about Allen, saying, “We all liked him. He was like a great big brother to us. At the time, we didn’t know there was a lot more going on in his family. Then we started to notice how crazy they all were.”
She also has a brother named Dr. Steven James Wright in Davis, CA.
Where was Brenda Lafferty born?
Brenda Lafferty was born in Logan, Cache County, Utah, United States. She grew up in Kimberly, Idaho.
Brenda Lafferty’s work
Brenda is a talented singer who excels in theater. She works as a news anchor at BYU.
Brenda Lafferty Height
Brenda Lafferty is a beauty queen who also participated in beauty pageants. She was the first runner-up in the Miss Twin Falls pageant in 1980. She stands 5 feet 7 inches tall.
Related FAQs
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What year was Brenda Lafferty born?
Brenda Lafferty was born on July 19, 1960.
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Where did Brenda Lafferty receive her education?
At the time of her death, she was a broadcast journalism major at BYU.