S5 Ep30: The Prophet of Kirtland, Part 2: Blood Atonement

Crimes of the Centuries

Amber Hunt and Audioboom

True Crime, Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.6 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Despite police informants thwarting one of his deadly plans, cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren’s appetite for violence couldn’t be satiated. When one target was out of reach, he simply shifted his sights to another — this time, a family who trusted him completely. They had followed him to Ohio believing he was a prophet of God, searching for salvation. What they found instead was a man who believed that some sins could only be cleansed through blood atonement — and a group of followers willing to do his bloody bidding.

"Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history. You can get early and ad-free episodes on the Grab Bag Patreon page.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking.
0:08.6	They change laws, change society, or even earn the label, Crime of the Century.
0:15.7	But the stories that made headlines and decades past aren't necessarily remembered today.
0:21.6	I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author, and in each episode of this show, I'll examine a case that's maybe lesser known today, but was huge when it happened.
0:32.6	This is Crimes of the Centuries.
1:00.1	By the time police discovered the first body buried beneath a barn on property Jeffrey and Alice Lundgren had rented, it was January of 1990.
1:06.8	Jeffrey, Alice, and their followers were long gone, having moved away more than six months earlier.
1:13.7	Curtland, Ohio police chief, Dennis Yarborough, had no idea where the the group had gone though he suspected they were up to no good but he had no proof of that not until new year's eve of 1989 when one of
1:21.2	geoffrey's longtime followers came forward with a horrific tale we left off episode, part one of this two-parter,
1:30.4	with Jeffrey and his disciples planning a takeover of the RLDDS temple in Kirtland. The plan was to
1:37.7	kill some 25 supposedly wicked people living within a block radius of the temple, which was awful enough,
1:45.9	but the grisliest part of the plot was reserved for the Reverend Dale Luffman, his wife,
1:51.3	and two children. Jeffrey had a special plan for them. They'd be offered as sacrifices to God.
1:59.4	The term was blood atonement. Jeffrey would cut the heads off each of them,
2:04.0	the same way Nephi had cut off the head of Laban. Jeffrey and his followers practiced for this
2:10.9	scenario for more than a year. Jeffrey told them he was certain of the day and month the attack
2:17.0	should take place because God had provided that information in a vision.
2:21.6	It was to occur on May 3rd, Jeffrey's birthday.
2:25.6	But God had been less specific about the year.
2:29.5	Jeffrey said he believed it would be 1988, the day Jeffrey would turn 38 years old, but he would
2:36.1	consult with God in the days prior just to make sure. In the meantime, Jeffrey stockpiled weapons
2:42.7	and warned his followers that they not only needed to physically prepare for the attack,
	...

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