From Deseret News archives:

1984 Lafferty case still haunts

2 brothers show no remorse for brutal killings

Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 11:09 a.m. MDT
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Some who live on the street where the murders occurred still fear the Laffertys. One 80-year-old widow, who saw the Laffertys' station wagon pull up to the duplex from her kitchen window, asks not to be named as she recalls the day's events.

Allen and Brenda's former next-door neighbor, who also asked for anonymity, says Allen called the police from her home and then called his mother, who screamed out in horror.

"I heard this wail come from the phone," the woman says. "I can't even explain it."

What most neighbors wonder is how two good Mormon boys, including one who would serve as a bishop's counselor, could commit murder in the name of God.

Ken Beck, who was Allen and Brenda's LDS bishop, remembers seeing the yellow police tape and thinking it looked so out of place in a sleepy town like American Fork.

"It was a complete shock for all of us. It was just a quiet and lazy neighborhood," he says. "I think about it every year at this time."

Terry Fox, now the American Fork Police chief, spent 12 hours at the crime scene. Other officers had nightmares of warm blood dripping down their arms.

"The hard part of this was the baby, going to the baby and sitting through the autopsy," he says. "Because I had a couple young daughters, one the same age. You just ask yourself, 'Why?' "

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Neighbors expected the duplex would sit empty for years, but once the blood-soaked carpets had been replaced and the walls whitewashed, a young couple moved in. It has been occupied ever since.

Some have speculated Allen and his mother knew in advance about the murders, but Dan says that is not so.

Kathy Pace wonders what has happened to Allen and the rest of the Lafferty family.

Only one of the six brothers remains in Utah. The others left for places where the Lafferty name isn't associated with murder.

"Even after all this time you mention Laffertys and that's all people think of," Pace says. "How much pain can one family bear?"

Those who know the Laffertys say moving on has proved difficult for the family. Ron and Dan's mother is said to work in the Provo LDS Temple. The burden of what her sons did weighs heavily on her. Allen is rumored to be living in Southern California, working for a Hollywood production company. Several Lafferty family members did not respond to interview requests for this story.

"I love Allen. I care about him and I hope things are OK," Pace says. "Everyone looked at him, like, 'What was your part?' But Allen was a good-hearted man. I just hope he's found some peace in his life."

Others are less sympathetic. Brenda's former next-door neighbor wonders why Allen didn't warn his wife about the revelation when his brothers told him about it.

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Image

Ron Lafferty, left, and attorney Ron Yengich review documents naming Yengich as Lafferty's attorney on Sept. 25, 2002, in 4th District Court in Provo.

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