Remembering The Avery Family

 

Misplaced Trust

Dennis and Cheryl Avery were a quiet, hard-working couple. The two lived in Independence, Missouri and were dedicated parents to their three daughters, Trina, 15; Becky, 13; and Karen, 7. They also were also very dedicated to their church and to God.

By September 1986 the Avery family fell under the spell of Jeffrey Lundgren. Lundgren was a master manipulator with radical religious beliefs. In 1986, Lundgren broke away from the Mormon Church to promote his own radical, demented teachings. Soon after, he convinced his small group of followers to move to Kirtland, Ohio. That group included the Avery family. The group also included Lundgren’s wife, Alice, and son, Damon; as well as Richard Brand, Greg Winship, Danny Kraft, Ron Luff, Susan Luff (wife of Lundgren’s right-hand man, Ronald Luff), Deborah Olivarez and Sharon J. Bluntschly.

It was well know that Lundgren did not like the Averys. He openly stated Dennis Avery was weak and complained that Cheryl made all the household decisions. He also believed that Cheryl Avery was controlling and that her children were unruly. The Averys did have one thing Lundgren desired: money. Soon after they moved to Kirtland, Alice Lundgren confronted Jeff and asked him why he had allowed the Averys to move to Kirtland. He responded, “So I can get their money.”

As Lundgren and his cult became more radical, Dennis Avery began to question Lundgren’s teachings. This was the beginning of the end for the Avery family. A short time later, Lundgren told his followers that God said the Averys needed to be killed.

Cold-Blooded Murders

On April 10, 1989, Lundgren put his plan into motion. He ordered two of the cult members to begin digging a six-feet by seven-feet by four-feet pit to conceal the Averys’ bodies. The group also made plans to flee Lundgren’s farmhouse after the murders. The women began packing their belongings.

On April 17, 1989, Lundgren and the group moved all of the Averys’ possessions to Lundgren’s farmhouse. Lundgren then rented the Averys a room at a nearby hotel. Lundgren told the Averys they were going on a wilderness excursion to see God. Lundgren had Cheryl Avery write one last letter to her mother, claiming Dennis had gotten a job in Wyoming and they needed to move quickly.

That night after dinner, Lundgren and all the men (less Dennis Avery) went into a bedroom. This group included Greg Winship and Richard Brand. Lundgren pulled a gun from the holster on his hip and asked the men if they were with him. Every one of them gave their support to Lundgren. They then all went to the barn.

It was decided Ron Luff would bring the Averys in one by one from the house to the barn. Then, Richard Brand and Danny Kraft would bind them with duct tape and they would be placed in the pit. Then Lundgren would execute them. Winship would run a chain saw to conceal the gunshots. Winship came up with the idea to rev the chain saw intermittently to imitate actual sawing. Jeff Lundgren’s son, Damon, was assigned to be the lookout. Bluntschly, Olivarez and Susan Luff would distract the other Avery family members while the executions were being carried out. Alice Lundgren would not be present.

After dinner, Ron Luff came to get Mr. Avery. Luff had a 50,000-volt stun gun in his pocket. Luff told Mr. Avery that he wanted him to show him what the family wanted to take into the wilderness. When Mr. Avery walked through the door of the barn, Luff zapped him with the stun gun. Mr. Avery screamed out in pain, “NO! No, this isn’t necessary! Please! This isn’t necessary! Goddammit, goddammit, goddammit!” Winship, Brand, Kraft and Damon Lundgren then knocked Mr. Avery to the ground. They bound Mr. Avery’s hands, feet and mouth with duct tape. Brand then lifted Mr. Avery’s shoulders and Kraft lifted his feet. They carried him across the barn and slid him into the pit. Dennis got to his knees and looked at Jeff Lundgren, who was standing at the edge of the pit. Winship started the chain saw. Jeff Lundgren then fired two shots into Mr. Avery’s body. After Mr. Avery was shot, Jeff Lundgren had each of the men come and look at Mr. Avery’s body. The only one that showed remorse was Damon Lundgren. He began crying hysterically. Because of his reaction, he would not participate in any of the four other murders. He would act as the lookout only.

Mrs. Avery was next. Luff told Mrs. Avery that Mr. Avery needed help in the barn. As they approached the barn, Damon Lundgren announced to the others that they were on their way. When Mrs. Avery stepped into the barn, she was surrounded by Winship, Brand and Kraft. Mrs. Avery was scared and confused and remained still while the men bound her hands, ankles, mouth and eyes. Brand said Kraft was not strong enough so he asked that Luff help him carry the bodies to the pit. Brand and Luff lifted Mrs. Avery and carried her across the barn. They put her in the pit with her dead husband. Winship started the chain saw. Jeff Lundgren fired three shots and Mrs. Avery’s body slammed into the side of the pit when the bullets hit her. Two bullets hit Mrs. Avery in the right breast and one bullet hit her in the abdomen.

While Mrs. Avery was being shot, there was no doubt the women in the house knew exactly what was happening. Susan Luff asked Deborah Olivarez, “Do you think it’s happening?” Olivarez responded, “I hear the chain saw, I think so.”

15-year old Trina Avery was the next to be brought to the barn. Damon Lundgren announced they were on their way. When Trina entered the barn, the men surrounded her like they had surrounded her mother. They taped Trina’s feet and hands and wrapped duct tape around her head. Luff and Brand then carried Trina to the pit and put her next to her dead parents. Winship started the chain saw. Jeff Lundgren decided he wanted to shoot Trina in the head. Although Trina’s mouth was taped, she was able to shriek “Ouch!” when the bullet hit her. Thinking he missed Trina’s head or possibly grazed it, Lundgren then fired three more shots. One bullet hit Trina in the head and two bullets went into Trina’s back.

Ronald Luff went back to the house, where 13-year-old Becky and 7-year-old Karen were playing video games. Ron Luff asked them, “Who wants to see the horses in the barn?” Both girls ran toward the back door, at which point Luff said he could only take one girl at a time. Little Karen then went back to the video game. When Luff said he would be right back, little Karen said, “OK.”

Once Becky was gone, 7-year-old Karen realized her whole family had left. She then asked, “Where’s my mama?” Susan Luff responded, “It’s okay, she’ll be right back.” Karen then went back to playing her video game.

Damon Lundgren once again announced they were on their way. When 13-year-old Becky went into the barn and saw the duct tape, she immediately asked, “What’s going on?” Brand later said, “We told her that we were just playing a game and that she was going for a ride.” The men bound Becky with duct tape and placed her into the pit. Winship started the chain saw. Jeff Lundgren shot Becky, however he did not kill her. The bullet hit her in the thigh. “Her body fell towards her mother’s corpse. She was still breathing,” Lundgren later stated, “I fired again, and when this shot hit her, her hands, which had been in her lap, went forward as if she was reaching to touch her mother’s body; as if she instinctively knew that her mother was there beside her.” The second shot had hit Becky in the back. After the shooting, Winship recalled standing next to the pit. He later stated that Becky was unconscious, however she was still breathing and making rasping, gurgling sounds.

Now there was only one Avery left: 7-year-old Karen. While Jeff Lundgren reloaded his gun, Ron Luff went to the house to get Karen. The minute Luff arrived, Karen was anxiously awaiting her chance to see the horses. Luff gave Karen a piggyback ride to the farmhouse. When he brought Karen into the barn, the men wrapped her in duct tape as they had done the rest of her family. She was noticeably frightened when they wrapped the tape around her mouth and eyes. Since Karen weighed only 36 pounds, Luff placed her in the pit himself. Winship fired up the chain saw. Little Karen was sitting in the mud, eyes taped shut, when Jeff Lundgren stood over her. Lundgren stated, “I fired straight down into her skull. I was less than two feet away and I pulled the trigger, bang bang.” One shot went into Karen’s head and the other into her chest.

Jeffrey Lundgren and his demented group of followers had now wiped out an entire family.

The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office later stated all the victims, other than those shot in the head, likely lived several minutes. Had they not been taped, they could have moved and been able to speak. The lime the cult spread over the bodies to expedite the decomposition likely had an adverse effect and kept the victims alive even longer. It is very likely that Dennis Avery, Cheryl Avery and 13-year-old Becky Avery were buried alive.

Death, Life, Pleas and Paroles

After the Avery murders, all the members of Jeffrey Lundgren’s demented group fled Kirtland. They would all be brought back to answer for the murders of the Avery family. While they all were held accountable, their sentences were vastly different.

• Cult leader Jeffrey Lundgren: Convicted by jury of five counts of aggravated murder with specifications and five counts of kidnapping. Jeffrey Lundgren was sentenced to death. He was executed on October 24, 2006.
• Alice Lundgren (wife of Jeffrey Lundgren): Although Alice Lundgren was complicit in the Avery murders, she was not present at the house or the barn when the Avery murders occurred. Since Alice Lundgren was not present when the murders occurred, prosecutor Steve LaTourette wanted to give her a plea deal. The deal would have given Lundgren a 15-50 year sentence with parole eligibility after five years. Judge Paul H. Mitrovich refused to allow Alice to plead to lesser charges. She went to trial and was convicted of Aggravated Murder (5 counts) and Kidnapping (5 counts). She was sentenced to 150 years to life. She will be eligible for parole in October 2092.
• Damon Lundgren (son of Jeffrey and Alice Lundgren): Damon Lundgren was convicted of Aggravated Murder (4 counts) and Kidnapping (4 counts), and was sentenced to 120 years to Life. He was acquitted in the murder of Cheryl Avery because the jury believed he was so hysterical and crying so much after Dennis Avery was murdered he could not have composed himself in time for Cheryl Avery’s murder. They believed he was composed by the time the three children were killed. Damon received a sentence of 120 years to life and will be eligible for parole in February 2098.
• Ron Luff: Ronald Luff was convicted by jury of Aggravated Murder (5 counts) and Kidnapping (5 counts) and was sentenced to 170 years to life. He will be eligible for parole in October 2048.
• Daniel Kraft: Daniel Kraft pled guilty to Aggravated Murder (5 counts) and Kidnapping (3 counts) and was sentenced to 120 years to life. He will be eligible for parole in October 2024.
• Richard Brand: Richard Brand became the state’s star witness. In exchange for his testimony, he escaped the death penalty and obtained a sweet plea deal. He pled guilty to Murder (5 counts) and was sentenced to 15 years to life for each of the Avery murders. The sentences were to run concurrently (all at the same time). Brand somehow managed to get paroled on March 29, 2010. He has left the state of Ohio and his whereabouts are unknown. He served approximately four years for each of the Avery murders.
• Greg Winship: Greg Winship pled guilty a month and a half after Richard Brand. Since he held out to plead, his deal was less advantageous the Brand’s plea. Winship pled guilty to Murder (5 counts) and was sentenced to 15 years to life for each of the five Avery murders. His sentences were to run consecutively. This meant they were to run back-to-back one right after the other for a minimum of 75 years. Unbelievably, Winship has been paroled. He was released on December 28, 2010.
• Sharon Bluntschly, Deborah Olivarez and Susan Luff: Bluntschly and Olivarez agreed to work with the prosecution and accepted plea agreements. They both pled guilty to Conspiracy to Aggravated Murder (Five counts) and each was sentenced to 7-25 years in prison. Luff originally refused a plea and did not help the prosecution. Later, when she realized the other two women were going to testify against her, she accepted the same plea as Bluntschly and Olivarez. They all walked free during the last week of December 2010.