If you knew where to look and the Knight boys did it was easy to find. In his teens, Stephen and five of his half brothers stole $4,000 from their father. Girls are told they will need to pray to God so he might show them who their No. At 17, she agreed to marry a man in his early 20s. Unable to visit his mother, Stephen would leave a $100 bill in her mailbox or, with his brothers, buy her new furniture. But age alone wont determine her answer. Paul Kingston is one of eight men named as defendants in the lawsuit. Many of these men are also given stewardship of the Orders business holdings sent out to run the clans coal mine or ranches, or to oversee one of its many storefronts. Because of the clans distrust of banks, the Order had cash hidden all over the place, a poorly kept secret within the family. When someone is interested in marriage, the process is something more like a job interview than a courtship. That cousin is also a defendant in the lawsuit. On the surface, the operation is legit: From Salt Lake, the Order controls some 100 businesses spread out over the Western states, from a casino in California to a cattle ranch in Nevada to a factory that makes lifelike dolls in Utah. Its his father, the prophet, calling to coax his wayward son back into the fold. Known variously as "Brother Paul," "the leader," and "the man on the watchtower" by Order members, this unremarkable, balding middle-aged man reportedly has 27 wives and over 300 children. [9], Records show he signed as a witness on 4 lawful teenage marriages over a 20 year period. [9], He is believed to have practiced polygamy in the past, potentially accruing as many as 40 wives and fathering up to 300 Children. He mandated that children should drink tea brewed from the herb every morning, and that Order members should feed it to their cows. We figured it was ours anyway, says Stephen, explaining that the clan hadnt paid the boys for bagging coal. The plaintiffs estimate the eight combine to have 106 wives and 911 children. He was born Jan. 7, 1928, in San Diego, Calif., a son of the late Paul and Evelyn . Children born into the clan make up much of the labor force. Church leader Paul Kingston conducted the service and his brothers John Daniel and David were speakers. The Order's top man, Paul Kingston, counts a half-dozen such relatives among his 20-plus wives, according to ex-members and Attorney General's investigator Ron Barton. So far, however, despite Shurtleffs efforts, the insular and highly secretive nature of the Order has prevented him from finding sufficient evidence to bring a case strong enough to dismantle the clan. If someone is mature enough, they should be able to do whatever they want.. It was Mothers Day in 2000, and Stephen and two of his brothers were speeding up a dirt road for dinner at an aunts house. Jessicas father relented during the meeting and gave his approval for his daughter to marry her No. One day, for laughs, he and his half brother Ron Tucker stole some napalm from an Order army-supply store, drew lines of it in the street and lit it on fire as cars drove by. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax For that, she would have to be legally married to him. Snow says she chose to get married to escape an abusive living situation. Inseparable: Twins Peter (left) and Paul have lived. That wasnt the only reason Jessica liked him. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. Three of his wives are his half-sisters. Back then, Paul Kingston stood around five feet ten and weighed close to 200 pounds. He told her he believed one did not need to practice polygamy to reach heaven. She said her father didnt think the suitor was a good student. Jessica Kingston said she has heard males talking to one another about a girl and say, If youre going to marry that girl, shes going to have to be a first wife because she wont live polygamy.. The group sought to maintain Pure Kingston Blood by arranging marriages between cousins and other close relatives, and shunning relationships that werent between white people, the lawsuit alleges. She said marrying at 16 mitigated the pressures U.S. society places on her to have statuesque looks and be immodest. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The Kingston Group is not affiliated withthe Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) based on the Utah-Arizona line that is run by imprisoned leader Warren Jeffs, who is serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting girls he considered brides. He served one day in jail. When Rachel Young, a stern and humorless woman, got home, she discovered that several crates of silver in her basement had been pried open whoever had robbed the place had clearly been in a hurry and had left with only a small fraction of her silver. They steer clear of banks, fearing theyll steal their money. He died on 6-4-1998 at the Beckley Veterans Administration. Members who have left in recent years say that changed after some of Paul Kingston's brothers were convicted of. But the more the deputy pressed, the more their stories didnt add up. In a search of public records created since the start of 1997, The Salt Lake Tribune found 65 marriages among members of the Kingston Group in which the bride was 15, 16 or 17. If the Order doesnt have it, the clan teaches, we dont need it., Editors picks Everyone in the Order knew that she controlled the purse strings for the operation but few were aware that she was sitting on a hidden stash of silver. His most bizarre beliefs, though, concerned the occult. Her own father David Kingston has 18 wives and around 200 kids. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. In Salt Lake County, for example, there were 45 marriages in which the bride or groom was 17 or younger, according to data from the county clerks office from Feb. 1, 2016, to April 10, 2018. Former and current members of the Kingston Group say that kids are taught from a young age they one day will need to pray about whom to marry. He said the college has controls to ensure compliance with federal aid guidelines. A nationwide debate is underway about teens, especially girls, marrying. Survivors include his wife, Debra Meeks Kingston, his father, Paul James Kingston, III of McKeesport, PA, children, Brandon E. Kingston & wife Janna of Vidalia, CA, Kevin Ely of Tyler, Jessica Ely of Paris, Phillip Briley of Oklahoma City, OK and Justin Briley & wife Cynthia of Paris, thirteen grandchildren along with two sisters and one brother. He no longer believed in the Order, but he knew that leaving would mean being shunned by his own family, and because he had been forbidden from making friends outside the clan, there would be few people in the world he could turn to. DeRieux remarried at age 21 to a man who isnt from the Kingston Group. They were married in Drimoleague parish church 02 February 1834. This article appears in the June 23, 2011 issue of Rolling Stone. Shortly after that meeting, the complaint continues, Mrs. Stephens father seemed to marry a new girl every year, each one younger and prettier than the last. Four of those appear to be couples from polygamous groups. The . They also knew that much of the clans wealth was stashed inside the unassuming suburban house on the corner. Mrs. Like other fundamentalists of that era, he believed the Mormon Church had lost its divine authority when it renounced polygamy in 1890, so he persuaded three other families to join him in establishing their own sect. Each time turning up no significant violations or nothing at all. He picked fights at school, shot a teacher in the face with a water gun and refused to do homework or answer questions. Then their father said something they never expected. A recent estimate is that he has 34 wives and more than 500 children, as several of his wives have had as many as 16 children each! A Tale of Two Chads: More Drama From Nineties Band Live. To get out of this s----y situation, I have to get into another s----y situation, said Kollene Snow, who married at 16 and is DeRieuxs full sister. Another group of kids called the Lost Boys, who were kicked out of the polygamist cult the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, ended up on the streets of Las Vegas and Phoenix, some turning tricks for drugs like meth and heroin. According to former members of the Order, decades of inbreeding have resulted in rampant birth defects throughout the family. No recordings or photos were allowed during the ceremony. He had yet to lose his hair, and thanks to his fanatical devotion to healthy food and alternative medicine, he had the ropy build of a well-toned athlete. When Paul turned 21, he married Richaun Dye. Paul J. Kingston Sr., 93, of North Huntingdon, died Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Current members dispute those characterizations. Women and girls, after theyre married, submit to their husbands and men answer to higher-ranked men, the suit alleges. By our latest survey, his statement said, the majority of DCCS college students were not using government-funded financial aid, including many who would qualify if they had applied. Child trafficking is the illegal movement of children, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation (Erase Child Trafficking). But he hopes that one day his family will be able to forgive him for leaving them behind. J.O. Such lawsuits typically are sealed to give the government time to investigate the allegations. Wed sleep on the chicken coop in the summer and shoot raccoons. Not desiring to be a plural wife doesnt necessarily mean she hoped to leave the Davis County Cooperative Society, also known as the Kingston Group. In the meantime, the police were closing in on the missing silver. 180+ Jonathan Jacob Meijer View Site Google Maps The theft of the silver bars from Rachel Youngs basement, they concluded, had been a copycat crime. The boys also bought cigarettes wholesale through a small clan-owned market run by their older brother and sold them at school. Lawful marriage and the way it binds people together legally and financially, Hansen said, is seen as a way to keep the more rebellious girls in the Kingston Group. (Photo courtesy Shanell DeRieux) Shanell DeRieux, then called Shanell Snow, center, stands with her mother, Shirley Hansen, right, and her father, John Daniel Kingston, in this photo from her legal wedding day, July 3, 2008, in Grand Junction, Colo. Also pictured are DeRiux's now-ex-husband and ex-mother-in-law. [10][11]. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Jurors in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial will get to see for themselves the rural hunting estate where his wife and son were killed, following in the footsteps of . Regardless, all those applying should do so legally.. Snow said her marriage fell apart over her not liking the Kingston Group and her husband wanting to have another wife. Theyll do what they need to do to defend whats theirs.. Terrified, he went out and bought a stash of guns to arm himself, just in case his family tried to gun him down. Shortly after 10 p.m. on June 7, 2021, Alex Murdaugh called 911 from his property in Islandton, South Carolina, to report that he had found his 22-year-old son Paul and his wife Maggie, 55, murdered. During his tenure, Kingston has followed his father's practice of plural, child, and intra-family marriage. When Jessica Kingston was 15, her father told her she had four choices apparently the number of suitors who had spoken to him about marrying her. The Order was founded by Elden Kingston, Stephens grand-uncle, at the height of the Great Depression. It is a common and intentional practice in the Order to require girls and women to submit sexually to their husbands even if the sexual submission is against their will because having children results in workers for the benefit of the Order, the lawsuit states. Some people say they funneled the money through Mexico. The DCCS is a financial cooperative established by his uncle Elden Kingston in 1935. It didnt take long for them to break down and confess that they had robbed their aunt. They believe were Gods chosen people, Snow said of the Kingston Group followers, so you should start having kids as soon as possible.. In the months after the robbery, Stephen couldnt shake the feeling he was being watched. He charged across the field and started brutally beating Stephens cousin. Exhibiting LGBTQ+ tendencies can indicate impure blood, according to the lawsuit. Brothers John Daniel Kingston, the father of the girl now in state custody, is said to have 20 wives; the mother of the "M.N." is half sister. And it would be several years after that before he stole from his father for the first time. 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