Utah's largest wrongful death verdict.

Salt Lake Tribune 2/13/1992
Byline: By Ted Cilwick

The family of slain polygamist Rulon Allred was awarded $52.1 million Wednesday night-including $5 million in punitive damages-in its lawsuit against Mr. Allred's killer, Rena Chynoweth. The federal jury in Salt Lake City deliberated for more than three hours before returning the verdict against Ms. Chynoweth, the 13th wife of another polygamist, Ervil LeBaron, who masterminded Mr. Allred's slaying. In the latest twist in the bizarre 15-year-old case, neither Ms. Chynoweth nor her attorney, L.G. Cutler, appeared for the two-day wrongful-death trial. Attorneys for the Mr. Allred's family had the six-member jury all to themselves. Mr. Cutler said Ms. Chynoweth avoided the trial because she did not want to participate in "the callous game" of putting a value on the life of Mr. Allred - whom she acknowledges she pumped seven shots into at point-blank range. Moreover, Mr. Cutler said his client has few assets. "In a practical effect, there is little to collect, " the attorney said a few hours before the jury verdict. The Allred family attorneys believe otherwise and say they will pursue attempts to collect some of the sizable jury award. The sordid story began on May 10, 1977, when Mr. Allred, a naturopath who fathered 48 children with various wives was gunned down in his Murray office. Ms. Chynoweth's husband, rival polygamist LeBaron, was convicted of organizing the Allred killing and died in the Utah State Prison in 1982. However, Ms. Chynoweth and three others were acquitted in the criminal case. Her curly wig and other disguises, and the fact that no eyewitnesses could identify her as the killer, were essential to her acquittal, James McConkie, one of the Allred family's lawyers, told the civil jury Wednesday. Thirteen years later, though, in 1990, Ms. Chynoweth wrote a book, Blood Covenant, and admitted killing Mr. Allred. Critical excerpts of the book were read to the civil jury Wednesday, including her description of the bloody visit to the doctor's office. "I pulled out the gun and fired at him," according to her book. "I heard him gasp, 'Oh, my God.'" After the book was published and several appearances by Ms. Chynoweth on television tabloid programs, including the Sally Jesse Raphael Show, 14 members of Mr. Allred's family filed a $130 million suit against Ms. Chynoweth. Ms. Chynoweth argued that much time had passed since Mr. Allred's death and that the suit should be dismissed. But in a crucial ruling last month, U.S. District Judge Aldon Anderson disagreed. He ruled in essence that it was Ms. Chynoweth's admission in her book, and not Mr. Allred's death in 1977, that could trigger the Allred family's lawsuit. Her lawyer, Mr. Cutler, said he will appeal that issue of statute of limitations. Mr. McConkie called several of Mr. Allred's children to the stand. They testified about their close ties with Mr. Allred and scorned Ms. Chynoweth's "profiteering." "I don't care about getting any money," testified Mary Allred, a daughter. "I want to see that people in the United States can't go around murdering people and get away with it." Mr. McConkie told the jury: "This case isn't about polygamy it's about the killing of Rulon Allred. It just so happens that the person who was killed was a polygamist. There are different kinds of Catholics, there are different kinds of Jews, there are different kinds of Mormons." Though much venom was aimed at Ms. Chynoweth's book royalties, her lawyer said she has received less than 4,000 and a second edition will not be printed. But the Allred lawyers say she has acknowledged owning property in Utah and other assets, including salary, contract rights and non-exempt bankruptcy property. They will be scrutinized to try to collect the judgment. Mr. Cutler said Ms. Chynoweth recently has kept her whereabouts secret, with cooperation of law enforcement authorities. But the Allred attorneys say they don't expect that to be a hurdle in collecting the jury's award.