Thread by @jaweedkaleem

I dug into the history of the LeBarons, the large Mormon clan of dual U.S.-Mexican citizens whose members were killed in Sonora. The extended family has a fascinating story and has unfortunately experienced violence before -- as victims and perpetrators latimes.com/world-nation/s…

The 3 women and 14 kids who were ambushed as they drove toward Arizona from the Sonora town of Bavispe included descendants of a fundamentalist Mormon community that has lived in Mexico for decades. A suspect has been arrested for the nine deaths latimes.com/world-nation/s…

Some victims had the last name LeBaron. Their final destination was Colonia LeBaron in Chihuahua - established by fundamentalist Mormons in 1944. The name LeBaron is best known for killings in the 70s/80s in Mexico and the U.S. by Ervil LeBaron - also known as “Mormon Manson”

Fundamentalist Mormons share origins with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but broke away from it in the late 19th century after the U.S. government and LDS outlawed polygamy. Many fundamentalist Mormons broke away from the church and fled to Mexico and Canada.

The LeBarons have been in Mexico since at least the early 1900s. Most members of the extended family no longer practice polygamy and it today includes Catholics and people who are not religious. The family is most recently known for its activism against violence.

The extended LeBaron family has spoken out for years against drug cartels in Mexico. In 2009, family member and anti-violence activist Benjamin LeBaron was shot dead after speaking out against traffickers who kidnapped his brother for a $1-million ransom.

More details in my article: latimes.com/world-nation/s…

@katelinthicum and @kurtisalee are in Mexico and Arizona covering news developments: latimes.com/world-nation/s…

For more on Ervil LeBaron, read this 1992 deep-dive from LA Times latimes.com/archives/la-xp…