Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black adapted John Krakauer’s book “Under the Banner of Heaven”.
(AP file photo) Ron Lafferty (left) and his brother Dan were handcuffed while appearing in Washoe District Court for an extradition trial in 1984.
One of Utah’s most startling and notorious crimes – the brutal 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her young daughter by her two brothers-in-law – will become the basis for an upcoming television production.
“Under the Banner of Heaven,” based on Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book, will be a multi-part, limited-edition series focusing on “a devout detective” whose “faith is put to the test while investigating a brutal murder,” The Utah Family Spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust of the government, ”said FX.
(Courtesy Brenda Lafferty) Brenda Lafferty was only 24 years old when she was murdered by her brother-in-law in 1984.
On July 24, 1984, Brenda Lafferty, 24, and her 15-month-old daughter Erica were murdered at their American Fork home. Her brothers-in-law – Ron Lafferty, a self-proclaimed prophet, and Dan Lafferty – beat her, wrapped a vacuum cord around her neck, and slit her throat.
Then Dan cut her little niece’s throat.
Brenda Lafferty was married to Ron’s and Dan’s younger brother, Allen. As a believing member of Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ, she contradicted Ron and Dan’s fundamentalist views and refused to accept that Ron was a prophet.
(George Frey | AP File Photo) Ron Lafferty is escorted by security forces to his trial in the 4th District Court of Justice Anthony Schofield in Provo on October 6, 2005. Lafferty attempted to overturn his conviction for the 1984 double homicides involving his sister-in-law and their 15-month-old child.
The murders were believed to be triggered by Ron Lafferty’s religious beliefs, which led to his excommunication from the LDS Church and prompted his wife to divorce him in early 1984 and move to Florida with their six children. Ron Lafferty blamed four people for the divorce, including Brenda and Erica, “whom he believed would become as despicable as their mother,” court documents say.
Ron claimed he received an exposure ordering him to murder his sister-in-law and niece, and he told his lawyer he believed because of a conspiracy between the state, the LDS Church, and “unseen spiritual forces” for that Crime of having been convicted. This included the judge’s late father, who presided over his trial.
Despite being sentenced to death, Ron Lafferty died of natural causes in Utah State Prison in 2019. Dan Lafferty remains in prison and is serving a life sentence.
Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (“Milk”), who grew up in an LDS home, adapted the book for television production. “Growing up in the LDS faith, I hope this true crime thriller sheds light on the horrific brutalities that have been perpetrated in the name of God in our own backyards,” said Black, who contributed to the writing and production of “Big Love.” belongs to the HBO series about a polygamous family in Utah.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) Grand Marshal Dustin Lance Black leads the annual Gay Pride Parade through downtown Salt Lake City, followed by the Mormons Building Bridges group in June 2012.
“Dustin Lance Black is a gifted storyteller and the perfect artist to adapt Jon Krakauer’s gripping novel for FX,” said Gina Balian, president of original programming at FX.
“Under the Banner of Heaven” will be produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howards Imagine Television, and both will serve as executive producers. “We at Imagine have been telling this powerful story for almost a decade,” Grazer and Howard said in a joint statement. “With the faith and support of FX and the relentless dedication of Lance Black, we are finally on the right track.”
David Mackenzie will direct – he’s Scot, whose directorial work includes “Perfect Sense,” which debuted at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. British actress Daisy Edgar-Jones will play Brenda Lafferty. And Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-man,” “Hacksaw Ridge”) will play Pyre, “an LDS elder who is indebted to his church and family but begins some of the teachings through his contact with an alleged murderer to question the Church “. . “
“Under the Banner of Heaven” is currently in pre-production, a start date has not yet been announced. It is streamed on FX on Hulu and no air date has been announced.
Andrew Garfield arrives at the 72nd Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday, June 10, 2018. (Photo by Evan Agostini / Invision / AP)
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