What motivated the crimes of Ron and Dan Lafferty, according to prosecutors, was Brenda Lafferty’s opposition to Allen belonging to the School of Prophets religious sect, a small fundamentalist offshoot of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), sometimes called Mormon. Ron considered himself to be the sect’s prophet (via AP). There were six Lafferty brothers in total, and Allen was the only one who didn’t participate. Brenda Lafferty had also helped Ron’s wife escape the marriage, based on reporting from The Salt Lake Tribune.

Dan and Ron Lafferty had their sights on killing two people in addition to Brenda and her daughter. After leaving the first crime scene, they traveled by car to kill Chloe Low, Brenda’s friend, but she was not at home. The Lafferty brothers then became lost on their way to their intended fourth victim, Richard Stowe, an LDS religious leader responsible for having Ron excommunicated, or so he believed. Low and Stowe were never harmed. The Lafferty brothers then fled to Nevada, along with their two accomplices.