Spoiler Alert: Article may contain spoiler information
Under the Banner of Heaven is a seven-part limited series starring Andrew Garfield and based on the true story of the brutal 1984 slaying of a Utah mother, Brenda Wright Lafferty, and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica. Ron and Dan Lafferty, Brenda’s brothers-in-law, were eventually tried and convicted for their murders.
Much to the chagrin of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the series and the Jon Krakauer book on which it is based upon, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith, delves into their fundamental views, including its embracement of polygamy. After Krakauer’s book was published in 2003, the then-director of media relations for the church posted online, in part, that “the result is a full-frontal assault on the veracity of the modern Church.” So, what is true or false in the series?
Under the Banner of Heaven Mixes Truth With Performance
Erica and Brenda Lafferty (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) were real people. Brenda Wright Lafferty was a former beauty queen, singer and actress who majored in broadcast journalism at Brigham Young University before marrying her husband, Allen Lafferty. Andrew Garfield’s character, Detective Jeb Pyre, is not. The Lafferty brothers are not figments of the imagination either, though their father's name has been changed in the series. Garfield’s role as detective is instrumental in uncovering deep secrets about the origins of the LDS religion and the violent consequences of straying from faith.
In episode two, titled Rightful Place, there is mention of the Lafferty’s chiropractor business. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Laffertys were indeed successful chiropractors operating a thriving business. Krakauer’s book notes that Dan Lafferty began working for their father, Watson Senior, who first ran his practice from his basement.
It was later revealed that Ron and Dan had designs on killing two other people, a church leader who had counseled Ron’s wife during their divorce and the Highland LDS Stake president who had presided over Ron’s ex-communication. Dan Lafferty is currently serving a life sentence at Draper Prison in Draper, Utah. In 1996, Ron Lafferty chose to be executed by firing squad after being convicted for a second time and sentenced to death. However, he died in 2019 of natural causes at the age of 78. Having sat on death row for 34 years, Ron Lafferty was one of the longest-serving condemned inmates in the nation.
Under the Banner of Heaven premieres Thursday, April 28, 2022, on Hulu.