General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Daughters of the Cult

Daughters of the Cult is a five-part American true-crime documentary series, produced by ABC News Studios and released on Hulu on January 4, 2024, that tells the history of the polygamous cult led by Ervil LeBaron through the accounts of people who lived inside it, principally his daughters Anna and Celia LeBaron.¹^•² The series was directed by Sara Mast and was announced in December 2023 as part of ABC News Studios' early-2024 slate of true-crime docu-series streaming exclusively on Hulu.²^•³

Key fact	Detail
Format	Five-episode documentary series, about 46 minutes per episode⁴
Premiere	January 4, 2024, on Hulu²
Director	Sara Mast²
Production	ABC News Studios, Main Event Media, and All3Media⁵
Subject	Ervil LeBaron's splinter Mormon fundamentalist group, which operated throughout the Southwest and Mexico¹
Central figures	Anna and Celia LeBaron, daughters of Ervil who escaped the cult¹
Availability	Streaming on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in some other territories⁶^•⁷

Spoilers

Subject: the LeBaron cult

The series examines a splinter of Mormon fundamentalism. After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ended polygamy in 1890, it excommunicated members who continued to marry multiple spouses, and those former members formed their own splinter groups.¹ Ervil LeBaron's father moved his family to Chihuahua, Mexico, in the 1920s, where Ervil's older brother Joel later established a polygamous church.⁸ After their father died, the brothers led the community in 1951 under the name "Firstborn of the Fullness of Times."¹

Ervil's rise. Ervil challenged Joel's leadership, causing a schism, and in 1972 founded his own church, the Church of the First Born Lamb of God, which he led until his death in Utah in 1981.⁸ He called himself the "Prophet of God" and ordered executions of rivals who stood in his way, invoking the religious doctrine of blood atonement to justify the killings.⁴^•⁶ Members of his church have been accused of dozens of murders at his behest.⁸ The press nicknamed him the "Mormon Manson."

What the series covers

The five episodes follow the arc of the cult and the LeBaron family:⁴

Blood Atonement covers the chaotic childhood of Anna and Celia and the start of Ervil's deadly rise to power.
The Mormon Manson follows two young wives chosen by Ervil who were allegedly sent to kill a polygamist rival; the law closes in on the hit woman while Ervil escapes.
Manhunt covers the period when Ervil was on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list and a massive manhunt finally caught him, while his writings were smuggled out of prison.
The Hit List describes the fear caused by Ervil's "Hit List" after his death, as a new generation took over the cult and an assassination plot unfolded, and Anna and Celia's escapes from the cult.
The 4 O'Clock Murders covers the shooting deaths of three men and an 8-year-old child minutes apart, the flight of family members into hiding, and the eventual arrests.

FBI records cover the 4 O'Clock Murders: helped directly by his sister Patricia, Richard LeBaron went to Rena Street's 6000 block in Houston, where he murdered Duane Chynoweth along with Duane's 8-year-old daughter, Jenny Chynoweth.⁹ Eddie Marston, Ervil LeBaron's stepson, was among the other victims.¹ In 2011, Jacqueline LeBaron was sentenced to prison in connection with the case.⁹

Approach and reception

The series is built around interviews with surviving ex-members, many of them Ervil's own children, who recount the family's origins, Ervil's rise to power, and his philosophy of violence.¹⁰ Anna and Celia LeBaron said they participated despite fear; Anna stated that many of her siblings are afraid to tell their stories.¹ Anna LeBaron is also the author of the memoir The Polygamist's Daughter.¹¹

Critical response. On Rotten Tomatoes the season held a 64% Tomatometer from three critic reviews.² Johnny Loftus of Decider called it "a true crime docuseries done right," noting that it avoids elevating the cult leader to a ghoulish pedestal and instead focuses on the people he hurt most.² Common Sense Media described it as "a confessional, interview, and roundtable rolled into one," rated it for ages 13 and up for graphic descriptions of violence and discussions of predatory relationships, and noted the siblings' dark humor as a counterbalance.¹⁰ Some audience reviewers found the siblings' rapid back-and-forth storytelling chaotic.² Shortly after release, Axios reported the series was hovering in Hulu's top 5 rankings.⁸

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026