Tim Lafferty

Tim Lafferty is a member of the Lafferty family whose limited but consequential appearances connect the brothers’ religious discussions to the aftermath of the murders of Brenda Lafferty and Erica Lafferty. He is named among those who gathered for Dan Lafferty’s discussions, appears in an affidavit as a person believed to be in danger, and later calls Bernard Brady with news that Ron Lafferty and Dan had acted on the removal revelation.

Place Among the Lafferty Brothers

When Dan Lafferty and Mark Lafferty worked together in their father’s office, their conversations about religion and government sometimes drew their younger brothers into unexpected gatherings. Tim was one of the five brothers usually present: Dan, Mark, Watson Lafferty, Tim, and Allen Lafferty. Ron, the eldest, was generally absent; Dan described him as having acted more like a father figure than a sibling.

Dan usually led these conversations, arguing that the government had exceeded its constitutional authority and using scripture to support his claims. The evidence establishes Tim’s presence in this circle, but does not specify his own contributions or explain whether he shared Dan’s conclusions. His inclusion matters as part of the family setting in which religious and political ideas were discussed, not as proof that every brother adopted the same views.

Named in the Affidavit

After Ron’s removal revelation raised fears of murder, Bernard Brady signed and notarized an affidavit on April 9. It named ten people whose lives Brady believed were in jeopardy, including Tim. In the same document, Brady identified Ron, Dan, Watson, and a person named Todd as individuals whose beliefs and potential actions he feared. Tim’s position in the affidavit is therefore that of a potential victim, not one of the four people identified as posing the danger.

Brady did not take the affidavit to the police; he put it in a desk drawer so that he could demonstrate he had foreseen the danger if a killing occurred. The other members of the School of the Prophets likewise did not warn the people named. Tim’s appearance in a formal warning document thus records that the danger had been recognized within this circle, while also showing that the warning did not become protection for those at risk.

The Call to Bernard Brady

Ron and Dan left Utah in May 1984 and spent weeks travelling through the American West and Canada, during which Brady says he felt less concerned because they were away. Early on July 25, Tim called Brady as he was getting ready for work. He told him that Ron and Dan had carried out the revelation and killed people the previous day.

The call turned a feared possibility into confirmed news for Brady. His account describes his legs buckling and his collapse at the news. Tim’s role in this moment is precise but important: he is the family member who brings Brady the report that the threatened violence has happened. The available evidence does not explain how Tim learned of the killings or what he did afterward.

Narrative Significance

Tim’s appearances form a stark progression: first among brothers gathered for discussions led by Dan, then named among those Brady believed were in danger, and finally the messenger who reports that Ron and Dan acted. The record does not provide enough detail to characterize Tim’s beliefs, his relationship with the men who carried out the killings, or his later life. What it does show is how the family and the prophetic circle around the removal revelation appear at once as a place where danger was discussed and as the channel through which its consequences were announced.