Ervil Morrell Lebaron was born into a polygamous Mormon family in Chihuahua, Mexico, 22^nd February 1925. In 1951, he became second in command of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fulness of Time, the Mormon group founded by his father, Alma Dayer Lebaron Sr. Upon the death of their father, Joel Lebaron became leader of the community, much to the displeasure of Ervil.

After several years serving as second in command to his older brother, Ervil broke away from the Church of the Fulness of Time in order to take his rightful, God-given position at the head of his own church. Thus, the Church of the Lamb of God was created in San Diego, California, 1972. Using his charismatic authority, Ervil cultured a following of loyal supporters who carried out his every command. Over a period of ten years, Ervil Lebaron ordered the deaths of more than two dozen individuals, including two of his brothers and his own daughter, who was 19 and pregnant when she was strangled to death.

It was not until 1^st June 1979 that he was finally captured by Mexican police and extradited to the United States. Lebaron carried out only one year of his sentence of life imprisonment before he died in jail in 1981.