Massacre Of The Mormons: Who Killed The Women & Children From The La Mora Community

Summary A drug cartel was behind the horrific massacre of nine members of a Mormon community in Mexico in 2019.

Mexican authorities have arrested more than 35 people connected to the massacre in the years following the attack.

Authorities believe the attackers, tied to a drug cartel, mistook the victims as the Sinaloa cartel.

Max's Massacre of the Mormons shines light on a horrific massacre of members of a Mormon community in La Mora, located 70 miles south of the Mexico–United States border, which included the murders of three women and six children. The true crime television show consists of four episodes, all chronicling what happened on the day of the massacre and the events that followed, including the police investigation and the La Mora community's response to the killings. However, the majority of Massacre of the Mormons' episodes revolve around trying to find and rescue the survivors of the attack.

On November 4, 2019, three cars carrying 17 American Mexican Mormons were driving in Sonora, Mexico, when gunmen opened fire on the vehicles. The three drivers — Christina Langford Johnson, Dawna Langford, and Rhonita Miller — were killed, while six children aged 8 months to 12 years old also died from the gunshots and fires. Seven of the children who were in the cars had varying degrees of injuries but survived, some of whom can be seen in Massacre of the Mormons. All 17 victims and survivors belonged to the LeBarón family, and the police believed a drug cartel was behind the murders.

A Drug Cartel Was Behind The 9 La Mora Community Killings

The Victims' Families Believe The Juarez Cartel Is Responsible

Close

Members of the Juarez drug cartel are thought to have carried out the murders, as explained in the Max true crime documentary television show Massacre of the Mormons. More specifically, La Línea, a faction of the Juarez cartel, is believed to be responsible for the attacks. According to Vice, the families of the victims filed a lawsuit against La Línea and the Juarez cartel in 2020, and the court went in the victims' favor with the ruling stating that the cartel owes the Mormon community around $4.6 billion for the massacre. During the trial, the plaintiffs alleged:

"100 heavily armed individuals had a meeting … at the ranch of the criminal organization known as La Linea or the Juarez Cartel. The main objective of this criminal organization was to take back the territory of Agua Prieta, which at that time belonged to the Sinaloa cartel ... The order was [given] to shoot ... at anyone, be it a civilian, police officer, just anyone."

Many believe that the motive behind the murders in Sonora, Mexico, was related to the Juarez cartel wanting to reclaim territory, and the three cars carrying the three women and 14 children were mistaken for the Sinaloa cartel. BBC explained that the night before the attacks, as depicted in Massacre of the Mormons, the Juarez cartel and Sinaloa cartel engaged in a firefight in Agua Prieta. Unfortunately, the women and children of the La Mora community could have been mistaken for the Sinaloa cartel, and they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Fidencio González Esparza, also known as "El Janos," is the only one [arrested for the massacre] who has been convicted and sent to prison.

Related 10 Best True Crime Docuseries Like American Nightmare For enthusiasts of unexpected twists and mesmerizing mysteries akin to American Nightmare, these true crime docuseries offer major entertainment.

Were There Any Arrests After The La Mora Mormon Massacre?

The Mexican Authorities Arrested More Than 35 People

Before Massacre of the Mormons' end credits, the 2024 true crime documentary revealed that more than 35 people connected to the massacre have been arrested in the years following the nine murders. However, Fidencio González Esparza, also known as "El Janos," is the only one who has been convicted and sent to prison. Esparza, who belonged to the Juarez cartel, received a 12-year sentence for organized crime, but he wasn't charged with homicide. Because the 2019 massacre as portrayed in the Max true crime show is a lesser-known case, not much is known about the other arrests.

All four episodes of Massacre of the Mormons are available to stream on Max.

Sources: Vice, BBC