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Becky Bruce reportingA woman who escaped from a polygamous cult says Texas is setting a precedent Utah should follow.
Laurie Allen is the woman behind a documentary about polygamy called, "Banking on Heaven."
She escaped a polygamous cult herself. Her uncle is Ervil LeBaron, the man responsible for 28 murders in the name of blood atonement.
Allen feared officers would find a method of execution inside the Texas FLDS temple. She said, "That's what I was worried about. Nothing surprises me because these people have been breaking the law for a hundred years now, and nobody's been doing anything about it."
Allen told KSL's Doug Wright that it's difficult for anyone to escape polygamy because they literally fear for their lives. Allen says, "They've been taught from birth that they're going to burn in hell if they leave the cult. They become an apostate, and I think these men have become more and more brutal with the women and the children, and we're seeing the evidence of that today."
She says they have no where to turn to on the outside for help. That's why she says it's important to reach out and let women know they can leave and there is help for them.
Allen supports a group called the Hope Organization, which helps provide resources to people trying to leave the polygamous lifestyle. For more information on the support group or on Allen's documentary, click on the related links.
E-mail: bbruce@ksl.com
