Jeffrey Don Lundgren was born on May 3, 1950, in Independence, Missouri. He grew up in a religious family that belonged to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the RLDS Church. Lundgren described his childhood as difficult, claiming he faced severe abuse from his father. Many of his former neighbors also reported that he experienced harsh treatment at home.

In school, Lundgren was known to be a loner. He did not have many friends during middle and high school. He spent time with his father as a teenager, which helped him become an expert hunter. He learned about firearms and how to maintain them, becoming skilled in their use.

After high school, Lundgren attended Central Missouri State University. While in college, he lived in a house designed for RLDS youth. There, he met Alice Keeler and became friends with Keith Johnson. Alice had also suffered abuse as a child, which helped her and Lundgren form a close bond. They got married in 1970, and their first son was born later that year.

In the early 1970s, Lundgren joined the United States Navy. He served for nearly four years before receiving an honorable discharge. He had tried to get out of the Navy early by claiming he needed to support his family, but this request was denied. After his discharge, he and Alice moved to San Diego, California. However, they soon faced financial issues and returned to Missouri.

During their time in Missouri, the couple had three more children: a daughter born in 1979 and another son born in 1980. Reports from family and friends indicated that Lundgren became frustrated with their financial struggles and showed signs of becoming abusive, especially after the birth of their daughter. Alice suffered injuries, including a ruptured spleen, which may have been caused by Lundgren pushing her against a closet door.

In 1987, Lundgren was removed from his role as a lay minister in the RLDS Church. He had been living in a church-owned home in Kirtland, Ohio, where he worked as a tour guide at the Kirtland Temple. While there, he began interpreting scriptures using a method he called "chiastic interpretation." Some followers began to take an interest in his teachings at this time. However, he faced suspicion about theft while working as a tour guide, which eventually led to him being asked to leave his home.

On April 10, 1989, Jeffrey Lundgren instructed some of his followers to dig a pit in a barn. He anticipated that this pit would hold the bodies of the Avery family, who were also followers of his cult. Lundgren claimed that the group would go on a wilderness trip. On April 17, he rented a motel room and had dinner with his followers. Later that evening, he called the men in his group into his room to confirm their commitment to a sacrifice. Dennis Avery, the husband and father of the Avery family, was not invited to this meeting.

Lundgren then lured Dennis into the barn with the help of a church member, Ron Luff, who pretended to need his assistance. Luff attempted to incapacitate Avery using a stun gun, but it malfunctioned. Instead, Avery was captured, gagged, and dragged to where Lundgren was waiting. Without hesitation, Lundgren shot Avery twice in the back, killing him quickly. To cover the sound of the gunfire, a chainsaw was running nearby.

After killing Dennis Avery, Lundgren turned his attention to his wife, Cheryl. Luff informed her that her husband needed help. She was also gagged and had duct tape placed over her eyes. Cheryl was dragged to Lundgren, where she was shot three times: twice in the chest and once in the abdomen, dying next to her husband. The couple's daughters, Trina and Becky, were not spared. Trina was shot twice in the head, with the first shot grazing her skull, but the second shot proved fatal. Becky was shot twice and left for dead. The youngest daughter, Karen, was shot in the chest and head.

The next day, Lundgren and his followers began to act suspiciously. On April 18, police came to his farm to question him. Fearing capture, Lundgren and the remaining cult members fled Ohio for West Virginia. As time passed without any repercussions, Lundgren and his family eventually moved to California, leaving behind other members of his group.

Nine months later, on January 3, 1990, police received a tip that led them back to Lundgren's abandoned farm, where they discovered the remains of the Avery family. As the investigation unfolded, media attention grew, and law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, began tracking down Lundgren and his followers. Many were arrested, and Lundgren himself was apprehended.

In 1990, Lundgren was convicted on five counts of aggravated murder and received the death penalty. His wife, Alice, was sentenced to five life sentences for her role in the conspiracy. Others involved received varying sentences based on their involvement in the crimes.

Jeffrey Lundgren's execution was scheduled for October 24, 2006. He made several unsuccessful attempts to delay it, arguing that his obesity would lead to a painful execution. Despite his claims, the appeals were denied, and he was executed by lethal injection. Lundgren died without anyone claiming his body, which was buried in a prison cemetery.