Missouri Drops Charges Against the Mohlers

In November 2009, a tale of horrific child sexual abuse made national headlines. Burrell Mohler, Sr. of Independence, Missouri and four of his adult sons were charged with 42 counts of sexual assault involving his grandchildren. His brother, Darrel Mohler of Silver Springs, Florida, was charged with two counts of rape in Lafayette County, Missouri. The alleged abuse occurred from the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties.

Shortly after the Mohlers were arrested, I discussed the case with my friends. Some felt that the psychologist(s) who treated the Mohler girls may have implanted false memories in their minds. One allegation that bothered us was that the little Mohler girls were forced to marry their uncles in mock weddings. Then the men allegedly raped the girls in a trailer or in a chicken coop. This allegation implied that the defendants, who were already married, were taking child brides and practicing polygamy.

Three of the Mohlers served as lay ministers in the Community of Christ church. Burrell Mohler, Jr. and his wife converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1982. (He was later excommunicated for conduct not related to child abuse.) The Community of Christ church is formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS.) The LDS and RLDS have been separate and distinct churches for more than a century. After Joseph Smith II was assassinated in 1844, Brigham Young led his followers to what is now known as Utah. Many of Joseph Smith II's followers who remained in Missouri, including Emma Hale, later joined the RLDS. Joseph Smith III became the president of the RLDS in 1860. In 2001, the RLDS officially changed its name to the Community of Christ church.

Unlike the LDS and FLDS, the RLDS never believed in or practiced polygamy. Belief in polygamy is one of the main differences between the churches. Was the psychologist(s) who treated the Mohler girls aware of this? Were the allegations made about the defendants based on hateful, anti-Mormon stereotypes? Because the Community of Christ church never believed in polygamy, accusing its members of taking child brides and practicing polygamy is about as absurd as making the same allegations about a Baptist or Catholic family.

Other allegations about the Mohlers were also questionable. The alleged victims claimed to have written notes about being sexually abused, put the notes in glass jars and buried the jars on the Mohlers' farm decades ago. The jars and/or notes were never found. One girl claimed to have had an abortion at age 11. According to Examiner.Net, the alleged victims claimed that several defendants took them to a pasture and forced them to have sex with a horse. They claimed that they had helped kidnap a 300 lb. man, killed him and dug a grave for him. They also claimed that the defendants kept a sex slave in their basement for two years. She gave birth to two babies, and one was buried under the basement floor. After the story was made public, a woman came forward and identified herself as the sex slave.

On March 7, 2012, Lafayette County Prosecutor Kellie Wingate Campbell announced that she was dropping all the charges. According to the Kansas City Star, the lack of physical evidence was a problem. Ms. Campbell stated that she doubted she could convince a jury that the bizarre allegations were true.

I am skeptical of stories about ritualistic sex abuse because I lived in southern California when the McMartin Preschool case took place. However, I feel sympathy for the Mohler girls who are now adults. Their desire to protect other children from sexual abuse was good. The prosecutor's decision must be painful for them. A person who suffers from false memories may be traumatized by them if he or she believes that the false memories are true.

I also feel sorry for the defendants. Burrell Mohler, Sr., age 79, and one of his sons spent two years in jail because they could not afford to post bail. Those who could post bail endured the humiliation of being publicly vilified. Darrel Mohler, age 74, died in his sleep at this Florida home last year without knowing the charges against him were dropped. Like the McMartins, the Mohlers' lives were completely ruined. It will be difficult -- if not impossible -- to rebuild them.