Tom Green Polygamist: Who Were His Five Wives?

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As a gamer with a deep interest in documentaries, I’ve come across some fascinating stories that leave me pondering the complexities of human relationships and societal norms. The case of polygamist Tom Green is one such intriguing tale that has left me questioning the boundaries of love, family, and faith.

Utah resident Tom Green, who was found guilty of having multiple spouses, was married to five women—Linda, Lee Ann, Shirley, Hannah, and Cari—prior to the year 2000. Upon his passing in 2021, Green left behind three surviving wives and a total of 34 children. Pre-trial, Green gained significant media attention by featuring on various national television programs such as Jerry Springer and Dateline NBC, where he openly defended his unconventional lifestyle. Following his conviction, Green spent almost five years in prison before being granted parole in 2007.

In a 1999 documentary titled “One Man, Six Wives, and 29 Children,” the life of polygamist Tom Green and his six spouses are explored in depth.

Who were polygamist Tom Green’s five wives?

Based on The Salt Lake Tribune’s report, Tom Green is known to have married for the first time in 1970 and is believed to have had a total of 10 wives. However, confirmed sources mention Linda Kunz, Lee Ann Beagley, Shirley Beagley, Hannah Bjorkman, and Cari Green as his legal or recognized spouses. Linda Kunz was Tom’s legally wedded wife, while the others were his spiritual or plural wives. Sadly, Tom passed away in 2021 due to COVID-19 at the age of 72.

In the summer of 2001, a jury found Green guilty of four bigamy charges and one count of not paying child support. As a result, he was sentenced to five years in prison. However, just a year later, in June 2002, Green was set to stand trial for allegedly raping his underage stepdaughter, Linda Kunz. At the time, they had married and she had given birth to their first child in 1986 when she was merely 13 years old and he was 38.

Tom Green, a polygamist, underwent a bench trial for rape charges in 2003, during which then-Judge Donald Eyre declared him guilty. Consequently, Eyre sentenced Green to spend the rest of his life in prison. In the summer of 2007, Green was granted parole after persuading the parole board that he would no longer marry additional wives. As a condition of his release, his existing spouses agreed to live in adjacent units of a quadplex in Springville, thereby avoiding violations of Utah’s bigamy law.

In the year 2007, when Green was freed from prison, he had approximately 30 children. However, in the year 2019, Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole ended his parole, keeping him on the sex offender registry until his passing in 2021. As per the registry records, he resided in South Jordan during this time.

According to The New York Times, prior to his conviction, Tom Green made appearances on TV with his wives. On national television programs, they stood together to support his unconventional lifestyle, arguing it was a protected right under the Constitution. The Guardian added that Green maintained he adhered solely to the original teachings of the Mormon church.

During an episode of a TV show, Utah county prosecutor David O. Leavitt encountered Green. Being a Mormon, Leavitt later accused Green of bigamy due to his polygamous marriages, which ultimately led to Leavitt’s downfall. In his court report, Leavitt revealed that Green had been entering into unlawful marriages and was therefore evading prosecution. He stated, “Green has deliberately made his relationships with multiple wives intricately complex,” implying that this defiance of marriage laws was a bold public statement.

While Tom Green held firmly to his religious convictions, he asserted that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had shunned him due to his embarrassment of the church. Green emphasized that he did not belong to a polygamous faction and referred to his beliefs as “unique Mormonism.”

According to reports, Tom Green was raised in a Holladay family that belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints based in Utah. Prior to 1890, this faith allowed polygamy as part of their teachings. However, they later ceased this practice and began expelling members who continued to take multiple wives.

Although Green had a strong connection with polygamist Ross Wesley LeBaron, whom he referred to as his “adoptive father,” LeBaron wed his first plural spouse in 1984. Notably, at that point, LeBaron was still married to his legal wife, Lynda Penman. Together, they had three children, but LeBaran’s bigamous practices led Penman to initiate divorce proceedings.

Tom Green is now survived by three wives, 34 children, and 54 grandchildren.

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2024-07-19 19:11