The Miracle Of Forgiveness: Former Wyoming Murderer Mike Hickey Fully Repents, Restored To Membership In The LDS Church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains that individuals who commit murder, in particular the shedding of innocent blood, may become ineligible for exaltation, although they may still aspire to salvation. This means that, in general, a murderer cannot come forth in the first resurrection, when Jesus Christ returns, but must wait in the temporal hell for the second resurrection, and will only be eligible for telestial glory, the lowest of the three degrees of glory. This restriction is even more applicable for a murderer who was a member of the LDS Church; paragraph 6.7.3 of the Church Handbook of Instructions Vol. 1 states that murder is defined as the deliberate and unjustified taking of a human life, requiring excommunication.

However, the LDS Church does not impose a blanket ban on murderers ever becoming a member of the Church. Instead, paragraph 6.12.30 of the Church Handbook of Instructions Vol. 1 merely states that a murderer cannot be baptized without the express approval of the First Presidency. And the case of Mike Hickey in Lonetree, Wyoming shows that even a former member of the LDS Church can be restored to membership -- if repentance is sincere and there are mitigating circumstances. On May 1st, 2011, the Billings Gazette tells Hickey's story.

Summary: In 1977, Mike Hickey, then 23 years old, fell in with an individual who had a beef with local government. Mark Hopkinson fought with a local sewer board over roughly $12,000 in hookup fees that he refused to pay. In 1977, days before Hopkinson was scheduled to be deposed as part of the ensuing lawsuit, the home of an Evanston attorney involved in the litigation exploded in the middle of the night. The attorney, Vince Vehar, 67, died in the blast, as did his wife and their 15-year-old son. In addition, a fourth person, a 15-year-old girl named Kellie Wyckhuyse, went missing; while her body was never found, a third party eventually reported that she had been killed by Mike Hickey.

In any event, Hickey, a member of an old and prominent Bridger Valley family, ultimately confessed to murdering Wyckhuyse. He also said Hopkinson knew about the murder and promised him an alibi if he killed Vehar. For that and the offer of $2,000, Hickey drove to Evanston and threw 30 sticks of lit dynamite into Vehar’s home. Authorities offered Hickey a deal: In exchange for testifying against Hopkinson, he would get 20 years in prison under a different name to protect him from Hopkinson. Hickey's testimony led to Hopkinson being given a life sentence for each of the three Vehar deaths. Hopkinson eventually received the death penalty for another murder and was executed in 1992.

Because Mike Hickey was a member of the LDS Church at the time, he was excommunicated shortly after his plea deal. However, it appears our Heavenly Father is more merciful than we believe. He looks for the least sign of repentance on our part so He can send the Spirit to work in our lives and demonstrate His power. After paying his debt to society, Hickey was restored to LDS membership in 1999. From the Gazette:

Released from prison in 1999, he came back to Lonetree and began working on the family ranch. In the decade since, he’s married and has been allowed back into the Mormon church. This last part he speaks of with pride. He traveled to Salt Lake City and went before a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He says a church leader told him that if he had any pieces of history relating to what happened — newspaper clippings, books, court documents — to get rid of them.

So why was a convicted murderer like Hickey restored to membership? There are three essential elements to this case:

(1). He was young and immature, and he acted at the behest of an older, more evil individual.

(2). He voluntarily confessed to his crimes and actively helped authorities bring down Mark Hopkinson, the evil genius who inspired them.

(3). He convinced a member of the Quorum of the Twelve that his repentance was sincere and wholehearted, leading the First Presidency to reinstate him.

The Gazette did not report whether or not Hickey had received the full endowment during his first period of Church membership. It is considered more difficult to forgive an LDS murderer if he or she has actually received the full endowment in a temple. Five comments have been posted to the story so far; all are unfavorable to Hickey.

This case, of course, is entirely different than the case of King David in the Bible, who arranged for Uriah to be placed into the hottest part of the battle to be killed so that David could grab Uriah's wife Bathsheba after he had impregnated her (2 Samuel 11). While Mike Hickey was motivated by misguided ideology and misdirected rage, King David was motivated by gratuitous lust. Then King David attempted to cover for the crime, and did not confess until exposed by the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12). While King David repented, the only promise he obtained was that the Lord had put away his sin and that he would not die. But many Latter-day Saints interpret that verse to mean that King David not only must wait until the second resurrection to come forth, but that he can only aspire to telestial glory. President Joseph F. Smith wrote "The way I understand it, a person who sheds innocent blood 'shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come' (D&C 42:18). The refusal of forgiveness referred to here means that the murderer can not repent and receive forgiveness through the atonement of Christ. They cannot be forgiven in the sense that celestial salvation [or exaltation] is made available to them. They will go to hell (spirit prison) to be punished for it. However, a person may eventually be able to receive another type of forgiveness which requires paying the price by suffering in hell for the murder. Then they may be able to be rescued from hell, as in the case of David, and still obtain some degree of glory(but not exaltation) after the final judgment, depending on how good they were during the rest of their life".

But the story of Mike Hickey shows that the Father's capacity for mercy is just as boundless as His desire for justice. Perhaps King David might eventually end up with a better fate after all. This may be one reason why the Savior Himself cautioned us to "Judge not, lest ye be judged". Instead of spending time trying to consign others to hell and perdition, we can use that time more productively by striving for heaven, and in particular, celestial glory with exaltation, where we can realize our full potential as heirs of the Father and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

Former Mormon Christopher Gribble Found Guilty Of Murder In New Hampshire, Insanity Defense Rejected, Sentenced To Life Without Parole

This is what Christopher Gribble once looked like

Christopher Gribble, a former Boy Scout, aspiring Marine and practicing Mormon, sank about as low as one can go in this world when a New Hampshire jury of seven men and five women jurors found Gribble guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, burglary conspiracy, murder conspiracy and witness tampering on March 25th, 2011 after deliberating about two hours over two days. They rejected Gribble's insanity defense. Immediately afterward, Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge Gillian L. Abramson sentenced Gribble to life in prison without chance of parole on the two first-degree murder charges plus 76 years on the four remaining offenses, the maximum allowed by law, while telling Gribble that infinity is not enough jail time for him. The Nashua Telegraph has a portal to all of its trial stories. WMUR Channel 9 has extensive coverage; WHDH Channel 7 news video embedded below:



Gribble was one of four reprobate punks who staged a home invasion on October 4th, 2009, hacking local nurse Kimberly L. Cates to death and severely wounding her 12-year-old daughter Jaimie Cates with a knife and machete. It is said that had Jaimie not managed to reach a phone, she would have bled to death.

Gribble tried to play the insanity card, blaming his parents and what he called childhood trauma and physical abuse at the hands of his mother for his rage. He testified that he could kill again if ever set free. Gribble also reportedly fancied himself a "destroying angel", comparing himself to Porter Rockwell. However, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery A. Strelzin explained how the prosecution successfully countered that ploy, saying that the proof of Gribble's sanity was in the receipt Gribble signed after he pawned Kimberly Cates' jewelry for $130.62. Strelzin called it "blood money." Strelzin noted that Gribble and his four playmates planned the home invasion and burglary and planned to kill anyone they found inside. Gribble himself even testified that he and Steven Spader, who was convicted on the same charges on November 9th, 2010, wanted to kill for fun and bragged about it afterwards.

On March 17th, Richard Gribble, the father of Christopher Gribble, took the stand and described how he struggled to have a good relationship with his son, even after he was arrested and jailed on murder charges. But Christopher began to refuse visits from his parents after hearing from his father last July what he perceived as a snub. Dr. Grace Tallarico, a psychiatrist who treated Christopher, earlier told jurors that Gribble had thoughts of killing his own parents two years before he killed Kimberly Cates. Christopher had been referred to her in 2007 for sexually harassing a woman at his church.

Christopher Gribble once had an unlimited future. He was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon him, was ordained to the office of an elder, and had even aspired to serve as a full-time missionary, although his stake president, in one of the most prescient decisions ever made by a stake president anywhere, refused to forward Gribble's application to Salt Lake City and advised Gribble to resolve personal conflicts first. While Gribble's stake president most likely had no foreknowledge of what Gribble would eventually do, it's obvious that the Holy Spirit might have prompted the stake president not to send Gribble's missionary application forward. Stake presidents and bishops are entitled to the power of discernment.

In many respects, Christopher Gribble would meet the criteria of being a son of perdition, as described in this post, although the final call will be made by our Heavenly Father. A son of perdition will be found "filthy still" during the second resurrection, and will be sent into eternal exile with Satan and his hosts.

Menawhile, Gribble joins co-conspirator Steven Spader in the maximum security unit at 281 North State St., in Concord, NH. He will live in a gray concrete-block cell for 23 hours a day, with just one hour out for exercise. He will eat in his cell, an 8-foot-by-10-foot room secured by a heavy steel door. The cell has a small window, which looks out on part of the state men's prison in Concord. Next to a mattress, there is a toilet and sink, and a small desk and seat, all attached to the wall. He will be kept away from other inmates. He will likely spend a few years in maximum security, possibly longer, before a transfer to "close custody," the next secure unit where inmates have some interaction, and good behavior could lead to a transfer to general population as time goes on. But inmates sentenced to life without parole never make it to minimum security.

Catholic And LDS Prison Chaplains Hold Forth On Utah's Upcoming Execution Of Ronnie Gardner; LDS Doctrine On The Fate Of Murderers

The execution of Ronnie Gardner by firing squad, scheduled to take place shortly after midnight early on Friday June 18th, 2010, has triggered a lot of commentary. The vast majority of those weighing in support the execution. Gardner tried to deter the execution at the last moment by claiming he was a "changed" man and wanted to live in order to deter young people from following his example. For those interested in learning more about Ronnie Gardner, a Deseret News archive is accessible HERE.

But is Gardner really a changed man? One retired chaplain who once worked at the Utah State Prison believes so. The Deseret News tells us that the retired Catholic chaplain, Rev. Reyes Rodriguez, has looked more than once into the cold stare of an evil man who had done terrible things, and says that Ronnie Gardner was not one of them. "He had a gentleness about him, a humanity about him," said Rodriguez, who worked in the Utah State Prison from 1989-96. "He wasn't a cold, calculating, ugly individual. He was a kind person." Rodriguez said he would pray for Gardner when the inmate is executed Friday.

Matt Fellows, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spent more than four years as a chaplain for maximum-security and death-row inmates. He does not specifically recall meeting with Gardner since he customarily avoided contact with death-row inmates unless they specifically requested him. But he said he believed the condemned killer had likely changed during his quarter century behind bars. "I think the problem is we have to get these guys executed much earlier if we're going to do it," Fellows said. "(Gardner is) probably a changed man. He's a different person. The person we're executing Friday is, in a very fundamental way, not the person who committed those crimes. Ask any John or Jane … if they're the same person they were 25 years ago and they would laugh at you. It's not practical to assume that the man who is going to walk the Green Mile, as it were, is the same person. He's had a lot of time to think."

Update: This April 23rd, 2010 Deseret News article indicates that Ronnie Gardner is a former member of the LDS Church, since he refers to his "Mormon heritage". Since this post, Gardner has now met with an LDS bishop who he has known for the past 16 years. The bishop sat on a chair outside Gardner's cell, in an observation port, while Gardner sat on his bunk. There was no word whether Gardner would be allowed any type of LDS blessing before his execution.

It's interesting that Matt Fellows would deliberately avoid death row inmates unless they specifically requested him. This may reflect Mormon doctrine about the eventual disposition of murderers in the spirit world. First, we go to the scriptures for guidance:

Doctrine & Covenants 132:19. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them — Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths — then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever.

Doctrine & Covenants 132:27. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God; and he that abideth not this law can in nowise enter into my glory, but shall be damned, saith the Lord.

The key phrases in the two verses cited above are "new and everlasting covenant", and "murder [by] shedding innocent blood". And who is it who is covered by the "new and everlasting covenant"? Members of the LDS Church. So the verses above imply that a member of the LDS Church who has received all possible ordinances and who goes on to commit what we call premeditated murder (first-degree murder or capital murder) can never receive celestial glory. Since they also cannot come forth until the second resurrection, or the resurrection of the unjust, they also cannot receive terrestrial glory. So the most they can hope for is telestial glory, or the lowest of the three heavens. Doctrine & Covenants Section 76 and Chapter 36 of Gospel Fundamentals contain more information about the three degrees of glory, and who shall inherit them.

LightPlanet.com also contains statements and scriptural cites by two past General Authorities describing the final disposition of murderers.

Stake President Apparently Refused To Forward Christopher Gribble's Request For An LDS Mission Call, Advising Him To Resolve Conflicts First

Update March 25th 2011: Christopher Gribble found guilty of murder, sentenced to life without parole. Updated post HERE.

Update October 8th: You can now express your condolences to the Cates Family on the WeAreBetterThanThis website.

On October 7th, 2009, the Boston Herald reported that Christopher Gribble's stake president may have sensed something was amiss with Gribble, apparently refusing to forward Gribble's request for an LDS mission call to church headquarters in Salt Lake City, instead advising Gribble to resolve personal conflicts first.

A close friend of Gribble who desires to remain anonymous said Gribble complained of problems with his mother, and those conflicts prevented him from becoming a Mormon missionary. “I had been heavily encouraging him to go on a mission and he seemed to really want to, but his stake president (church leader) said he should clear up the problems he’d had at home first,” said the friend. “He had some bad experiences with his mother, and was upset with his father for not doing anything about it.” Nevertheless, other sources report that Gribble was still attending missionary prep classes in Lowell; young LDS men frequently attend missionary prep classes at a local LDS Institute of Religion prior to applying for a mission call. A student manual is available HERE.

Gribble’s anger problems irked his friends. He was described as having lived away from home for more than a year, returning recently to his parents. “He has had mental issues in the past involving mood swings and anger issues,” said the friend. “He could not have known what he was doing.”

But Gribble wasn't the only one of the four having problems. The other three youths, identified as 17-year-old Steven Spader, 18-year-old William Marks, and 17-year-old Quinn Glover, had been showing signs of being depressed, angry or lost in life as well. A Boston Globe story also paints a portrait of portrayed a group of angry and troubled teenagers who went from earning merit badges and starring in school plays to running wild as they lashed out at authority. Gribble and Spader are charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder; Marks and Glover are charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, and armed robbery. More details about the crime in my previous post.

LDS Member And Prospective Missionary Christopher Gribble Charged With Murder Of Kimberly Cates And Maiming Of Jaime Cates In New Hampshire

Update March 25th 2011: Christopher Gribble found guilty of murder, sentenced to life without parole. Updated post HERE.

Update October 7th: More background information released and presented HERE. You can also express your condolences to the Cates Family on the WeAreBetterThanThis website.

A man identified as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who aspired to be appointed a full-time missionary for the Church has been arrested and charged with murder in New Hampshire. Primary media story published by the Boston Globe; additional stories by the Boston Herald, the New Hampshire Union-Leader, and the Nashua Telegraph. Post combines and summarizes different facts from the various media stories. NECN news video embedded below:



Nineteen-year-old Christopher Gribble was one of four teenagers arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a 42-year-old nurse, Kimberly Cates, and the maiming of her 11-year-old daughter, Jaime Cates, in Mont Vernon, NH on Sunday October 4th, 2009. Seventeen-year-old Steven Spader allegedly slit the young girl’s throat with a machete and, along with Gribble, fatally hacked her mother in the head, torso, left arm and left leg. The victim’s husband, David Cates, 44, a defense contractor with BAE Systems, was away on business but returned straightaway after learning of the crime.

Prosecutors have charged Gribble and Spader with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. They did not enter pleas, the customary practice for serious crimes in New Hampshire, and were ordered held without bail. The two other teenagers, 18-year-old William Marks and 17-year-old Quinn Glover, face charges of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, and armed robbery, although prosecutors said both were armed with deadly weapons and were willing participants in the crime. It appears prosecutors don't yet have evidence that Marks and Glover actually participated in the attack upon the two victims themselves, so they are not charged with murder. Marks and Glover are being held on $500,000 bail. All four are expected to appear in court on October 20th.