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The Lillelid Family Massacre
What drove six young people to murder strangers?
It was April 6, 1997, when 34-year-old Vidar Lillelid approached two teen girls, 18-year-old Natasha Cornett and 17-year-old Karen R. Howell at a rest stop and began to speak with them about his religious views as a Jehovah’s Witness, offering them a pamphlet.
Vidar had stopped so that his wife could take their daughter to the restroom, and he could walk their son, who was cranky from the trip, around a bit to calm him. Vidar had the toddler in his arms as he initiated the conversation, which was quickly joined by two more individuals — 20-year-old Joseph Lance Risner and 14-year-old Jason Blake Bryant. Vidar soon realized it had been a mistake, as Risner showed him a gun and said, “I hate to do you this way, but we are going to have to take you with us for your van.”
As Risner directed Vidar back into their family van, Vidar begged the group to leave his family at the rest stop and just take his wallet, keys, and the van. Risner refused the offer. He forced Vidar behind the wheel and sat in the passenger seat, holding a gun on the father and husband while he drove.
In the back of the van were Bryant, Howell, and Cornett, along with Vidar’s family — 28-year-old Delfina Lillelid, 6-year-old Tabitha Lillelid, and 2-year-old Peter Lillelid. Two more teens, 19-year-old Edward Dean Mullins and 18-year-old Crystal Rena Sturgill followed in Risner’s car.
In an attempt to keep the children calm, Vidar’s wife, Delfina Lillelid began to sing to them, but Bryant ordered her to stop. Risner forced Vidar to drive to the interstate and then take the next exchange that led onto a smaller road called Payne Hollow Lane, near Greeneville. He was instructed to turn down a little-traveled gravel road. Once the van was in a secluded spot along the road, the Lillelid family was ordered out of the van and lined up along a ditch.
Accounts of what happened next varied widely from one of the killers to the next, but the older ones all seemed to point the finger at Bryan, claiming they were still discussing whether to let the…
