Our petition is for the State of Illinois to open a criminal investigation into Brigham Young, John Taylor, Willard Richards, and William W. Phelps for the murders of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage, Illinois June 27, 1844 as well as John Taylor being exhumed for the direct evidence. Despite the murders happening almost 180 years ago there still remains the bullet from the day of the murders in the left knee of John Taylor. If the bullet can be extracted to see if microscopic markings remain that match to the handgun Joseph Smith used that day it would demonstrate Joseph Smith used self defense against John Taylor as circumstantial evidence suggests.

We have already reached out to law enforcement but the greater community needs to be active for this case to be opened for a court order to examine John Taylor's remains.

The behavior and false statements from these men point to their involvement.

William Phelps is responsible for the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor by forcing Joseph's hand in its destruction using the city council. William Phelps wrote the speech and pushed Joseph to commit the act of treason on June 18, which would be used to jail him. William Phelps pressured Joseph to turn himself in over what was believed to be a minor charge. Lastly William Phelps announced the new edition of the Doctrine & Covenants 2 days after the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor for release a month later. This new edition released with enough time to include the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. The timing of this action by Phelps shows an expectation of Joseph and Hyrum’s death within a month’s time. Willard Richards stopped journaling in Joseph Smith’s journal on June 22, 1844, after doing so daily for a year and a half. The journal entries of Willards are described as cryptic and sketchy in nature. Willard Richards also fakes being sick, so Joseph’s bodyguard Stephan Markham leaves and cannot return to be Joseph’s bodyguard. Willard Richards also prevented Samuel Smith from taking leadership in the church but was signing licenses but was asserting the power of the 12, assuming Samuel Smith would be dead soon. John Taylor didn’t join the rest of the men downstairs for breakfast but remained in the jailer’s bedroom for an hour alone. Brigham Young doesn’t cry when he learns the news of Joseph's and Hyrum's deaths; years later, his journals are altered to include him crying. Brigham also has a changing story between not having received his endowments yet to the claim that Joseph gave him his endowments and the keys of the kingdom.

-Willard Richards and John Taylor lied about being pressed up against the door as there was no damage to the oak doorjamb from the latch being shot.

- Willard Richards and John Taylor lied about Hyrum facing the door and being shot in the face. Hyrum died facedown with his back to the door and was flipped over postmortem.

 - Willard Richards and John Taylor lied about knocking down muskets with their canes since they were not covered with burns, or suffered eye damage, or burns to their canes.

- Willard Richards lied about a mob trying to force themselves into the room, as his account states he and Joseph left the door unattended for a time.

- Willard Richards lied about Joseph being shot as he left the room through the window.

- Willard Richards lied about being shot in the earlobe at the window; his injury came from somewhere else.

-Images of Carthage Jail before remodeling shows bullet holes in the west wall that couldn’t have come from the supposed mob at the head of the stairs or the claimed mob members shooting through the upstairs window. 

-When the plaster was stripped from the walls of Carthage Jail during remodeling, no damage appeared on the lath behind the wall plaster.

Please Sign Today For Justice & Truth

You can read my published paper here if you'd like to learn more. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kMOm0zMCFgxISuIQ-dCVgx-FVuJj_a9y/view?usp=sharing