⚖️ The Succession Crisis of 1844 and the Trial of the Assassins

This episode of The Glitched Gavel examines the chaotic power vacuum left by the assassination of Joseph Smith and the subsequent legal failure to hold his killers accountable in a court of law.

• The Power Vacuum: Following the June 27, 1844, murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail, the Latter Day Saint movement faced an unprecedented leadership crisis. The episode details the competing claims between Brigham Young (leading the Quorum of the Twelve), Sidney Rigdon (the last surviving member of the First Presidency), and James Strang, who claimed a "Letter of Appointment."
• The Trial (May 1845): While the church wrestled with its future, the State of Illinois held a trial for five men indicted for the murders: Thomas C. Sharp, Levi Williams, Mark Aldrich, Jacob C. Davis, and William N. Grover. These men were prominent local leaders and members of the anti-Mormon militia.
• The "Glitch" in the Gavel: The trial was a textbook example of jury nullification and local bias. Despite eyewitness testimony and the defendants' open admission of their presence at the jail, the defense successfully argued that the killing was a "public necessity." The prosecution's key witnesses were discredited based on their religious affiliation, and the jury was composed entirely of local non-Mormons who were openly hostile to the victims.
• The Verdict: On May 30, 1845, the jury acquitted all five defendants. The legal failure to provide justice for the murders signaled to the Latter Day Saints that they would never find protection under Illinois law, directly catalyzing the mass exodus to the Salt Lake Valley.

The episode explores how the "glitch" wasn't just in a single ruling, but in a legal system that allowed communal prejudice to override the basic right to life and due process.