Early evening, 2001, on the grounds of a converted Ski-Lodge resort located slightly east of Chatsworth, Ontario. Called the Property by the sixty-odd followers that make up the congregation. They sit silently waiting in 'The Chapel'.
From the doorway comes a sudden screaming obscenity, followed by two sharp slaps and then the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. Carol has been laid out by blows from Fred King, The Prophet of the 'The Church of Jesus Christ Restored'. Before she can raise her head off the ground, she's roughly pulled up, spit on, slapped, and repeatedly smashed full body against a granite pillar.
Her crime: picking raspberries without permission from The Prophet
Fred King grabs Carol by a clump of hair and drags her past the rest of the congregation. They sit mutely, heads bowed and eyes averted.
Carol's only thought is that she is going to die that day. By some miracle and her own indomitable spirit, she manages to not only survive the beating, but seven years later escape from the cults grasp to tell her story.
As a teenage bride of seventeen, Carol was introduced by her Mother to Stan King, the original leader of the polygamous cult. She was one of six church wives Stan had throughout the years. After his death in 1986, Carol, as well as the other church wives were passed on from the father to his chosen son, Fred King.
Whereas Stan King had used spiritual zeal and manipulative charm to dominate his followers, Fred King used 'chastisement and correction' to maintain complete control over every aspect of their lives.
Although Carol lived a life of desperation, punctuated with violence and rage, she never stopped believing in a better life. Her fierce independence was never extinguished.
After her escape she become an advocate for others fleeing similar circumstances and it was after her appearance on a W5 episode that the police decided to lay formal charges against Fred King. He pled guilty to nine counts of assault on May 9, 2016. The charge of polygamy and six allegations of sexual misconduct were withdrawn as part of a plea deal. These charges included sexual abuse of a young girl.
In her autobiographical book, Property: The True story of a Polygamous Church Wife, Carol outlines the difficulties escaped followers must face.
"A common denominator among almost all departed members is paranoia. Fred King would state directly and succinctly, "If you leave, I will hunt you down and kill you." I perceive deep emotional scars within us all. There seems to be some sort of bondage that holds them hostage, all locked up in the personal memories they cannot shed. Many are now into various stages of middle age, and are still learning lessons of life normally attained by high school graduation."
Carol also feels letdown by the institutions and authorities that turned a blind eye to the signs of abuse that took place at 'The Church of Jesus Christ Restored.
She writes, "I still feel frustration toward Ontario Provincial Police officers who didn't investigate complaints more thoroughly. I am furious with the Board of Education Officials in the Guelph area and The Ontario Ministry of Education for their lack of diligence and deficient follow up. I am mystified that local Children's Aid officials, notified about suspected troubles involving children, have been so long and late in acting."
It is, sadly, an ongoing story. After serving 12 months of an 18-month sentence, Fred King was released in September of 2017, and moved into a residence in the surrounding area of Chatsworth, ON. Carol still feels like she is fighting an uphill battle to attain the justice she and the other escapees of the cult deserve.
The fact that Fred King still runs a profitable printing company in Mississauga and has holdings in various large amounts of real estate seems further proof that justice indeed has not yet been served. Many call Chatsworth and the surrounding area home, but are only vaguely aware that a cult exists nearby.
It is only by looking into the dark corners we are afraid to look in that we can begin to heal. Secrets and shame can only be healed after the stories are told. It's uncomfortable, but hearing and sharing the stories of those whose voices have been silenced by abuse can begin to knit us together again as a community.
"Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."
-John Stuart Mill

My name is Christopher McGruer, I'm a writer and film director. I've been working with Carol on this story for two years to develop it into a screenplay and eventually a film. I believe this is our community's story, and it needs to be told for our sake and for Carol's. Told also for the sake of people everywhere who are caught in a place of abuse and voicelessness.
For more information please write to [email protected]