Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of child rape. Reader discretion is advised.
Tom Green garnered a lot of popularity for his lifestyle as a polygamist and marrying several women. He made several appearances in the media, talking about polygamy and his relationship with all his wives. Reports suggest that Green started marrying in 1970, and most of his wives were teenagers when he married them. For several years, he lived like a celebrity. However, Green was later convicted of rape and bigamy in two separate cases.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Tom Green began marrying young girls in 1970 and initially had 10 wives. However, by 2000, Green lived with his five wives: Linda Kunz, Cari Green, Shirley Beagley, Hannah Bjorkman, and LeeAnn Beagley. In May 2001, the trial of Tom Green began in Utah, and the prosecutors claimed that Green’s polygamous life was a “public challenge” to the marriage laws, per The New York Times. The jury deliberated for three hours and delivered a guilty verdict. The court sentenced him to five years in prison.
Meanwhile, in June 2002, the court found him guilty of child rape for having sex with a 13-year-old girl who went on to become his spiritual wife. CBS News reported that the trial lasted for just one hour. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Tom Green received a five-year prison sentence for child rape.
Polygamist Tom Green: How many wives & children did he have?
As mentioned above, Tom Green initially had 10 wives. However, some of his spiritual wives sputtered. By 2000, he lived with five of his wives. After spending five years in prison, Green received parole in 2007 and told the authorities that he wouldn’t marry anyone else. The Salt Lake City Tribune reported that Green had 30 children at the time of the parole.
In February 2021, Tom Green passed away at the age of 72. Per The Salt Lake City Tribune, the Utah polygamist died because of pneumonia caused by COVID-19. The obituary, which was posted by Green’s family, mentioned that the polygamist is survived by three wives, 34 children, 54 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.
The 1999 documentary One Man, Six Wives, and 29 Children explores the story of polygamist Tom Green.
