Samuel Shaffer Sentenced To Additional 15 Years In Prison, Two Other Cult Followers Charged With Crimes Against Children

Self-proclaimed prophet of a cult group called The Knights of the Crystal Blade, Samuel Shaffer, pleaded guilty to sodomy on a child, a felony, on Wednesday. He’s been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The 34-year-old has previously been sentenced to a minimum 26 years in prison for first-degree rape of a child and a second-degree felony count of child abuse.

The separate charges take place in two different counties: Sanpete and Iron in Utah. Both sentencings will run at the same time.

Another two men who followed the cult have also been charged with crimes against children. John Alvin Coltharp and Shaffer were both married to each other’s daughters who were minors. Additionally, Coltharp, 34, pleaded guilty to child sodomy and child bigamy on June 13. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 8.

“I sincerely believed that child marriage was a correct principle from God. And I’ve seen the consequences of what’s happened, and I know that I shouldn’t have done it now,” Shaffer told a judge in Sanpete County. “But I sincerely believed that the practice was correct at the time.”

At his first sentencing, Shaffer wanted his victim not to blame herself for anything that she endured.

“I want her to know that I’m glad she testified against me,” he told the court. “I want her to know that everything that’s happening to me is my fault and it’s not her fault. I love her and I respect her.”

Additionally, Coltharp and Shaffer were arrested in December 2017 for kidnapping Coltharp’s four daughters. An Amber Alert was issued for the missing children when Coltharp’s ex-wife told police he had taken their children after losing custody. Two girls were found in a single-wide trailer and the others were found in empty 50-gallon water drums.

On June 8, Robert Shane Roe, also 34, was charged with child sexual abuse. He met Shaffer and Coltharp via Facebook and went to Utah for a “bride,” a 5-year-old girl who was related to one of the men, according to KUTV.