Killing of Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, the founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother, Hyrum Smith, were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, United States, on June 27, 1844, while awaiting trial in the town jail on charges of treason.

As a result of the 1838 Mormon War and a state executive order by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs, a large group of Mormons, including Smith and his brother, had to flee Missouri. In 1839, the group settled in Commerce, Illinois, where Smith soon became mayor and which he renamed Nauvoo.

In 1844, a group of ex-Mormons who opposed polygamy and who had recently been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints established the Nauvoo Expositor newspaper. On June 7, 1844, the newspaper published its first (and only) issue, which criticized Smith and other church leaders, reporting that Smith was practicing polygamy, marrying the wives of other men, teaching a "plurality of Gods", and alleging that he intended to set himself up as a theocratic king. After a vote of the Nauvoo City Council, Smith, as mayor, ordered the Expositor's printing press destroyed.

The destruction of the press led to broader public outrage in the communities surrounding the city. The Smith brothers and other members of the Nauvoo City Council were charged by the State of Illinois with inciting a riot. Joseph Smith was apprehended, but freed by the Nauvoo municipal court. Smith declared martial law and called for the Nauvoo Legion to help keep the peace. After failing and briefly fleeing Illinois, Smith received a personal statement from the governor of Illinois, Thomas Ford, who "pledged his faith and the faith of the state (Illinois) to protect him while he underwent a legal and fair trial", convincing Smith and Hyrum to return to Illinois and face trial voluntarily. When the brothers arrived at the county seat of Carthage to surrender to authorities, they were charged with treason against Illinois for declaring martial law.

The Smith brothers were detained at Carthage Jail awaiting trial when an armed mob of 150–200 men stormed the building, their faces painted black with wet gunpowder. Hyrum was killed almost immediately when he was shot in the face, shouting as he fell, "I am a dead man!" After emptying his pistol towards the attackers, Joseph tried to escape from a second-story window, but was shot several times and fell to the ground, where he was again shot by the mob.

Five men were indicted for the killings, but all were acquitted at a jury trial. At the time of his death, Smith was also running for president of the United States, making him the first U.S. presidential candidate to be assassinated. Smith's death marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement.