Kidnapped Bride's Parents: 'We Did Go Too Far'

June 1, 2007 — -- From their very first date last year, Julianna Redd and Perry Myers have been inseparable. Both clean-cut Utah college students from traditional Mormon families, they were an easy fit. "We clicked really quickly and had a wonderful time together," says Redd. "It was very natural."

It was a whirlwind romance that led to a marriage proposal after only two months of courtship. And their good fortune continued when Redd's parents, Julia and Lemuel "Hardy" Redd -- cattle farmers from the small Utah town of Monticello -- seemed to approve of the match. Hardy Redd even described Myers as "every father's ideal of a son in law."

But the tide soon turned, and Redd and Myers' trip to the altar would lead to turmoil and a family torn apart. Incredibly, Redd's parents are facing a trial next month for allegedly kidnapping their own daughter to prevent her from marrying the man she loved.

The family conflict began with a classic wedding spat about the ceremony location. Redd and Myers decided on a morning service at the world renowned Salt Lake Temple, but Redd's mother expected it would be in their small hometown of Monticello.

"There was just trouble from there," says Redd. She claims her parents began to oppose the marriage and refused to help with the wedding preparations. But Julia and Hardy Redd insist that they wanted to help, but were excluded from the planning. They also say they began to be concerned about their daughter's future husband whom they feared was isolating her.

"Julianna's personality changed. Her behavior changed. Suddenly she wasn't this happy, giddy person anymore," Julia Redd says.

Despite the building tension, the wedding plans seemed to be on track, but everything changed when Redd's parents offered to take her shopping the day before the wedding. Redd says after she got into the car, her father started driving and wouldn't stop for hours. She recalls that she tried to convince them to turn around, saying, "Let me out of the car, you cannot do this. This is taking away my freedom."