Akish’s first son, whose name is not recorded, was a victim of his father’s intense jealousy and paranoia. Akish, who became king by conspiring and committing murder, continued to be driven by a profound sense of insecurity after obtaining the throne. This insecurity ultimately led Akish to view his own son with suspicion, fearing that he might be usurped just as he had usurped others. In a drastic and tragic act fueled by this jealousy, Akish imprisoned his son and subjected him to extreme deprivation, providing little or no food until the prince suffered death (Ether 9:7).
The untimely and cruel death of Akish’s first son had further repercussions. His brother, Nimrah, was deeply impacted by this event. Nimrah, unwilling to support the tyrannical rule of his father or to fall victim to a similar fate, fled from the presence of his father. He gathered a group of like-minded individuals who also were opposed to the king’s despotic rule and departed into the land northward, a migration that would play a part in the ongoing dynamics of power and conflict that characterized the Jaredite civilization (Ether 9:8-13).