Case 339: Waco (Part 1/3)

[Part 1 of 3] *** Content warning: Gun violence, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, child abuse *** In 1981, a 20-year-old named Vernon Howell drove more than two hours from his hometown in east Texas to visit a church near Waco that was home to a group known as the Branch Davidians. Vernon would be welcomed into the church’s fold, setting off a course of events that would ultimately end in tragedy and permanently alter the United States of America. --- Narration – Anonymous Host https://www.instagram.com/caseys.snaps/ Research & writing – Erin Munro Production & music – Mike Migas http://mikemigas.com/ Audio editing – Anthony Telfer Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/casefile-true-crime/id998568017?ign-itscg=30200S&ign-itsct=casefile_podcastsSpotify Premium https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9gSwcv7USsbPatreon https://www.patreon.com/casefileFor all credits and sources, please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-339-waco-part-1-3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

• 0:00Speaker 00

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  Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis center. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support and for a more detailed list of content warnings, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website.

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  La Biblia cristiana è composta da 66 libri, che sono divisi in Old Testament, basato principalmente sulla Bibbia Hebraica, e il New Testament, un esplorazione delle insegnazioni e della vita di Gesù Cristo. Il libro ultimo della Bibbia è il libro di Revelazione, una serie di 22 capitoli piantata da un profeta conosciuto come John of Patmos. È un testo apocalittico che descrive la battaglia spirituale tra il bene e l'male, culminando in Gesù ritorno sulla terra.

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  Combini avvertimenti ai seguiti con profete sul futuro, il libro di Revelazione anticipa l'ultima debolezza di Satana e un giudizio finale passato su tutti gli esseri umani. Quelli considerati digni per i loro degni durante la vita e la loro aderenza a Cristo saranno salvati, resa resucitati per vivere in un nuovo cielo e terra liberi dal dolore, dal soffrire e dalla morte. Gli non credenti e gli individui considerati perversi saranno condannati a un mare di fuoco, una fine finale e il penù ultimo per le anime perdute, chiamato la seconda morte. Il mistero linguaggio del libro di Revelazione e le sue molte profete hanno portato a un numero inesistibile di scolari cristiani,

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  leader e aderenti, che cercano di predire quando questo fine del mondo arriverà. Nel capitolo 5 del libro, John of Patmos introduce la profeta dei sette segni, sette eventi separati che avranno luogo tra la vita di Gesù e il suo ritorno finale, conosciuto come il secondo arrivare. Queste profete sono scritte su un libro o un scollo segnato con sette segni di gomma, che nessuno oltre a una figura chiamata “Il Lame di Dio” può aprire. “Poi ho visto in la mano destra di lui, che sedeva sul trono, un scollo con scritto su entrambi i lati e segnato con sette segni.

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  E ho visto un angelo potente proclamare in una voce forte: “Chi è digno di rompere i segni e aprire il scollo?” But no one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth could open the scroll, or even look inside it. I wept and wept, because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain,

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  standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

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  Traditionally, the lamb of God has been interpreted as Jesus himself, whom Christians believe was sacrificed to atone for humanity’s sins, just as actual lambs were sacrificed in stories of the Old Testament. However, some individuals have used Scripture to argue that this lamb was a different Messiah, who would assist Jesus in the final spiritual battle. They found more passages in other parts of the Bible that also prophesized a second Messiah, whose name was Cyrus the Great.

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  In Hebrew, the name Cyrus translates to “Karash”.

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  The Seventh-day Adventist Church originated in the state of New York during the 1840s, and places a particular emphasis on the impending second coming of Christ.

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  The name “Adventist” stems from the group’s belief that Jesus will soon return to Earth, with several pioneers of the Adventist faith attempting to predict when his return would occur.

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  Although opinions have differed, a consistent theme is that Christ will return after a period of turmoil. In addition to this emphasis on the second coming, Seventh-day Adventism has a number of other defining features. Its adherents observe the Sabbath on Saturdays instead of Sundays as most other Christians do, engage in missionary work to spread the Word of Christ, advocate for a vegetarian diet, and believe firmly in God's final judgment predicted by the Book of Revelation. Bible study must be ongoing and is crucial to the faith, as all truth that can be known lies within its passages.

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  By the early 1920s, the Seventh-day Adventist Church had spread from the east coast of America to the west, as well as overseas. One adherent to the faith was an immigrant from Bulgaria named Viktor Hotef. Viktor had immigrated to the US at the age of 22 and initially lived in Illinois before later relocating to California. Although he was originally baptized in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Viktor later converted to Seventh-day Adventism in 1919 at the age of 34. He became consumed by his faith and spent all of his spare time when he wasn't working poring over the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation.

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  While learning and living as a washing machine repairman, Viktor also taught classes at a Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath School, a weekly religious education program held on Saturday mornings before church service. Viktor began to worry that other members of his faith weren't taking it seriously enough. He made a list of problems he had observed in other congregants, including a disbelief in prophecy, selling church merchandise, following earthly trends and fashions too closely, and a lack of reverence.

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  When Victor began speaking more openly about his concerns in his classes and at other Adventist gatherings, church elders took note and asked him to stop. They also objected to some of his interpretations of Scripture.

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  Victor refused, and in 1930, he published a manuscript titled “The Shepherd’s Rod”, in which he called for denominational reform and a recommitment from all Seventh-day Adventists. Victor predicted that the second coming of Christ was imminent, and that soon, there would be an apocalypse where Christ’s warriors would defeat the evil armies of Babylon, a term Seventh-day Adventists use to refer to the fallen state of traditional Christianity. That same year, Victor’s actions led to him being disfellowshipped by the church, but he maintained a strong following of his own.

• 9:50Speaker 00

  When he could no longer teach Sabbath School in church, he continued to do so at a house across the road. Some study groups at different Adventist churches across the country worked off his ideas, which led to those who promoted Victor’s material being disfellowshipped too. Eventually, the church declared Victor’s work to be outright heresy, and in 1934, he began his own organization called “The Shepherd’s Rod”. This was later officially renamed “The Davidian Seventh-day Adventists”. The name “Davidian” stemmed from Victor Hoteff’s belief that he was destined to restore the Davidic Kingdom,

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  the historic Kingdom of Israel ruled over by descendants of King David. A direct ancestor of Jesus, King David’s lineage is key to Christianity’s messianic prophecies.

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  Seeking a base that would allow him to establish headquarters for his new church, Victor scoured a map of the United States, looking for a suitable place. He wanted somewhere with the cheap land and a culture receptive to religion. By 1935, he’d found a location that fit perfectly, and purchased almost 200 acres of land that sat northwest of the Texan city of Waco.

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  Sitting deep in the heartland of Texas, wedged some distance between the progressive capital of Austin and major city Dallas, Waco was then a small conservative city primarily known for being the birthplace of the soft drink Dr Pepper. Other than that, there was little that stood out about it. In 1935, its population sat at around 55,000. Located on the banks of the Brazos River and built in a valley-like area, Waco was also home to Baylor University, a private Baptist college where students were expected to abstain from alcohol, premarital sex, and dancing.

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  Even within the religious state of Texas, Waco had a fervour that was seen as particularly strong. According to author Jeff Gwynn, other Texans nicknamed the city Jerusalem on the Brazos and “the buckle of the Bible belt”. These were unofficial titles that Waco residents took pride in. The land purchased by Victor Hoteff was seven miles north-west of the city limits and lay on the shores of Lake Waco. Victor named his headquarters Mount Carmel in honour of a biblical passage found in the Book of Micah that describes the land of Judah becoming desolate due to people’s wicked deeds.

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  God is then asked to shepherd his people who are living in the midst of Carmel. The passage is one of hope for a miraculous rescue and a peaceful, bountiful future. Roughly 120 people moved to Mount Carmel with Victor Hoteff and they built a community there. In addition to working on the property and for surrounding neighbourhoods, the Davidians still worked to bring more converts to their church. They acquired a printing press and used it to publish Victor’s sermons, which were then sent to every Seventh-day Adventist whose address was available.

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  Victor did not claim to be a messianic figure, but his followers saw him as a prophet who could foretell the coming of a new saviour.

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  As the years passed, Mount Carmel grew both in size and population. In 1937, the now 52-year-old Victor Hoteff married Florence Hermanson, the 17-year-old daughter of two of his most devoted followers. Some church members were disturbed by this significant age gap. Florence became Victor’s primary assistant, transcribing all of his sermons and assisting her husband in his ministry.

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  Almost 20 years after Victor established Mount Carmel, he fell ill towards the end of 1954. He died of heart failure in February 1955, just a few weeks before his 70th birthday.

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  Shocked and shaken by the sudden loss of their leader, the Davidians’ future seemed uncertain. But to their surprise, Victor’s widow Florence Hoteff explained they didn’t need to wonder about the path forward. As Victor lay dying in hospital, he’d revealed to Florence that he knew when the end time would arrive: four years from now, on Wednesday, April 22, 1959. Jesus would arrive on earth along with a holy, cleansing fire, and only 144,000 people known as the elect would survive this apocalypse. After it was over,

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  they would emerge triumphant and live happily in God’s new kingdom on earth.

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  Florence explained that Victor had tasked her with taking over the church’s leadership and recruiting many more members in anticipation of the imminent spiritual battle.

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  Not everyone agreed with Florence leading the Davidians. One member, named Benjamin Roden, claimed that he’d received messages from God that he should be the new leader. But Florence Hoteff and the church’s executive council refuted this.

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  Over the next few years, the Davidians worked at recruiting more members. They purchased more land east of Waco, a sprawling 941 acres in a rather desolate scrubland area with the address 1781 Double E Ranch Road. This land was dubbed New Mount Carmel, and members used cheap materials to build a church, a main building, and some shacks that would serve as residences. Tents, trucks, and buses were also used as additional accommodation.

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  The Davidians also began broadcasting recruitment messages, purchasing a weekly time slot on ABC Radio. Their show was called The 11th Hour Call and was recorded from a studio they’d built at New Mount Carmel. As Wednesday, April 22, 1959, neared, the group sold their personal possessions, gave their money to the church, and sent out broadcasts and pamphlets encouraging people to join them at New Mount Carmel to await the impending end time. Roughly 1,000 people heeded their call, descending on New Mount Carmel and crowding inside and around its chapel as they waited for the apocalypse to begin.

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  They waited all through Wednesday, April 22, with nothing happening. As midnight struck and the date ticked over to Thursday, April 23, most of the crowd left in New Mount Carmel en masse, in a state of utter disillusionment.

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  Newcomers, who’d hoped to see Jesus’ return to Earth, weren’t the only ones disappointed. Davidian members were left stunned by the failed prophecy. It even prompted some to doubt the legitimacy of their deceased founder, Victor Hoteff. If he had indeed made the incorrect prediction that Florence had relayed, then he was no true prophet. Some Davidians left Mount Carmel and returned to Seventh-day Adventism. Others abandoned their faith altogether.

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  In the wake of the failed end time, only about fifty Davidians remained. Florence Hoteff was not one of them. After informing her followers that she had been mistaken, she sold most of New Mount Carmel's land, relocated to California, and began working for tech giant IBM. She later remarried and eventually passed away in 2008 at the age of 89. With Florence out of the picture, another Davidian was ready to fill her shoes. Benjamin Roden had always objected to Florence succeeding her husband after his death and had long said that God wanted him to lead instead.

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  Born into a Jewish family, Benjamin had converted to Christianity and then Seventh-day Adventism after meeting his wife. The couple had heard of Victor Hoteff during the mid-1940s and relocated to Waco to join his church. Their admiration of Victor did not extend to his wife, and Benjamin Roden had loudly disputed her claims that the end time would commence on April 22, 1959. No one took much notice of his arguments until Florence's prophecy failed.

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  Under Benjamin's leadership, the Davidians became known as the Branch Davidians, with Benjamin adopting the term “branch” from biblical scripture. In one passage he cited as an inspiration, Jesus told his followers: “I am the true vine, and you are the branches.” Benjamin declared that the Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter were actually pagan celebrations with origins in the winter solstice and spring equinox.

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  From now on, Branch Davidians would observe her break customs instead, celebrating the Jewish holidays of Passover, Sukkot, and Old Testament feast days. Benjamin purchased the 77 acres that remained of New Mount Carmel and was joined by about 40 followers.

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  Although most of the Branch Davidians lived side by side at New Mount Carmel, they were by no means cut off from the broader community. Some of the children attended local public schools, while a number of adult members held jobs in downtown Waco. A few worked as cashiers at various stores, others worked in manual labour as tradespeople and landscapers.

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  Benjamin's wife, Lois Roden, was his second-in-command and biggest supporter. The couple acquired property in Israel with the intention of eventually moving their entire congregation to Jerusalem. Over the next two decades, Ben and Lois worked side by side with additional support from their eldest son, George. George Roden was a big personality, and he had a passion for building the church that some congregants found inspiring. But he could also be arrogant, with no interest in anyone's opinion but his own, and could also be both verbally and physically aggressive. George's parents didn't like his attitude,

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  but they appreciated his enthusiasm. In 1977, Benjamin Roden, now aged in his mid-seventies, fell sick, and his wife Lois took on a greater role in the church's leadership. Lois, who was more than a decade younger than her husband, intended to take on the role of church president after Benjamin passed away. At around this same time, she summoned a meeting of church members to share something amazing that had happened to her. She had been awake at 2am, reading a verse in the Book of Revelation that referred to an angel descending from heaven, when she looked outside her window and saw a shining silver angel fly by.

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  Although the angel said nothing, Lois intuitively knew that the angel was the embodiment of what she called "the Holy Spirit Mother".

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  In Christianity, a central doctrine is that of the Holy Trinity, the notion that God is one being existing as three co-equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is God, the Creator of the universe. The Son is Jesus Christ, who came to earth in human form. The Holy Spirit is the non-physical presence of God in daily life.

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  Lois explained that she had always believed the Holy Spirit was masculine in nature. Upon seeing the angel, she'd had a revelation that it was actually feminine. The Holy Trinity blended both masculine and feminine energy.

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  Some Branch Davidians reacted negatively to this message, believing it to be blasphemous. But others were intrigued and receptive to the idea.

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  Benjamin Roden, who by this point was very sick, supported his wife, and her vision was said to be evidence that she was a true prophet. When Benjamin died on October 22, 1978, Lois became the new Branch Davidian president.

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  Her son George was not happy about this. George was an ambitious person who believed he was destined to lead. Several years earlier, in 1976, the then-38-year-old George ran in the United States presidential election, nominating himself as a Democratic candidate. According to author Jeff Gwynne, there is no evidence that he received a single vote in either the Democratic primary or the national election. He now turned his attention to taking on his father's role as church leader, as he'd long seen himself as the natural heir.

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  In 1979, George called for a leadership election. His mother won in a landslide. Undeterred, George continued to badger the Branch Davidians and declare himself the rightful leader. This prompted Lois to obtain a restraining order against her son, barring him from New Mount Carmel. George left and split his time between Texas and California. But sometimes he defied the court order and returned to New Mount Carmel, lurking around its perimeters. He refused to give up his ambition of leading the Branch Davidians, and would argue his case both in person and in long, rambling letters.

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  Lois continued running the church, as well as travelling both domestically and overseas to proselytise. By the early 1980s, Lois was in her mid-60s and mindful that she needed to come up with a succession plan. George showed no signs of giving up his goal of taking over the Branch Davidians, which was not what Lois wanted. She needed to find someone else to be the church's next prophet.

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• 28:36Speaker 00

  One day during the summer of 1981, two young friends drove down to Waco from the east Texas city of Tyler after hearing reports that there was a woman at New Mount Carmel who was a true prophet.

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  The journey took over two hours for 21-year-old Vernon Howell and his friend Harriet, whom he'd met at a Seventh-day Adventist church back home. Vernon had already experienced a lot of instability in his young life. His mother had given birth to him when she was just 14 years old, and his father, six years her senior, had been a distant presence, refusing to even visit Vernon when he was born. Vernon and his mother Bonnie lived with various extended family members until Bonnie married when Vernon was two years old. Her new husband spanked Vernon as punishment in a way Bonnie felt was excessive. She left her husband,

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  but felt overwhelmed by her situation as a young, single mother in a conservative and judgmental community. She gave Vernon to her mother to raise, believing this was in his best interests. Vernon's grandmother posed as his mother. When Bonnie visited him, she pretended to be his aunt.

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  By the time Vernon was five, Bonnie had remarried a merchant marine named Roy and felt well enough to care for her son again. When she told Vernon who she really was to him, the truth left him feeling shocked, confused, and as though his entire world had just tipped upside down. He moved in with Bonnie and Roy, who was a disciplinarian and difficult for Vernon to get along with. His parents soon had another child named Roger, who appeared to Vernon to be the favorite. Vernon would later say: "I was always getting whooped by Roy for everything, while Roger got away with murder."

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  Vernon would also later reveal that at around the same time that he reunited with his mother, one of his male relatives began sexually abusing him. The abuse, which included rape, went on for four years. He never revealed the identity of his abuser, as he didn't want to upset his mother.

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  Vernon struggled at school due to a learning disorder that has been speculated to have been Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADHD. But he loved church. He attended Seventh-day Adventist sermons with his mother and grandmother and would memorize entire chapters of the Bible. Vernon later dropped out of high school and became a carpenter. At nineteen, he fell in love with Sarah, not her real name, who was three years his junior. In violation of Texas’s statutory rape laws, Vernon began an intimate relationship with Sarah, who soon became pregnant due to Vernon not believing in birth control.

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  She terminated the pregnancy, but the two remained a couple. Sarah’s father allowed Vernon to move into their home, but when Sarah became pregnant again, he threw Vernon out. Sarah also felt Vernon wasn’t fit to be a father and cut off contact with him. Heartbroken, Vernon moved back in with his mother and stepfather while deciding he would devote himself to God in the hopes of improving his life and winning Sarah back. Vernon was enthusiastic about church, but the church elders were less enthused about him. He frequently interrupted Bible studies with questions and opinions.

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  Vernon found it frustrating that all of their studies focused on long-ago prophets from ancient times. He wanted to know about present-day prophets and what they were saying. Vernon also spoke with the church’s pastor about some sexual concerns he had. He described himself as a compulsive masturbator and was distraught over this behaviour, which he considered a sin against God. The pastor encouraged him to pray and trust that Jesus could help him overcome his desires.

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  By the time he was twenty, Vernon became fixated with the idea of finding a god-fearing wife, which he believed would take care of his obsession with sex. He struck up a relationship with the pastor’s fifteen-year-old daughter and told the pastor she was destined to be his wife. The pastor forbade Vernon from seeing his daughter, but Vernon was adamant that he had to marry her. Ultimately, he was barred from the congregation. Not all of the other congregants disliked Vernon. A young woman named Harriet befriended him and told him about Lois Roden and the Branch Davidians.

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  Harriet’s mother had been a member of Shepherd’s Rod over in California, and Harriet said that Lois’s congregation was highly spiritual. Even better, Lois herself was a prophet. Together, they decided to pay the Branch Davidians a visit. The pair were welcomed in by the group, and Vernon was mesmerized by their teachings. When Lois invited him to stay and study alongside them, he readily accepted the offer. Vernon moved into New Mount Carmel, where he was something of a misfit. Some of his fellow congregants would later tell author Jeff Gwynne that Vernon wasn’t

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  quite like the rest of them. While most of the other Branch Davidians were either middle-aged or children, Vernon was in his early twenties. He wore thick eyeglasses, his hair was long and straggly, and he dreamed of becoming a rock star. Vernon could be awkward, mumbling when he spoke, or praying overly loudly from behind his closed bedroom door. Sometimes he spoke about inappropriate things, like his habit of masturbating too much.

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  But Vernon could also be an asset to the group. His skills as a carpenter meant he became something of a handyman at New Mount Carmel, repairing its flimsy and rickety buildings that always seemed to be falling apart. Vernon performed this work without complaint. After he'd been living there for a few months, Lois Roden began employing Vernon as her personal chauffeur. She didn't like to drive long distances, instead preferring to use the time to reflect and think, so Vernon would drive Lois to appointments or speaking engagements.

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  Over time, the pair grew closer. Vernon was thirsty for biblical knowledge, and Lois had lots to tell him about the other contemporary prophets who had paved the way for her. She shared with him how her husband, Benjamin Roden, had advocated for celebrating Hebrew holidays, and how she herself had experienced the revelation that the Holy Spirit was feminine. Lois suspected that Vernon might also be destined to be a prophet. This idea thrilled and honored him. He'd always felt the presence of God in his life, even when he'd felt forsaken.

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  Over the next two years, Vernon and Lois spent more and more time together in private Bible classes. Under Lois's tutelage, Vernon was becoming more articulate and charismatic. He mumbled less and spoke with confidence. By 1983, Lois sometimes employed Vernon as her public representative. When Lois's son, George, found out that his mother was seemingly grooming Vernon to be her successor, he became angry. Worse still, he soon heard rumours that Lois and Vernon's relationship was also physical. Some members of the church had speculated for a while that the two were having sex.

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  Even though there was a restraining order out against him, George began returning to New Mount Carmel and staying for lengthy periods. Lois didn't alert the authorities to his breach of the order, for reasons unknown. Eventually, George moved back permanently and decided to air his grievances. One day, he invited all of the Branch Davidians to the chapel for an important conversation. Standing in front of the other congregants while wearing a gun at his holster, George Roden announced that Vernon Howell was raping his mother.

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  The accusation didn't prompt the leadership overhaul George had likely been hoping for. Lois and Vernon ignored his claims and carried on with their private tutorials. The truth was, the pair had been having sex in an attempt to conceive a child. They drew their inspiration from some scripture found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. “And I went unto the prophet Es, and she conceived, and bore a son.”

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  As Lois was 65 years old and past menopause, their attempts to have a baby failed. Yet Lois and Vernon remained certain that their work together was being commanded by God.

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  In 1983, Lois took Vernon with her on a pilgrimage to Israel, where he could finally see the Holy Land described in the Bible for himself. The more Vernon worked with Lois, the stronger his own preaching abilities became. After the pair returned home from Israel, Lois invited all of the Branch Davidians at New Mount Carmel to attend a series of Bible studies Vernon would be leading, telling them, “Vernon's been talking about something I think everyone should hear.”

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  Dubbed “The Serpent’s Root”, Vernon’s classes centred on the role of serpents in the Bible. Traditionally seen as a symbol of evil and deception, a serpent first appears in the Bible’s very first book, who Genesis, where it tempts Eve into eating fruit from a forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. The Book of Revelation later identifies this serpent as Satan.

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  But Vernon Howe had found Scripture to support the idea that serpents weren’t always evil. In fact, if you acted as a serpent in service of the Lord, then being a serpent could be a righteous thing.

• 39:57Speaker 00

  Those who attended Vernon’s classes were struck by how adept he was at reciting Scripture and interpreting its meaning. They were already very familiar with the Bible, but he was introducing them to ideas that felt shockingly innovative and resonant. On top of that, Vernon had an easy, folksy kind of demeanour that was warm and engaging. He sang and played guitar with an appealing, youthful energy. He’d come a long way since his first days at New Mount Carmel.

• 40:34Speaker 00

  Vernon continued to take on a larger leadership role within the Branch Davidians. He visited authority figures in downtown Waco as a representative of the church, introducing himself and offering to discuss the Bible. People who he visited regularly included the McLennan County District Attorney and its sheriff. Vernon built friendly relationships with them, and eventually began bringing along a new recruit as well.

• 41:03Speaker 00

  Wayne Martin was a Harvard Law School graduate who left the Seventh Day Adventist Church to join the Branch Davidians along with his wife and children. Wayne and Vernon became good friends, and Wayne became the church’s legal counsellor.

• 41:20Speaker 00

  One of Vernon's most loyal followers within the Branch Davidians was a 54-year-old man named Perry Jones. Perry had first followed Victor Hoteff when he started Shepherd's Rod in California, then became a Branch Davidian alongside the Rodens. Before Vernon rose in the church's ranks, Perry had acted as Lois's second-in-command. His wife Mary Bell and their children were members of the Branch Davidians as well. In early 1984, when Vernon Howell was 24 years old, he said he received a prophecy from God that he must marry one of Perry's daughters, Rachel, who was 10 years his junior at 14 years old.

• 42:06Speaker 00

  Under Texas state law, minors could marry with their parents' permission. Perry and Mary Bell consented to the union, and Vernon and Rachel were wed on Wednesday, January 14, 1984.

• 42:23Speaker 00

  Although Lois Roden was still in charge, Vernon no longer deferred to her as much as he used to. When he encouraged her to make some changes within the church, Lois listened and took his advice seriously. After a photo was taken of Lois that appeared to show her with bruises around the eyes, likely due to poor lighting, Vernon told her this was an indication she was losing her prophetic power. Lois was getting older and was not in the best of health, having recently been diagnosed with breast cancer.

• 42:58Speaker 00

  Vernon felt ready to take over.

• 43:02Speaker 00

  Lois's son, George Roden, wasn't happy about this. George wasn't as popular amongst the Branch Davidians as Vernon, but he still had some followers, and there were a few congregants who didn't like Vernon. George began agitating against Vernon and even took his argument outside of New Mount Carmel. One day, he sent a telegram to the county DA that read in part: "Have Jim Jones-type character in Waco, Texas, making death threats to me and family and proclaiming mass murder at New Mount Carmel Center. Need investigation now."

• 43:44Speaker 00

  George’s comparison of Vernon Howell to Jim Jones was a reference to the People’s Temple cult leader, whose crimes were covered in episode 60 of Case File. Roughly five years earlier, Jim Jones had murdered 909 individuals at his Jonestown compound in Guyana by forcing many of them to consume cyanide. The massacre had shocked Americans, and its ramifications were still being felt during the early 1980s. The DA, who had established a cordial relationship with Vernon, did not investigate George’s claims. Not long after this, a fire broke out at New Mount Carmel and its administration centre

• 44:29Speaker 00

  was burnt down. George blamed Vernon and his mother for the fire, pointing out that as the people in charge, they were responsible for anything that went wrong. Tension was rising between George and Vernon, and it was being felt by the other residents of New Mount Carmel. Deciding to extricate himself before the situation worsened any further, Vernon left abruptly in mid-1984. While still maintaining a connection with the Branch Davidians, Vernon and about two dozen of his most loyal followers moved about 100 miles east of Waco to the Texan city of Palestine.

• 45:14Speaker 00

  They purchased 20 acres of land covered with pine trees. Members of the group made do by sleeping in cars, trucks, tents and buses while building a log cabin that would function as their headquarters. Despite the primitive and basic living conditions, Vernon and his followers were optimistic. He reassured them that this new home was merely temporary; soon they would return to New Mount Carmel, where he would assume his rightful place as leader.

• 45:47Speaker 00

  By this point, Vernon's wife Rachel was pregnant with the couple's first child. Eager for his first child to be born in Israel, Vernon again travelled to the Middle East, this time accompanied by his young wife. The couple stayed in a small apartment in Jerusalem while Vernon studied the Bible with local rabbis. He also took it upon himself to fulfil some biblical scripture. In the Book of Revelation, a hill outside Jerusalem called Mount Zion is measured to ensure there will be enough room for the 144,000 elect who return to the Holy Land after the final battle.

• 46:28Speaker 00

  Vernon wanted to see the hill for himself and to make sure the area could accommodate the elect.

• 46:36Speaker 00

  After doing so, he and Rachel flew back to Texas.

• 46:41Speaker 00

  Their community was surprised to see them back before Rachel had given birth. Over time, Vernon explained that he'd received a prophecy that upended his plans. It was no longer crucial that his first child be born in Israel, as Vernon was now facing more pressing matters. While he was in Jerusalem, seven angels had taken him up to heaven, where he'd received some important information.

• 47:11Speaker 00

  First of all, Vernon was informed that he was the same Cyrus as the king of the same name who appears in the Bible's Book of Isaiah. In 586 B.C., Babylon conquered Israel and imprisoned many Jews. Almost five decades later, King Cyrus of Persia defeated the Babylonians with his army and freed the Jewish people. His actions in defence of the Jews led to Cyrus being declared a Messiah of God, the only non-Jewish Messiah in the Bible. As the present-day embodiment of Cyrus, it was Vernon Howell's destiny to once again help the righteous defeat Babylon.

• 47:58Speaker 00

  The second piece of information related to the seven seals mentioned in the Book of Revelation. It is written that only the Lamb of God can open the seven seals, which must be opened in order to unleash certain events that will lead to the second coming of Christ. Although Christians traditionally believed that Jesus was the Lamb of God himself, Vernon had been told that he was actually the Lamb. Therefore, he was the only one capable of opening the seven seals and launching the end time. The final revelation was the most terrifying. In order to fulfill the prophecy outlined in the Book of Revelation,

• 48:43Speaker 00

  the Lamb and his followers would have to go to battle with Babylon, a term that in contemporary use meant forces that opposed their religion. During this battle, the righteous would be killed, but it was only a temporary death, and once good had finally defeated evil, they would be resurrected. With these prophecies revealed to him, Vernon explained that he was changing his name in honour of two biblical kings. His first name would be David, and his surname would be the Hebrew version of Cyrus, Carash.

• 49:27Speaker 00

  The newly christened David Carash decided he needed more followers if he was going to be able to take on Babylon. Thinking there might be more opportunities to expand in a big city like Los Angeles, Carash, his wife Rachel, and a few other followers headed to California in mid-1985.

• 49:48Speaker 00

  By this stage, Rachel had given birth to the couple's first child, a boy named Cyrus. The group was welcomed by some Branch Davidians who lived in the area, and began seeking out potential converts.

• 50:04Speaker 00

  The city of Loma Linda, about sixty miles east of Los Angeles, had a large Seventh-day Adventist population and even an affiliated college. Karash spent lots of time on the college campus, striking up conversations with young students.

• 50:22Speaker 00

  Karash also used his musical skills to try and draw in more members, playing his evangelical rock songs in parking lots to attract attention. He soon welcomed a young college graduate named Mark Bro to his flock. Mark was impressed with Karash's knowledge of the Bible and left the Adventists to become a Branch Davidian. Mark and Karash quickly became close. Like Karash, Mark had a strong knowledge of Scripture and was also a musician. He joined a fledgling band Karash had started, playing keys. Originally from Hawaii, Mark helped Karash recruit more followers

• 51:06Speaker 00

  from the Seventh-day Adventist church in his home state.

• 51:11Speaker 00

  Karash still went back to Palestine occasionally to check in on his base, but in California, he was able to save more money than was possible in Texas. More job opportunities meant his members were expanding their incomes, and they passed that money along to him. Soon, David had enough money to travel overseas in search of international converts.

• 51:36Speaker 00

  When Benjamin Roden had been in charge of the church, he'd done some missionary work in Australia, which resulted in a small community of Branch Davidians there. David Karash followed in his predecessor's footsteps in 1986, flying to Melbourne in the hope of finding more converts. Quite a few Australians joined his church, including twins Peter and Nicole Jant and the Gyrophus family of four. They flew over to the United States to live alongside their fellow worshippers in California and Texas.

• 52:15Speaker 00

  Next, Karash went to England with the intention of recruiting Seventh-day Adventists there. England's Adventist leaders warned congregants of Karash's arrival, and he was banned from holding Bible studies at their churches. He rented meeting halls instead, and ultimately recruited thirty Britons. Many of these converts were part of what was called the Windrush generation, individuals who moved to the UK from Caribbean nations after World War II. The Seventh-day Adventist Church had become popular in the Caribbean after being introduced to the region by visiting missionaries. Like Karash's Australian converts,

• 53:00Speaker 00

  the British Branch Davidians eventually relocated to the United States.

• 53:06Speaker 00

  The twenty acres owned by the group in Palestine, Texas, wasn't large enough to accommodate its ever-growing population. David Karash was eager to return to New Mount Carmel and lead his followers from there.

• 53:24Speaker 00

  In the years since Karash had left New Mount Carmel, his mentor Lois Roden had died of breast cancer, and her son George was running the compound. He had renamed it Rodenville. But most of the Branch Davidians left behind didn't like George's aggressive style, and soon left the church.

• 53:47Speaker 00

  Only a few followers remained, and finances quickly dwindled with fewer people bringing in money. George Roden began renting out some of the cabins that had been built on the land to outsiders. The isolated setting attracted tenants who were engaging in untoward activities, including selling pornographic materials and manufacturing illicit drugs.

• 54:14Speaker 00

  Despite his dwindling support, George Roden remained fixated on David Koresh, and was determined to defeat him once and for all. He knew that Koresh wanted to regain control of New Mount Carmel, so he concocted a plan to get rid of him permanently. George contacted Koresh and challenged him to a competition. Whichever one of them could raise a person from the dead was New Mount Carmel's rightful leader.

• 54:46Speaker 00

  If Koresh was truly doing God's work, then he should be able to resurrect a corpse, just as Jesus was said to have done centuries earlier.

• 54:57Speaker 00

  A year earlier, in October of 1986, George had exhumed the casket of a Branch Davidian named Anna Hughes, who had been buried in a cemetery on the property almost two decades earlier in 1968.

• 55:13Speaker 00

  Anna's casket was moved into New Mount Carmel's chapel and an Israeli flag was draped across it. George then told Koresh that whoever brought Anna back to life first could have New Mount Carmel. The loser would have to leave and never return.

• 55:34Speaker 00

  Rather than accept the challenge, David Koresh drove to Waco and reported to the county sheriff that George Roden had desecrated a grave.

• 55:44Speaker 00

  He asked the sheriff to arrest George for this crime. When Koresh was told that nothing could be done without evidence, Koresh left and returned a few days later with photographs of a coffin caked in dirt taken from inside the New Mount Carmel chapel. One of his contacts within the compound had snapped the pictures at Koresh's request.

• 56:10Speaker 00

  The sheriff and his deputies told Koresh that these photos weren't proof enough. Because the coffin was sealed shut, there was no evidence that human remains were even inside. In order to arrest George Roden, they would need pictures of the actual corpse.

• 56:32Speaker 00

  Determinен для получения необходимых доказательств, в понедельник 2 ноября 1987 года Дэвид Курэш собрал семь его самых доверенных подписчиков и привёз их в Walmart. Группа покупала штуковину для погрома и пистолеты. Было известно, что Джордж Роден имел Узи с собой в любом случае. Если они собирались на его property, они бы тоже должны были быть оружиями.

• 57:03Speaker 00

  В тот вечер, в 3:00 ночи, группа проникла в Немунд Кармол, dressed в штуковину и с белым краской на их лицах. Они привезли пистолеты, 22-калиберные рифлера и более 3000 пистолетов амуниции. Они пошли в церковь, но коробка Анны Хьюзера исчезла.

• 57:28Speaker 00

  Группа провела следующий день спрятаться за property. Они не отказались найти месторождения коробки. В какой-то момент они говорили с некоторыми жителями, которые жили в доме на земле, и предупреждали их о том, что они планировали сопротивляться Джорджу Родену. Они советовали жителей отпускать для своей безопасности. Они сделали это, но не до того, как информировать Джордж о ситуации. Джордж, разбитый на курэша's reappearance на compound, raced outside, wearing a black cowboy hat and carrying his Uzi.

• 58:08Speaker 00

  "Это ты, Вернан", он кричал. Курэш ответил: "Джордж, просто отпускай property. Мы не хотим, чтобы кто-то受了傷"

• 58:20Speaker 00

  В ответ Джордж начал стрелять indiscriminately на Курэша и его подписчиков. Группа спряталась и взяла掩護, в то время, как возвращали огонь. Народы не были одинаковой калибра, как Джорджи, но огонь рос на 45 минут. В конечном итоге один из пистолетов на стороне Курэша смог убить магазин на Джорджи Узи, который замерз пистолетом и сделал его бесполезным. Металлический разрез ударил в руку Джорджи, близко к палец, и он стал привязан к дереву.

• 58:56Speaker 00

  At around the same time, sheriff's deputies who'd caught wind of the gunfight came roaring up to the property, sirens wailing. Karash and his followers were ordered to drop their weapons and lie face down on the ground before being escorted to the local station. Ultimately, the facts were that even though George Roden had started firing first, Karash and his followers had gone to his property armed and without permission. All eight of them were charged with attempted murder.

• 59:37Speaker 00

  Case file will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors.

• 59:45Speaker 00

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• 1:01:39Speaker 00

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• 1:01:56Speaker 00

  David Karash and his followers received bail and returned to their site at Palestine to await their trial, which was scheduled to commence in five months' time. Several weeks before their trial began, George Roden was taken to court after someone alerted the authorities to the fact that a restraining order still technically barred him from New Mount Carmel. Moreover, taxes hadn't been paid on the property in almost 20 years and more than $60,000 was owed to the county.

• 1:02:28Speaker 00

  George filed legal motions filled with foul language and threatened the court against ruling in Karash's favour, stating: "Maybe God will make it up to you in the end and send you herpes and AIDS." The judge subsequently ruled that he was in contempt of court and sentenced him to six months in prison.

• 1:02:51Speaker 00

  David Karash seized the opportunity, paying back the taxes owed on the property. The Branch Davidians loyal to Karash began returning, reclaiming Rodenville as Mount Carmel again. The outside tenants George had installed were evicted and the Branch Davidians set about repairing the property. They also reported evidence of drug manufacturing to the police, as well as a cache of firearms George had left behind. David Karash and his co-accused weren't allowed to own guns while they were awaiting trial.

• 1:03:28Speaker 00

  The trial began on Tuesday, April 12, 1988. All eight of the defendants were represented by attorney Gary Coker, who argued that his clients had been acting in self-defense. One of the items of evidence he wished to introduce was Anna Hughes's casket, which George Roden had moved from the chapel to a storied shed. One day during the trial, a number of Branch Davidians attempted to carry the casket up the courthouse steps, only to drop it along the way. It was subsequently removed to sit in a rotunda next to the courthouse. The judge refused to allow the casket as evidence

• 1:04:10Speaker 00

  and told the Branch Davidians to remove it immediately, stating: “The remains of a body are not appropriate to have sitting in a public building.” Eight men, including six of the defendants, had to slowly carry the heavy casket down the street and into a waiting van. They were trailed by fellow church members, as well as a television cameraman and a newspaper photographer. Defense attorney Gary Coker questioned George Roden on the stand. When asked if he’d tried to resurrect Anna Hughes, George replied: “I attempted three times, yes.”

• 1:04:52Speaker 00

  Ultimately, the jury acquitted seven of the defendants of their charges, but told the judge they couldn’t come to a verdict against David Karash. A hung jury was declared, and the district attorney chose not to refile charges against Karash. After George Roden completed his sentence, he moved to the city of Odessa, almost 350 miles west of Waco. He continued to assert that he was a Messiah anointed by God and the rightful Branch Davidian leader. In October 1989, he was visited by a Branch Davidian named Wayman Dale Adair, who’d left Mount Carmel.

• 1:05:35Speaker 00

  Wayman wanted to share a vision he’d had, that he was actually the true Messiah. This led to an argument, and George killed Wayman with an axe. He was subsequently found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a forensic mental health facility. He was no longer an impediment to David Karash's leadership. In 1998, George Roden died of a heart attack.

• 1:06:06Speaker 00

  In 1990, Vernon Howe legally changed his name to David Karash. He was now the official head at New Mount Carmel, typically referred to as simply Mount Carmel. About sixty followers joined him there, roughly half of whom had lived there previously. The remaining half were new converts who'd relocated from Australia, the UK, Hawaii and California. Mount Carmel had attained a sort of mythical status amongst the converts, who'd heard how it was something akin to the promised land for the Branch Davidians. In reality, it wasn't much nicer than the basic camp the group had set up in the town of Palestine.

• 1:06:52Speaker 00

  The earth was dry and barren from the scorching Texas heat, with almost no shade thanks to trees that were stunted and sparse. Flies, mosquitoes and ants were prevalent at the site, with their presence prompting some of the Branch Davidians to dub their new home "The Ant Hill".

• 1:07:12Speaker 00

  The dwellings had running water and electricity, but no heating or cooling. Ineffective space heaters and fans were used instead. Poor construction did little to protect the buildings from the elements, and the wind that often blew across the property could be heard whistling through the plywood walls. Bunk beds were used to fit more people in. Men had an outhouse that used a septic tank, while women used chamber pots to go to the toilet. Children were tasked with digging holes and disposing of the chamber pot contents each day. Unhappy with the standard of living, some new members soon departed.

• 1:07:55Speaker 00

  David Karash viewed this as a kind of test of their faith. Only those who were true believers remained.

• 1:08:04Speaker 00

  Over the course of several years, the group redesigned and rebuilt the site. The individual houses that made up Mount Carmel were torn down, and the materials were repurposed to create one sprawling, multi-storey L-shaped building with various rooms. Branch Davidian David Thibodeau would later describe it as: “A rambling two- and three-story complex cobbled together out of salvaged lumber and cheap siding.” At the centre was a kind of watchtower that provided a 360-degree view of the entire property and all the roads leading in.

• 1:08:44Speaker 00

  There was also a kitchen, a cafeteria, a chapel, some offices, a gymnasium, and a swimming pool. Small bedrooms were scattered throughout the first and second floors.

• 1:08:57Speaker 00

  Life at Mount Carmel was highly structured. Meals were eaten together, though the diet was basic and often consisted of just bananas and popcorn. Matriarch gatherings for prayer and quiet reflection were held every morning and afternoon, and were known as “the daily.” These were followed by communion. The congregation was divided by gender, with women sitting on the right side and men on the left. David Karash held group Bible studies most nights, where he invited debate from his followers and encouraged exploration. These classes started at 7:00 PM and lasted for as long as Karash felt moved to speak.

• 1:09:42Speaker 00

  Sometimes Karash played his guitar, which had passages of Scripture painted on it.

• 1:09:48Speaker 00

  Even though he often reminded the Branch Davidians that he was just a messenger and not a figure to be worshipped, his fluid and sometimes dramatic sermons made it easy to believe he truly was a prophet channeling godly knowledge. When Karash spoke of the Book of Revelation and other Scripture, he made Christianity’s teachings feel immediate, local, and alive, instead of unrelatable stories from an ancient and remote setting.

• 1:10:16Speaker 00

  Central to Karash's teachings was the prophecy of the seven seals. He elaborated on the revelation about the seals that he'd had while staying in Israel, explaining that he, as the Lamb of God, was the only one who could reveal the seals and they had to be opened one at a time. In the Bible, the opening of the first four seals unleashes the four horsemen of the apocalypse: conquest, war, famine, and death. According to Karash, these first four seals were warnings that announced the impending disasters to come. The fifth seal specifically related to what would happen to Karash and his followers.

• 1:10:59Speaker 00

  When it was opened, there would be a big battle between the Branch Davidians and external forces, believed to be the American government.

• 1:11:09Speaker 00

  On very rare occasions, Karash held private one-on-one Bible studies with specially selected individuals. These cherished classes were revered by the Branch Davidians and being chosen was a great honour. Sometimes Karash was absent from Mount Carmel. He still travelled interstate and overseas from time to time to conduct business and recruit more members. Perry Jones, his father-in-law, took charge of Mount Carmel whenever Karash was away.

• 1:11:42Speaker 00

  Parents were encouraged to homeschool their children. The congregation at Mount Carmel was diverse, with members hailing from various socio-economic, educational, and racial backgrounds. Though most of the Branch Davidians were white Americans aged in their 30s and 40s, there were also quite a few black members, including most of the British converts and Karash's highly trusted friend Wayne Martin and his family. Other Branch Davidians came from Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and the Philippines. Some were college graduates with degrees from prestigious universities such as Harvard, while others hadn't pursued tertiary studies.

• 1:12:29Speaker 00

  While some people had jobs outside of the compound, many did not, and instead devoted their time to renovating and working on the property. Branch Davidians were not permitted to leave Mount Carmel at night in search of entertainment. The group held their own movie nights at the compound instead, using a television and VHS machine they'd purchased. Koresh always chose the film. He liked action blockbusters that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

• 1:13:01Speaker 00

  Koresh could go out at night, and drove into Waco some evenings to play gigs with his band, performing a mix of covers and his own Christian-themed songs. Being a rock star was still a deeply held ambition for Koresh, that existed alongside his passion for the Bible. He sang vocals and played guitar at a regular Saturday night residency in a bar called The Q Stick.

• 1:13:27Speaker 00

  On stage, Koresh wore T-shirts that read: "David Koresh slash God Rocks." His backup musicians were all fellow Branch Davidians, with a convert from Hawaii named Steve Schneider acting as the band manager.

• 1:13:46Speaker 00

  As part of his missionary travels, Koresh sometimes went back to Southern California, where he'd been based a few years earlier. While there, he tried to get a record deal and to drive around with his band in a shiny silver tour bus labelled Messiah Productions. But Koresh's evangelical rock songs attracted little interest from record labels. However, the band found a new member and a convert all in one when they met a 21-year-old drummer named David Thibodeau out in LA. David was playing for another band at the time, and wasn't religious, but he liked Koresh's friendly smile, sincerity, and down-to-earth manner.

• 1:14:30Speaker 00

  Over the course of several weeks, David spent time with Koresh, Steve Schneider, and the band, both jamming and discussing the Bible. David Thibodeau accepted an invitation to visit Mount Carmel, and ultimately stayed on, drawn to the community and friendship there.

• 1:14:50Speaker 00

  As well as going out to bars and pubs to play music, David Koresh enjoyed additional benefits that other Branch Davidians didn’t. He drank beer from time to time and also smoked cigarettes. Smoking was forbidden, but Koresh pointed to a psalm that described “smoke emanating from God’s nostril” to justify this indulgence. Although many Branch Davidians, as converts from Seventh-day Adventism, maintained a vegetarian diet, Koresh decreed that meat should be served sometimes and that everyone must eat what they were given. But it was the ultimate exception granted to David Koresh that would become the Church’s

• 1:15:34Speaker 00

  most notorious feature. It related to a revelation Koresh received from God that he called “The New Light”. Several years earlier, in the spring of 1986, while Koresh was living in Palestine, Texas, he told his seventeen-year-old wife Rachel that God had told him to take another wife. Rachel wasn’t happy about this, but she later reported that she’d had a dream that gave her the same message. Koresh chose his second bride, the daughter of a longtime Branch Davidian named Clive Doyle.

• 1:16:16Speaker 00

  Like his first wife, Karen Doyle was fourteen years old when Koresh married her. Koresh’s marriage to Rachel had been legal, as her parents gave permission. But even though Karen’s father also gave permission, this second union was illegal because Texas law forbade polygamy. David Koresh, who was now in his late twenties, soon had another revelation: he was to take several more wives. Some Branch Davidians were uncomfortable with this new decree, but Koresh could always point to Scripture to support his actions.

• 1:16:56Speaker 00

  Over the next year, he married his wife Rachel’s twelve-year-old sister Michelle, a seventeen-year-old girl named Robin Burns, a twenty-year-old Australian convert named Nicole Jant, and a Hawaiian woman in her early twenties named Dana Okamoto.

• 1:17:14Speaker 00

  Karesh informed these girls and young women that being selected as his bride was a tremendous honour. They had been spiritually chosen to help him spread his seed.

• 1:17:28Speaker 00

  The Bible commanded that humans must be fruitful and multiply, and as the Lamb of God, Karesh's children would have a very special role to play in the end time. It is unclear how most of the chosen girls and women felt about the matter due to a lack of documentation. But because there was great status and honour in being chosen by Karesh, some of the girls may have felt as though they had a divine purpose, while others felt afraid and coerced. Some of their parents gave their approval, others objected openly and were overruled.

• 1:18:07Speaker 00

  Although David Karesh believed that God's law trumped state and federal ones, these marriages still had to be kept secret from the authorities to prevent government interference and unpleasant consequences. A number of young male followers were asked to marry Karesh's new wives to provide a legal cover for any children born to them. These relationships were purely for appearances. Each wife could perform domestic duties for her pretend husband, like doing his laundry, but they were not to be physically intimate.

• 1:18:43Speaker 00

  More than three years after his revelation to take a second wife, David Karesh announced another revelation that he called "The New Light". Based on scripture in the Book of Revelation that described four and twenty elders who would help rule the kingdom of God after the end time was complete, Karesh announced that he needed to father twenty-four children. His offspring were destined to be the elders described in the Bible. In order to have these children, he would now become the husband of every Branch Davidian woman. Women who were already married to other men were told that those relationships would cease.

• 1:19:27Speaker 00

  From now on, Karesh was their partner in every sense of the word.

• 1:19:36Speaker 00

  All men in the church, aside from Karash, were ordered to be celibate from thereon out, and their marriages were annulled. Sex with partners was forbidden, as was masturbation. Only Karash could engage in sexual activity. He reassured the other men that this was a duty, not a pleasure for him. By giving up their wives and intimate relationships, the men of the church would also be blessed. God would look kindly upon their sacrifices for him.

• 1:20:12Speaker 00

  From then on, all of the men slept on the first floor of the compound. Women, children, and David Karash had their bedrooms on the second floor.

• 1:20:23Speaker 00

  The new light was difficult for most of the Branch Davidians to accept. Even some of Karash's most ardent and loyal followers struggled with it. One evening, David Thibodeau stumbled across Steve Schneider, one of Karash's inner circle, slumped over with his head in his hands. Steve confided in David that he was having difficulty accepting the new light. His wife Judy was now considered Karash's wife, and Steve was agonizing over losing her. Ultimately, however, he came to a painful kind of acceptance, asking David: “If your wife had a chance to marry the Lamb, would you want to hold her back?”

• 1:21:09Speaker 00

  In 1990, Judy Schneider conceived a daughter with Karash, who was born on November 6 and named Minor Songbird.

• 1:21:20Speaker 00

  Every evening after Bible study, Karash selected which wife he would spend the night with. Kathy Schroeder, a former Branch Davidian, told author Jeff Gwynn that some women would loiter around the chapel afterwards, hoping to be chosen.

• 1:21:38Speaker 00

  According to Kathy, Karash made sure to give every woman some attention, but he had obvious favorites, including his legal wife Rachel, her little sister Michelle, a 15-year-old Australian girl called Ayesha Gairaphes, and Judy Schneider. He had children with all of them.

• 1:21:59Speaker 00

  Branch Davidians observed that Karash's preferred wives also happened to be those considered most attractive. He justified this by pointing out that God's children should be beautiful. Sometimes Karash teased the other men, asking, "I got all the women, aren't you jealous?" before reassuring them that he'd happily trade places with them if he could. It wasn't easy having to procreate so much.

• 1:22:31Speaker 00

  He didn't limit his interest to women in the church. David Karash was infatuated with the pop star Madonna, who gained celebrity status during the 1980s, and he taped a photograph of her to his motorcycle. Karash confided to one of his inner circle that God had appeared to him in a dream and said, "I will give thee Madonna." He believed that this was a message. Madonna would eventually hear about the Branch Davidians, move to Mount Carmel, and become one of his wives. By 1993, David Karash had seventeen children with eleven different girls and women.

• 1:23:13Speaker 00

  He was well on his way to achieving his goal of fathering twenty-four.

• 1:23:21Speaker 00

  Not everyone went along with Karash's new teachings. Some of his marriages ended. Dana Okamoto began doubting what Karash was saying and felt uncomfortable with the way children were disciplined at Mount Carmel. In 1992, she left the compound and took the two sons she'd had with Karash with her.

• 1:23:45Speaker 00

  Another wife, Robin Burns, objected strongly to the New Light teaching that all women were Karash's wives. Unlike Dana Okamoto, Robin didn't live at Mount Carmel. She resided with the Californian Branch Davidians. When David Karash caught wind that Robin was thinking of leaving the church, he took the toddler son he and Robin had together back to Mount Carmel with him. He didn't mind losing Robin, but losing one of his children was another matter. Robin was able to regain custody of her son after contacting local law enforcement. They in turn reached out to the sheriff's department in McLennan County,

• 1:24:28Speaker 00

  and Karash handed over the child after receiving a visit at Mount Carmel.

• 1:24:34Speaker 00

  Some couples and male Branch Davidians began to defect too. The most significant to do so was Mark Bro, a young Californian convert who'd established a close relationship with David Karash over the course of four years. Mark's knowledge of the Bible almost rivaled Karash's, and Karash believed he might be another prophet as well, though less powerful than he was. Mark Bro had recently married another Branch Davidian, an Australian woman named Elizabeth Baranier. He was disgusted by Karash's new light revelation and had no intention of allowing Karash near Elizabeth.

• 1:25:17Speaker 00

  Mark contacted Elizabeth, who was living in Australia at the time, and informed her of the new teaching. Like Mark, Elizabeth was horrified by the idea, writing a letter to Mark that read: "You are my only love, the love of my life, and I don't believe I will be able to go through with what is being asked."

• 1:25:40Speaker 00

  Mark came up with a secret plan to leave Mount Carmel and join Elizabeth. The next time Karash travelled to California, Mark accompanied him. He then used money Elizabeth had sent him to fly from Los Angeles to Melbourne. Once in Australia, Mark Bro began openly speaking out against his former mentor.

• 1:26:04Speaker 00

  Karash was devastated by the loss of one of his closest followers, but he had no idea of just how detrimental Mark Bro's defection would be.

• 1:26:17Speaker 00

  Even though a few Branch Davidians had left Mount Carmel, most remained and the population had grown steadily since Karash had taken over in 1989. More than 120 people lived there by early 1993, and 46 of those individuals were children. Even though the group maintained a very Spartan lifestyle, they still needed funds to support them. David Karash estimated that it cost between $30 and $35 to feed each person for a month, which is between $67 and $78 US dollars in today's money. Some Branch Davidians had jobs and donated their earnings.

• 1:27:03Speaker 00

  Others contributed social security and pension checks to the communal funds. Steady money came in from a car repair shop that Karash opened. But these funds combined still weren't enough. In September of 1990, Karash came up with a new idea after learning that one of his clients at the car repair shop was also a licensed gun dealer. What if the Branch Davidians bought secondhand guns cheaply, then refurbished them and sold them at gun shows? He met with the gun dealer, Henry McMahon, who schooled Karash in the business, explaining what customers were looking for.

• 1:27:46Speaker 00

  The group began purchasing old handguns and rifles from Henry that they would repair and polish, then sell at shows all over Texas. Soon they expanded their business, buying from multiple dealers and stocking other hunting gear as well. They purchased cheap hunting vests from stores like Walmart and then the Branch Davidian women adjusted them to add more pockets and special features.

• 1:28:14Speaker 00

  By early 1992, primary campaigns were underway for the next US presidential election, and it looked as though a candidate from the Democrat Party might defeat the Republican incumbent, George Bush.

• 1:28:28Speaker 00

  The prospect of a Democrat president created fears amongst some constituents that gun laws might be tightened, with the National Rifle Association warning that sales of fully-automatic rifles would soon be banned. People who already owned such firearms, however, would be permitted to keep them under grandfather laws. This anxiety created an increased demand for fully-automatic weapons.

• 1:28:56Speaker 00

  Henry McMahon proposed that the Branch Davidians buy semi-automatic weapons, then convert them to fully-automatic. As only licensed gun dealers could sell fully-automatic weapons, he would take care of the sales, and they’d share the profits. Karash agreed to the plan. In the spring of 1992, the Branch Davidians began buying rifle conversion kits as well as semi-automatic weapons. These purchases were legal.

• 1:29:28Speaker 00

  However, converting semi-automatic weapons without the proper permits and without paying taxes was illegal. The Branch Davidians didn’t bother with this part of the process. As they began converting more and more firearms, David Karash also saw a chance to build up their own arsenal. Believing that a battle between his followers and the forces of Babylon was inevitable, and even imminent, he figured it made sense to be armed in anticipation of this event. Soon, they had AR-15 semi-automatic rifles that they’d converted to fully-automatic,

• 1:30:08Speaker 00

  the equivalent of an M16 assault rifle nicknamed “The Meat Chopper” during World War II. They bought grenade hulls, along with the ingredients that would turn them into explosives: black gunpowder and powdered aluminium.

• 1:30:27Speaker 00

  At the same time that the Branch Davidians began converting weapons and preparing for an impending battle, former member Mark Bro was waging his own kind of war against them. Now living in Melbourne, he'd spoken out against David Koresh and his new light mandate to the Branch Davidians there. Koresh's Australian followers began to falter in their belief.

• 1:30:52Speaker 00

  Mark Bro didn't stop there. He contacted immigration officials in the US, alerting them to the fact that there were foreign visitors who'd overstayed their tourist visas living at Mount Carmel. He also reached out to the family members of Branch Davidians, elected officials, journalists, law enforcement, and child protective services. Mark alleged that Koresh was committing statutory rape with underage girls, and accused him of physical abuse against children.

• 1:31:25Speaker 00

  Other former Branch Davidians made similar allegations. Several said they had personally witnessed David Koresh beating children as young as eight months old with a wooden spoon. One accusation read: "On one occasion Vernon spanked my daughter for forty minutes because she did not sit on his lap. She was eight months old at the time. Her bottom was badly bruised and he made her bottom bleed from spanking her so much."

• 1:31:56Speaker 00

  These allegations led to the opening of an investigation by McLennan County's Child Protective Services Office. CPS Investigation Supervisor Joyce Sparks led the investigation, paying several visits to Mount Carmel. Each time, she was escorted carefully through the compound in what felt like a staged tour. However, she noted that the Branch Davidians let her speak to whoever she wanted, and if she asked to say anything in particular, they would show it to her. Joyce Sparks interviewed David Koresh as well as some parents and children. No one said they had seen children being harmed and none of the children said that they had been hurt.

• 1:32:42Speaker 00

  Joyce found herself frustrated, feeling that despite their apparent transparency, everyone she spoke to at Mount Carmel was giving her answers that were prepared and well-practiced.

• 1:32:55Speaker 00

  Koresh's tendency to always refer back to the Bible was also frustrating. When Joyce explained to him that they had to keep religions separate from their conversations about caring for children, he replied: “I can't do that.”

• 1:33:12Speaker 00

  In April 1992, Joyce Sparks closed her investigation after conducting nine weeks of interviews. She felt defeated. Joyce knew that children were being spanked as a form of corporal punishment, but couldn't find any evidence of the kind of abuse that was being alleged. Nor was there any proof that Koresh had been raping underage girls, though Joyce suspected that he was. Koresh had spoken at length about Psalm 45 from the Bible and how important it was to him. Amongst the verses of Psalm 45, which is known as the “royal wedding psalm”, are the following lines:

• 1:33:57Speaker 00

  “Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention. Forget your people and your father's house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty. Honour him, for he is your lord.”

• 1:34:13Speaker 00

  Years later, something in particular that David Koresh had said to Joyce Sparks would continue to echo in her ears. Feeling persecuted by the government's interest in the goings-on at Mount Carmel, he made a prediction about what was going to happen in the near future. Koresh had remarked: “The enemy will surround the camp, and the saints will die. There will be blood and fire, an explosion at the end.”

• 1:34:48Speaker 00

  To be continued next week.

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