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Bright, airy and made for the season, open the door to spring in every room. Learn more@pura.com. Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre 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. In the wooded hills of northern Idaho, just 30 odd miles south of the Canadian border, lies a mountain ridge in the Kaniksu National Forest. Known as Ruby Ridge, this rugged and remote location was home to 20 acres of land that belonged to a former U.S. army Special Forces officer named Randy Weaver. Randy had bought the land in 1983 after his wife Vicki, who was deeply religious, began having recurring dreams about living on a mountaintop. Believing an apocalypse was imminent and that Vicky's dreams indicated where they needed to be, Randy and Vicky sold their belongings, learnt from an Amish community how to live without electricity, and built a basic cabin on their newly purchased land. It had no power or running water, but the Weavers made it work. Over the next decade, they turned it into a home for their four children, Sarah, Samuel, Rachel and Elisheba. The family lived a survivalist, self sufficient lifestyle. Instead of buying food, they hunted and foraged and raised their own livestock. The children were homeschooled. Despite their isolated setup, the Weavers made friends with others in the area. They even took in a troubled teenager named Kevin Harris. Early on the morning of Friday, August 21, 1992, Kevin Harris and 14 year old Samuel Weaver were walking along a trail that led to the family's cabin, accompanied by one of the Weaver's dogs, a Labrador retriever named Stryker. The trail was wide enough to accommodate an SUV and flanked by heavy woods on either side, when a noise emanated from some nearby brush. Stryker barked. The dog approached the brush, still barking loudly, hoping Stryker might have sniffed out some game they could hunt for meat, Samuel and Kevin followed. According to later testimony from the Weaver family, gunfire suddenly rang out, killing Stryker. Three U.S. marshals dressed from head to toe in camouflage and carrying M16 rifles had been hiding in the surrounding woods as part of a reconnaissance team keeping watch property. One of them shot Stryker. After he revealed their location, Samuel Weaver cried out, you've killed my dog, you son of a bitch. As he was carrying a firearm. The 14 year old returned fire. A second U.S. marshal shot back in his direction, hitting Samuel in the arm. Samuel began running up a hill back toward the family's house when he was shot again twice in the back and fell face down on the ground. Meanwhile, Kevin had dived behind a tree stump for cover before firing his own gun at the marshals. He hit and killed one of them. Kevin Harris managed to flee back to the cabin. Wails and despair could be heard from inside its walls as the family discovered that their only son and brother had been killed. Nineteen rounds had been fired during the confrontation. Three were shot by Samuel Weaver, two by Kevin Harris and 14 by the three U.S. marshals combined. The marshal's story differed somewhat from the Weaver family's. They had been at the property as part of a planned raid to arrest Randy Weaver, a white supremacist who'd been on the radar of multiple law enforcement agencies for years. In 1985, a neighbour had accused him of threatening to kill then US President Ronald Reagan, the Governor of Idaho and Pope John Paul ii. It was said that Randi was a member of the racist terror group Aryan nations and that he had a large cache of firearms. In 1986, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, known as the atf, learnt of Randy Weaver after one of their informants met him at the World Aryan Congress, a convention where American neo Nazis called for the creation of a new white and male dominated homeland. Randi met with the informant several times and suggested they form a group to fight what he called the Zionist organised government. This was his term for the United States government, referencing an anti Semitic conspiracy theory that claims Jews secretly run Western states. The ATF later charged Randy Weaver with selling their undercover informant two shotguns with barrels that had been sawed off below the legal minimum length. In October 1990, a grand jury indicted Randy for possession of illegal weapons. He was granted bail but failed to appear in court for his scheduled trial date. It was said that Randi possessed multiple firearms and arresting him at his own residence was therefore deemed too dangerous. This led to the U.S. marshals attempting to arrange for Randi to surrender himself peacefully after four months of failed negotiations. On Friday, August 21, 1992, the U.S. marshals descended on the Weaver property under cover of Darkness in a planned raid that resulted in 14 year old Samuel Weaver, a US Marshal named William, Bill Degan and the Weaver's dog being killed. In the marshal's version of events, Randy Weaver had been with Samuel, Kevin and Stryker as they approached the brush. They claimed that when Stryker exposed their locations, they shouted to identify themselves, which led to Kevin Harris firing at them and initiating the confrontation. Deputy U.S. marshal Deegan, who Kevin had mortally wounded, fired seven rounds back while another marshal shot Stryker, scared the dog would attack. It was then that Samuel Weaver started firing. Ballistics reports indicated that Samuel was killed by Deputy U.S. marshal Larry Cooper, though these reports weren't conclusive. Cooper denied shooting Samuel, saying he hit Kevin Harris instead, though there was no evidence that Kevin was struck at all. The FBI later stated that they hadn't realised Samuel Weaver was dead until days after the shootout. The altercation led to a standoff between law enforcement and the Weaver family. While the Weavers barricaded themselves in their home, the marshals radioed for reinforcements. State police, ATF agents, an FBI hostage rescue team and FBI snipers took up locations around the property. Given the drastic situation with two people already dead, one of those a member of federal law enforcement and a family said to be armed and dangerous, the FBI amended its usual rules of engagement. Ordinarily, an FBI agent can only fire against someone if they or other agents are in danger of bodily harm or death. At Ruby Ridge, agents would be permitted to fire at any adult male holding a weapon as long as the shot could be taken without endangering children. In the wake of the initial shootout, members of the Weaver family had managed to collect Samuel's body from where it lay dead on the ground and moved him to a shed. On Saturday, August 22, they made plans to bury him. Before laying his son to rest, Randy Weaver left the cabin to visit him one last time. He was joined by his 16 year old daughter Sarah and family friend Kevin Harris. Randy Weaver was lifting the latch to the shed where Samuel's body lay when a shot rang out. An FBI sniper named Lon Horiuchi, who had been watching the scene from 200 yards to the north, had taken fire. The shot struck Randy in his back with the bullet exiting his right armpit. Injured but not incapacitated, Randy turned and ran back towards the cabin with Sarah and Kevin. Sarah did her best to shield her father from being shot again, realising that he was the target and pushed him in front of her towards the cabin. Vicki Weaver stood in the cabin's doorway holding the door open for them with her 10 month old daughter Elisheba in her arms. Randy and Sarah raced indoors with Kevin behind them. As he crossed the threshold, Agent Horiuchi fired another shot, aiming for Kevin. But the bullet struck Vicki first, fatally tearing through her face before hitting Kevin Harris in the chest. Vicky fell to the floor with her infant daughter still in her arms. Kevin was badly injured and begged Randy to kill him and put him out of his misery. Randy refused. The Weavers felt like they were being hunted. They had no faith in the federal government and refused to trust the FBI negotiators who tried to arrange for their surrender. The standoff went on for days with the Weaver family holed up inside their cabin and federal agents surrounding the property. A crowd of spectators and protesters sympathetic to the Weavers gathered at the base of the mountain. Some carried signs that decried the actions of federal law enforcement. One read, Federal informant. Federal charges. Federal attack. I'm fed up. Are you? Stand up before it's too late. Eventually, a former US Army Special Forces member with similar politics to Randy Weaver was called in to help. Over three days, he managed to convince Randy to surrender, promising that he would assist in getting Randi a fair trial. The standoff finally came to an end on Monday, August 31, 11 days after it began. Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris, who recovered from his bullet wound after the surrender, were charged with multiple offences, including the murder of the U.S. marshal. Both men were acquitted of this most serious crime at a federal trial. Ballistic reports revealed that Randy Weaver hadn't fired a single shot during the entire standoff. In the end, Randy was sentenced to 18 months in prison for missing his original court date and violating bail conditions. He later filed a $200 million civil suit against the government for the wrongful deaths of his wife and son. In 1995, the government settled the case, agreeing to pay Randy Weaver $100,000 and $1 million to each of his three daughters. The events at Ruby Ridge sent shockwaves through the United States and had significant ramifications. The media and the public were broadly critical of how the various federal agencies had handled the case. A special task force report and a Senate subcommittee report both agreed that the rules of engagement were unconstitutional. They also broadly agreed with the Weaver's version of how the altercation began. Agent Lon Horiuchi, the FBI sniper who shot killed Vicki Weaver, was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Though the case against him was ultimately dismissed, There were no criminal convictions for the deaths of either Samuel or Vicki Weaver. For many Americans, the Ruby Ridge incident was seen as a shocking example of state overreach and unnecessary government interference into the lives of private citizens. Roughly 2,000 miles away at the Mount Carmel Centre east of Waco, Texas, members of the Branch Davidian Church were among those taking note. For some time now, their leader, David Koresh, had been predicting an impending apocalypse on their land, which would take the form of government persecution. What are you going to do six months from now when this is all surrounded by tanks? He'd asked several followers in June of 1992. Two months later, as day followed reports of the Ruby Ridge siege on television news, David Koresh wondered aloud, is it a dress rehearsal for an attack on Mount Carmel? The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, abbreviated to the atf, is a US Federal law enforcement agency that falls under the Department of Justice. Initially founded as a way to collect taxes on imported spirits and tobacco, the agency's role evolved over time to taking on a more investigative and regulatory role. The ATF is responsible for investigating crimes that involve alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, which has made it an unpopular agency. At times. This has been attributed to the ATF's role in regulating products that many Americans enjoy and don't want regulated. In the words of author Jeff Guinny, the agency has become something of a public punching bag. The ATF wasn't just unpopular with the public, it struggled with lawmakers, too. It received less funding than other federal law enforcement agencies, had fewer employees, and frequently came under attack by the country's powerful gun lobby, the national rifle association. The ATF's role as the nation's enforcer of gun laws meant it was often accused of trampling on citizens Second Amendment rights, the amendment in the U.S. constitution that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms. In the early 1990s, the ATF was in such dire financial straits that agents in charge of divisional officers began issuing fines to other agents if they were late for meetings, just so they had some money they could use to purchase necessary equipment. The ATF undertook its own investigations, but was also often called upon by other agencies to provide support as required. In early June of 1992, the ATF received one request from a sheriff's department in Texas who said that they were dealing with a situation in McLennan county, where, near the city of Waco. It had all started with some reports of troubling things being sent in the mail. Larry Gilbreath was a driver for the United parcel service, or UPS, and he had been delivering parcels to the Mount Carmel compound since 1986. Sometimes he made several deliveries in One week. Initially, he'd thought nothing of it. The residents who lived at Mount Carmel were viewed by the broader community in Waco as maybe a little odd, but harmless and decent people. Larry would drive their parcels out to the Mount Carmel compound, where David Koresh often signed for them personally. He was always friendly and Larry enjoyed chatting with him about cars and other hobbies. But things changed over time. While the parcels had initially borne packaging labels that indicated they contained medication or other personal items, larger boxes had started arriving from an arms dealer. More and more kept coming. Larry thought it was strange that a religious organisation would be ordering so many firearms. In early 1992, David Koresh began redirecting these deliveries so they weren't addressed to the Mount Carmel compound. Instead, Larry had to take them to a garage that they rented several miles away, known as the Mag Bag. The Branch Davidians who met Larry to sign for the packages began dressing in military fatigues. In Larry's view, they looked more like a militia than a church group. They were also ordering ammunition and magazines for 223 rifles, AK47s and AR15s. They even ordered a grenade launcher. One day In February of 1992, Larry dropped one of the parcels marked for delivery to the Mag bag and it broke open. Inside were about 50 hand grenades, several rolled out of the box. Terrified, Larry jumped back before realising that they were just the grenade casings and they had no explosives inside. Still, the sight of so many potential bombs was alarming, especially as Larry had noted that another delivery was marked as containing black powder, a substance used to make explosives. Larry told his wife about the incident, who in turn reported it to the local sheriff's department. The Gilbreaths told the sheriff about the other deliveries as well. It wasn't illegal to receive large shipments of firearms in Texas, but the grenades and black powder were more concerning. Plus, some of the ammunition David Koresh was ordering was for fully automatic rifles, suggesting he might be illegally converting semi automatic weapons. The size of these orders was large enough to suggest a substantial operation. A number of the sheriff's deputies also remembered David Koresh's shootout with George Rhoden several years earlier and how he was subsequently trialled for attempted murder. On Thursday, June 4, 1992, McLennan County Sheriff's Department reached out to the ATF to request an investigation. Agent Davy Aguilera began looking into the matter, tracing David Koresh's purchases of firearms and ammunition. He also interviewed neighbours who lived near the Mount Carmel compound to see if they'd noticed anything strange. One neighbour A military veteran mentioned that In January of 1992, he'd heard machine gun fire coming from Mount Carmel. After learning that Koresh had purchased weapons from a local dealer named Henry McMahon. Agent Aguilera spoke to him as well. Henry told the agent that he and Koresh were in business together. Koresh and his branch Davidians assembled AR15s from other parts. Then Henry sold them at gun shows. Agent Aguilera informed Henry that this arrangement could make him liable for an 11% federal tax on any proceeds, and he'd need to keep meticulous records of every transaction. This prompted Henry to cancel the arrangement with Koresh, as he didn't want the extra cost or hassle. While he was speaking with Agent Aguilera, Henry called Koresh to tell him that the ATF was there asking questions. Now the Branch Davidians would know they were being investigated. Well, if there's a problem, tell them to come out here, Koresh replied. But the agents declined his invitation, as they didn't yet have a warrant to search the compound and doubted Koresh would show them everything they wanted to see. Agent Aguilera continued working on his investigation, certain that Koresh was involved in illegal firearm activities. He also sent a report on his discoveries to ATF headquarters, asking for permission to seek a search warrant for Mount Carmel from federal court. While Agent Aguilera was waiting to hear back about his request, news broke of the siege at Ruby Ridge, in which two innocent civilians and a US Marshal had been killed. This led to significant negative publicity for the atf, along with other federal law enforcement agencies. Two months after the conclusion of the siege, Agent Aguilera was informed on Monday, November 2, that his request to search Mount Carmel had been denied. The denial of Agent Aguilera's request didn't mean the case was closed. It just meant that Aguilera had to keep digging for more evidence. Understaffing at the ATF meant that he was mostly working solo, with occasional help here and there. He'd managed to track down multiple arms dealers who'd sold to Koresh and and established that the Branch Davidians possessed enough firearms, conversion kits, and munitions to suggest they were likely involved in illegal sales. But Aguilera hadn't found any actual evidence that proved criminal activity. In December 1992, he began focusing more on interviewing individuals who might have witnessed illegal activity. Agent Aguilera spoke to Child Protective Services worker Joyce Sparks about her investigation into the Branch Davidians. Amongst her general recollections of what she'd seen at Mount Carmel, Joyce described how a little boy there had told her that all of the adults had guns and practised using them a lot. Joyce had asked David Koresh if she could see the guns kept at the compound. After a 30 minute wait, Koresh escorted Joyce to an old yellow school bus that lay next to the compound. It was mostly buried under the ground. At one end of the bus was a refrigerator marked with bullet holes. Three rifles lay on the floor. Koresh explained that he did his target practice there as the bus muffled the sound and didn't disturb the neighbours. Joyce also related how Koresh had given an ominous warning stating, my time is coming. When I reveal myself as the messenger and my time comes, what happens will make the riots in LA pale in comparison. He was referring to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which saw a series of violent riots and civil disturbances across Los Angeles county during May and April of that year. Year in total, 63 people had been killed and 2,383 were injured. Agent Aguilera interviewed some ex Branch Davidians, including Mark Bro, who was living in Australia and had started a campaign against Koresh after becoming disillusioned with his former mentor. Mark described how he had participated in shooting practice alongside Koresh and said that Branch Davidians took it in turns to stand guard around around the building while armed. He himself had done so with a loaded gun. According to Mark, Koresh had told them that if anyone attempted to enter the property, they should shoot to kill. During one conversation, Koresh had disparaged gun laws as ludicrous because an individual could easily acquire a firearm and the necessary parts to convert it to a machine gun. But if a person had the gun and the parts together, they would be in violation of the law. This was significant as it was an open admission that Koresh knew he was breaking the law by converting firearms. Another witness who'd left the Branch Davidiens in June 1992 said that Koresh's arsenal had grown even larger in recent months. This individual had seen a 50 caliber weapon so large that it was mounted on a tactical bipod and had heard of other similar firearms on the property. There were also around 15 AR15s, 25 AK47s, several pistols and three street sweepers, a 12 gauge 12 shot shotgun with a spring driven drum magazine and a folding buttstock. Each time a street sweeper's trigger was released after firing a shot, the magazine rotated to position the next shot for firing. Agent Aguilera also spoke to one of Koresh's former wives, Robin Buns, her brother, and her mother, Janine who had also slept with Koresh with the intention of conceiving a child. They told the agent that Koresh had screened violent movies about the Vietnam War and told his followers they were training films. Branch Davidians, armed with guns took turns standing guard around the building, and there were sometimes shooting drills with AK47s. The buns also told Aguilera that there were foreigners at Mount Carmel who had overstayed their visas and that Koresh had fathered more than a dozen children with various women and girls. They explained that no men other than Koresh were permitted to engage in sexual activity. Janine Bunz told the agent that she had personally delivered some of the babies born to female Branch Davidians. The youngest mother had been just 11 years old. Although the sexual abuse of minors and immigration violations did not fall under the ATF's jurisdiction, these other alleged crimes strengthened Aguilera's case, especially as it was against federal law for illegal aliens to receive a firearm. Upon performing background checks on the Branch Davidians, Agent Aguilera found that more than 40 were foreign nationals, many of whom were there illegally. Several others had been arrested, convicted, or were under investigation for various crimes ranging from fraud to smuggling and narcotics offences. Agent Aguilera had enough to obtain the search warrant he needed to raid Mount Carmel, but he still wanted evidence that was stronger than statements from former members who'd left the compound years earlier. On Friday, October 2, 1992, the ATF installed a pole camera along the road near the property in the hopes of capturing photographic proof of the Branch Davidians shooting drills. Unfortunately, the footage captured by the cameras was too poor to be of any use. Their next option was to send in some undercover agents. Casefile will be back shortly. Thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors. The youth mental health crisis has become increasingly evident and we know social media plays a big role. 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