Marshall Applewhite (14:28)
In 1972, 40 year old Marshall Applewhite met 44 year old Bonnie Lou Nettles in Houston, Texas. As soon as they crossed paths, Marshall and Bonnie knew they were destined to be in each other's lives. While Bonnie and Marshall were never involved romantically, their relationship was more intense than a simple friendship. Because they believed they were brought together by a divine power to share a very important message with the rest of the world. According to them, the earth was on the brink of destruction and only the faithful would be saved. Bonnie and Marshall, who'd come to believe they were the two witnesses from the book of Revelation, were convinced they had been chosen to save a select group of people. But they quickly realized their message was wasn't an easy sell. Especially the part about being beamed up to heaven in a ufo. The two, as Marshall and Bonnie started calling themselves, tried reaching out to churches and bookstores around the country. They pitched their ideas to anyone who would listen. Most people dismissed them as harmless eccentrics. The constant rejection wore on them. But they were determined finally in many. May 1974, after almost a year of outreach, 42 year old Marshall and 46 year old Bonnie got their first recruit, a woman named Sharon. We don't know much about Sharon or how old she was, but at the time she was married with several young kids and she'd been feeling unhappy in her relationship for a while. When she heard about Bonnie and Marshall's message, it implemented immediately resonated with her. Sharon was seeking a higher truth, something to give her life greater meaning. And before long, she abandoned her family to join Bonnie and Marshall. In their travels around the U.S. sharon took on the role of publicist. She'd arrange speaking events for Bonnie and Marshall and gather crowds ahead of their arrival. This went on for about four months before Sharon had a change of heart. She still believed in Bonnie and Marshall, but the guilt she felt over leaving her children behind was unbearable. In the early fall of 1974, Sharon returned home. But it wasn't the happy reunion she'd been hoping for. When she got back, her husband learned that Sharon had let Marshall and Bonnie use her credit card. And then he accused accused them of fraud. Sometime that fall, the police arrested Bonnie and Marshall. And although Sharon's husband soon dropped the charges and let Bonnie go, Marshall wasn't free just yet. While in custody, the authorities discovered he had an outstanding warrant against him for stealing a rental car in Missouri. Marshall spent the next six months in jail, but he used the time behind bars to perfect his and Bonney's new religion. There, he also had a shocking epiphany. He and Bonney hadn't just been chosen because they were the two. They were chosen because they were not human. In fact, they were aliens, and they'd been sent to Earth to help their followers transform into perfect beings like them. Marshall thought he and Bonney were modern day prophets who came from a long line of earlier messengers, including Jesus, Ezekiel and Elijah. He believed they were all extraterrestrial beings. A month after Marshall was released in April 1975, he and Bonney unveiled this new doctrine to a crowd of like mind minded seekers in Los Angeles. Most people there were already interested in New Age philosophies and the occult. It was exactly the kind of receptive audience Bonnie and Marshall had been looking for. After that meeting, somewhere between 23 to 27 people walked out on their lives to join the wandering duo. In September, another meeting in Oregon netted an additional 20 to 33 followers, which brought their number of followers up to about 60. The new recruits were a mix of ages and backgrounds. Among them were disillusioned young adults searching for deeper meaning, professionals burned out by conventional life and free spirits looking for adventure. But they were all united by the same thing. A willingness to make radical sense sacrifices in the name of transcendence. As for Bonnie and Marshall, they now had a flock which they called human individual metamorphosis. And they quickly adopted new names, Bo and Peep, underscoring their role as shepherds guiding their followers, who they called the sheep. Still, despite their growing numbers, the group remained unstable and disorganized. Marshall and Bonnie often struggled to feed and house everyone. They lived communally in makeshift camps around the country. And shared what little they had. Bonnie and Marshall also instituted strict guidelines for their followers. They weren't allowed to have idle conversations, drink, do any form of drugs, or have sex. Bonnie and Marshall explained that banning these things was necessary and to begin the process of severing physical attachments. That way, they'd be prepared to start the chemical and biological transformation into their new extraterrestrial bodies. As part of that process, Bonnie and Marshall split the movement into groups of two. Members were paired with another Czech partner to help them overcome their human attachments, Especially their attachment to sexual. Heterosexual men and women were paired together. Gay men were paired with other gay men, and lesbian women were paired with other lesbian women. This was intentional on Bonnie and Marshall's part. They wanted their followers to feel sexually attracted to one another. The key was to fight off any urges that might arise. If you succeeded, you were one step closer to transcending. Once everyone was paired off, Bonnie and Marshall sent them to find more members. Partners would travel the country together, working through their desires and seeking out converts. Occasionally, they would meet back up with the group at different campgrounds. But in the days before cell phones, communicating wasn't so easy. Members would send each other letters or use short term PO boxes to figure out where they were meeting next. But mostly, each set of partners went wherever they felt called to go. It's not surprising that this caused some issues. At one point in late 1975 or early 76, two members got lost and couldn't find the rest of the group. They resorted to giving an interview to reporters in the hopes that Bonnie and Marshall would see it and come find them. It's not clear if that ever happened, but by April 1976, 48 year old Bonnie and 44 year old Marshall realized their organization would never survive if they couldn't get organized. So they stopped traveling and settled down in a remote corner of Wyoming. By then, they had 88 followers, about half of what they had at the height of their outreach. Most people who left had either literally gotten lost or become disillusioned with Bonnie and Marshall. But they weren't worried. The smaller numbers and single location meant Bonnie and Marshall could exert even greater control over their remaining followers in Wyoming. Bonnie and Marshall continued to maintain their rules about sex, drugs and alcohol. They allowed their members to work odd jobs, but they couldn't have permanent careers. And Bonnie and Marshall took took their guidelines very seriously. Later, in 1976, they expelled 19 people for either breaking the rules or not being committed enough to the group's overall message. That way they knew whoever was left was serious about ascending to the next level and becoming extraterrestrials like Bonnie and Marshall. For the next six years, they treated the compound like a boy boot camp for outer space. And Bonnie and Marshall were their divine captains. While Marshall was the charismatic one who attracted new members and enforced the rules, Bonnie was the religious leader. She educated the rest of the group using a blend of Christianity, New Age mysticism and science fiction. But at the heart of all the doctrines, the ultimate goal was, was self actualization. To get there, members structured their lives around meals, sleep, work, meditation, prayer and creating homes. This last part, where they lived, was especially important. Remember, the goal was to become a level above humans, AKA perfected beings, like Bonnie and Marshall supposedly were. And according to according to them, these types of beings lived and worked on spacecraft like those in Star Trek. Because of that, their followers referred to their houses as crafts. Bedrooms were called rest chambers, kitchens were called neutralabs, and laundry rooms were fiber labs. Whether members were cooking or cleaning, they acted like they were in a laboratory on a spaceship. All of their actions were methodical and precise. But even though the group leaned into science fiction, there were still elements of Christianity throughout. And one of their core beliefs was that one day, Bonnie and Marshall would be assassinated and resurrected, just like Jesus was. They had no idea there was a storm brewing, one that would put their prophecy to the Earth ultimate test. In 1982, after seven years of honing her vision for the group known as human individual metamorphosis, 54 year old Bonnie got sick. That year, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer. It was a defining moment for her and Marshall. After spending so much time preaching that they were special extraterrestrial beings. And Bonnie was having a uniquely human experience. And despite her insistence that she and Marshall were immune from the plights of mere mortals, nature still took its course. After holding on for three years, Bonnie passed away in 1985. She was 57 years old. Her death changed everything. Without Bonnie, the 54 year old Marshall became the group's one and only leader. And he was prepared to put his crew members to the ultimate test. One the world would Never forget. In 1985, Bonnie Lou Nettles passed away at age 57 of Liver Canc. Her partner, 54 year old Marshall Applewhite, was utterly crushed. Bonnie was his best friend, soulmate and fellow wanderer. Not only that, she was the spiritual heart of their cult, which at the time was called Human Individual Metamorphosis. Marshall had the charm and charisma to attract new members. But most of their doctrines and religious practices had come from Bonnie. But the problem ran deeper than that. Marshall and Bonney had projected themselves as Christ like figures who'd be assassinated by their enemies. Upon their deaths, they would be miraculously healed and transformed into perfect, immortal aliens. At that point, their most loyal followers would also become aliens, and they would all be carried up in a UFO to their heavenly homeworld. But Bonnie's death undermined everything. There was no assassination, Just an ordinary death from a tragic disease. And no resurrection either. Marshall knew he needed to reframe what had happened. So he began teaching that Bonnie's human form, like everyone else's, was just a vehicle. It was a temporary shell that she discarded when she no longer needed it. In other words, Bonnie wasn't dead at all. She'd simply graduated to a higher plane of existence. Not everyone accepted that explanation, and one of Marshall's followers completely abandoned him. But the ones who remained took Bonnie's death as a sign they should work harder to join her in the next realm. That included showing their commitment to the guidelines she she'd set forth. After she passed, some male members, including Marshall, took their vow of abstinence to the next level and were surgically castrated. If Bonnie were alive, she might have talked him out of it. But now he was the only captain aboard a ship lost at sea. And as the years went by, Marshall's teachings grew darker and more apocalyptic. He preached that Earth was corrupt and under siege by Luciferian forces, evil aliens bent on keeping humans trapped in their flawed mortal state. The only path to salvation lay through Marshall. He claimed he received messages from Bonney, who in her ascended state was now synonymous with God. With her guidance, the group moved from Wyoming to New Mexico, and then to Rancho Santa Fe, California. But Marshall's message was losing its appeal at this point. In the early 1990s, he'd started to preach that he wasn't just a prophet like Jesus Christ. He was Jesus. As for Bonnie, well, she was actually God. And she was waiting for Marshall and the others in heaven. For many of Marshall's followers, this latest version of events was a bridge too far, and they left the group. With each passing day, the number of members dwindled, and by 1992 or 93, there were just a few dozen left. Marshall tried to stem the bleeding with occasional outreach. First, he mailed a booklet with information about the group to various new New Age centers. Then he produced a series of satellite TV broadcasts sharing their message. And finally, he placed a large ad in USA Today on May 27, 1993. His efforts seemed to pay off. Before long he had a few new recruits, including a woman named Gail Mater. Originally From New York, 21 year old Gail had always wanted to be a fashion designer. Eventually she decided to open up her own store selling knickknacks and tie dyed clothes. Her dad Robert helped fund the venture. But Gail didn't hold up her end of the bargain. Before long, she'd abandoned the shop and joined Bonnie and Marshall's new group. It would be several years before her parents heard from her again. And despite gaining a couple of fresh faces, 62 year old Marshall knew the group was failing and he was running out of steam. He saw the end approaching and decided he had one last chance. It was time to get on board the spaceship and take as many people as he could with him. In September 1994, Marshall made an announcement that sent shockwaves through the group. He claimed the time was coming for them to leave Earth and journey to the next level, a physical version of the Christian heaven. But it would require a great sacrifice. They needed to abandon their human bodies entirely. Two members walked out right then and there. But the rest, about 36 in total, stayed. By that point they already considered themselves more more alien than human. They believed that after death they would evolve and join Bonnie in the next level. All they needed now was for Marshall to give the sign. It was time to leave. That sign came in July 1995, when two amateur astronomers, Alan Hale and Thomas Bob, discovered a comet in the night sky. The so called Hale Bopp comet would spend a year passing by Earth, reaching its closest point on March 22, 1997. But the comet itself wasn't what got Marshall's attention. It was what came next. On November 14, 1996, a popular AM radio show called coast to coast with Art Bell hosted a special guest with big news about the comet. The show was known for for hosting a who's who of conspiracy theorists, alien abductees and paranormal investigators. For much of America, Art's radio show was just late night entertainment. But for Marshall and his group, who had since changed their name to Heaven's Gate, it was practically gospel. That night, Art interviewed an amateur astronomer named Chuck Schrammick who claimed to have spotted an enormous object Trailing the comment Shramik had a photo that supposedly confirmed this. The next night, a political science professor named Courtney Brown called in with an even more extraordinary claim. Brown had founded a company specializing in something called remote viewing. It's a paranormal ability that supposedly Allows people to project their consciousness to other places and see things that they wouldn't be able to otherwise. Brown said three of his remote viewers had visited the object traveling with the comet. They told him that it was a large, climate controlled hollow capsule. In other words, an alien spacecraft. So, listeners, I'd love to hear from you. What's your take on Brown's claims? Or maybe some of you remember the comet? If so, what was your experience with it at that time? Were you able to see it? Tell us in the comments. Well, while many dismissed Brown's claims as outlandish, some ufologists and conspiracy theorists, including members of Heaven's Gate, hung on his every word. Marshall himself was enthralled by the comet as it swirled and twisted its way towards Earth. The whole world was tracking its approach, and by January 1997, you could see it with the naked eye. Marshall sensed there was something special about this comet, so he did some kind of astrological reading. His results connected this comet with another comet that had approached in 1973, the year he and Bonney became the two witnesses. Marshall was looking for a sign and God or Bonney had delivered. He became convinced that the spaceship supposedly traveling beside the comet was the UFO he'd been waiting for. If he and his followers were going to ascend to space and meet Bonney in heaven, they had to seize this opportunity. On the heels of this revelation, Marshall announced their departure was at hand. He and his 38 crew members would leave Earth on March 22, 1997. As the comet reached its closest point in early 1997, the group began their preparations with meticulous precision. Each member received a black tracksuit, brand new Nike sneakers, and an armband embroidered with the phrase Heaven's Gate Away team. This was both a nod to Star Trek and to prepare them to continue their mission. Once they got to heaven, which again they believed was a physical place in outer space, their final weeks were spent tying up loose ends. They returned library books, spent the last of their money, and recorded for farewell messages. These tapes were filled with serene goodbyes and heartfelt gratitude for their time on Earth. They referred to their impending suicides not as deaths, but as an exit, A graduation from their flawed human existence to the next level. Marshall arranged for these exit videos to be mailed to some of his former followers so they could tell the world world what happened. He knew most people would never understand, but Marshall probably hoped that a few would hear his message and follow in their own time. The tragic event itself began on March 22, 1997. And unfolded over the next three days. Marshall and his followers consumed a lethal combination of barbiturates and vitamins, vodka, dying in shifts so that those who remained could arrange their bodies with care. Each was draped with a purple shroud, their clothes and other belongings packed neatly beside them. 65 year old Marshall was among the last to go, his body stretched peacefully on his bed. Dressed just like the others, they sat undisturbed for days. It wasn't until an ex member received one of Marshall's farewell packages that anyone knew what had happened. He arrived at the Heaven's gate compound on March 26 and immediately called 911. The media frenzy was immediate. With 39 people dead, it was the biggest mass suicide in American history. As soon as the identities of the deceased were known, reporters banged on the family's doors for interviews. This only exacerbated the grief felt by people like Robert Mater, who was already devastated. His 27 year old daughter Gail had once dreamed of being a fashion designer. Now she'd been destroyed by a religion he couldn't understand. Besides Gail, the youngest victim was 25 year old Michael Barr Sando. He was a former paratrooper from Virginia whose family had no no idea he was in a cult until they saw the news of his suicide. Other members had told their families about Heaven's Gate. 63 year old Lucy, Eva Peo and 42 year old Cheryl Butcher, both IT professionals, were in contact with their loved ones. And in the years leading up to their deaths, they insisted they were healthy and happy. The remaining victims came from a variety of backgrounds, including the arts, the medicine and media. But they were all united by a desire for community, purpose and greater meaning. And Marshall Applewhite took advantage of that in the most terrible way possible. In the decades since the Heaven's Gate tragedy, there have been dozens of books, movies and documentaries, all seeking to understand what happened and why cults like Heaven's Gate live on in the public imagination. Because at first glance, they just seem so strange. After all, how could anyone believe that Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Lou Nettles were messengers like Jesus? That they'd find paradise on a ufo? Were they charmed, drugged or brainwashed? And why would they go to such extreme lengths just to prove their faith in asking the question, the answer should already feel less strange. Ordinary people die and kill for their beliefs all the time. And sadly, this kind of emotional manipulation didn't end with Heaven's Gate. That's why we're launching a segment, Cult Watch. At the end of every cult focused episode, we'll take a few minutes to shine a light on a modern day group still active in the world today or in the news groups that may not make headlines yet, but should. Because history doesn't just repeat itself, sometimes it mutates. In Cult Watch this week, I'm highlighting the Zizians. This anarchist group got its start in Silicon Valley in 2019. Led by Jack Ziz Lasoda, the Zizians follow a radical form of veganism and preach against the dangers of AI. The group, which started as an online forum, quickly became all too real. They're linked to at least six deaths, including a US Border Patrol agent, a landlord, and two Zizian associated individuals across several states from the 2022 to 2025. Jack Z. LaSota is currently in jail and was indicted on the possession of illegal firearms in June 2025. But even though Jack is gone, the Zizians aren't like Heaven's Gate. Decades before, these kinds of groups prey on vulnerable people. At their core, the victims of Bonnie Lou Nettles and Marshall Ad Applewhite were lost souls aching for a sense of belonging. In exchange for that, they traded their identities, their freedom and their lives. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Come back next week. We'll decode this episode together and hear another story about the real people at the center of the world's most notorious cults, conspiracies and criminal acts. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you you heard today, reach out on social media, Rimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly makes a difference and to enhance your Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes listening experience. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad free plus plus exciting bonus content. We'll be back next Wednesday. Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson and is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benidon, Natalie Pertofsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Zander Bernstein and Sheila Patterson. Thank you for listening.
