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- [00:00]
Vanessa Richardson
Foreign this is Crime House.
- [00:13]
Narrator
Have you ever felt like God was speaking directly to you? If the answer is yes, you're not alone. Countless people have claimed to possess a direct connection to the divine. Some claim to have dreams, visions, and prophecies given to them by God. Often these people find themselves ridiculed or ignored. But every now and then, they become something bigger. A leader, a savior, a Messiah. In 1981, a 22 year old drifter named David Koresh arrived at a remote religious camp out in the Texas desert. He was broke, awkward, and lost. Twelve years later, he made history when 74 of his most devoted followers died in a tragic standoff with law enforcement. They'd been preparing for this moment for years, and many weren't afraid to lose their lives because, according to David, they would be resurrected as heroes. It was all part of God's plan. From UFO cults and mass suicides to secret CIA experiments, presidential assassinations and murderous doctors, these aren't just theories. They're real stories that blur the line between fact and fiction. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes, a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Every Wednesday I'll explore the real people at the center of the world's most shocking events and nefarious organizations. At the end of every cult focused episode, we'll also be introducing Cult Watch, a quick look at modern day groups that are still active, dangerous and largely flying under the radar. Because cults aren't just part of our past, they're still shaping lives today. And to continue building this community, I'll be asking for your input so we can decode each story together. If you want your voice heard, make sure to comment on Spotify or leave a review on Apple, or if you just want to support the show, rate, review and follow conspiracy theories, cults and crimes wherever you get your podcasts and for early ad free access to every episode plus exclusive bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts Today I'm discussing the Branch Davidians, a religious cult led by a dangerous prophet named Vernon Howell. Though you may know him better by his chosen name, David Koresh. In 1993, this small cult dominated the headlines when a standoff with the federal government ended in carnage. If you read the papers, you may think you know what happened and that you know who David Koresh was. But the reality is much stranger than you can imagine. All that and more coming up.
- [03:27]
Vanessa Richardson
The Conjuring Last rights.
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Narrator
On September 5th.
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Vanessa Richardson
The Conjuring Last Rites Only Enthusiasm Theater.
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Narrator
September 5th rated Riemas. In 1981, 21 year old Vernon Howell arrived at a compound called Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas. He he was there to join a group called the Branch Davidians. The group of several hundred people had been at Mount Carmel since 1935. The Branch Davidians were an offshoot of the Seventh Day Adventists, a Christian church that believed the Apocalypse was imminent and only the most faithful would survive. While both the SDA and the Davidians saw the Bible as the ultimate source of truth and authority, they differed in some very important, important ways. While the SDA thought the prophecies in the Bible had already been fulfilled, the Davidians focused on modern day prophets. After setting up shop back in 1935, they'd cycled through several leaders. And though they all had different ideas about when the Apocalypse had arrived, they were all viewed as prophets in their own right. The only problem was none of their predictions had come true. And by the time Vernon Howell showed up at their gates, the Branch Davidians were desperate for guidance. They didn't know Vernon was the beginning of the end. Vernon Wayne Howell was born in Houston, Texas in 1959 to a 15 year old single mother named Bonnie Clark. His childhood was full of turmoil and neglect. He was just a baby when his father abandoned the family. After that, Bonnie married an ex convict who beat Vernon constantly. When Bonnie was 18, he was sent back to jail and they divorced. That same year she married a 34 year old bar owner. He turned out to be an alcoholic and the family fractured even further. In situations like these, many children find solace outside of the home. Sadly, things weren't any better for Vernon. At school he had trouble writing and spelling and the other kids bullied him non stop. Today he might have been diagnosed with a learning disorder, but back then most people just assumed he was stupid. That couldn't have been further from the truth. Vernon loved music and had a gift for building things. With his hands he could repair anything mechanical. He was also drawn to religion from an early age. He attended a Seventh Day Adventist school and and although he wasn't good at writing, his mind was a sponge for scripture. While other kids were reading comic books, Vernon read the Bible and watched televised sermons. He memorized entire chapters word for word. Before long, he had the Old and New Testaments committed to memory. By 1976, the 17 year old felt like he had no need for formal schooling. On top of that, his family was struggling financially. So that year Vernon dropped out and became a carpenter to pay the bills. But a year or two later, everything Changed. At some point he fell in love with a girl and got her pregnant. He moved in with her family expecting to help raise the child. She ended up getting an abortion but was soon pregnant again. After that her father father threw him out of the house. Vernon was devastated. He was lost, adrift and searching for meaning. His only anchor was the Seventh Day Adventists. He'd been attending the main church in Waco for several years at that point. And in 1981 a fellow parishioner introduced him to 65 year old Lois Roden. After her husband passed away, Lois was the new leader of the SDA offshoot the Branch Davidians at Mount Carmel. Vernon was only 21 when he met Lois, but as soon as they locked eyes, he knew he'd found what he was looking for. At some point that same year, she brought him back to the compound and introduced him to the rest of the Davidians. They didn't think much of Vernon at first. He stammered when he spoke and had some pretty uncomfortable habits. For example, he'd talk openly about masturbation. But Lois saw something in him that the others didn't. She saw potential. She saw greatness. Before long, she hired Vernon as her driver and handyman and invited him to come live at Mount Carmel. There was always something that needed fixing and Vernon could mend almost anything. Plus he was deeply interested in the teachings of the Davidians. Within a few months, Lois was taking Vernon into her cabin for private Bible study sessions. And their teacher student relationship quickly became something much more intimate. By the end of 1981, everyone knew the 67 year old Prophetess and the 21 year old Drifter were sleeping together. Over the next two years they continued to grow closer and Vernon became a more important fixture at the church. By 1983, 23 year old Vernon was acting as Lois's representative and leading Bible studies. It turned out he was incredible at it. His awkward nature gave way to a folksy charm. He made the Bible feel relevant, immediate and urgent. Whenever he spoke about it. He could quote any passage off the top of his head and connect it to modern times. Then he would pick apart the words to find hidden layers of meaning. He was exactly what Louis wanted. A successor. Vernon had arrived just in time too. In 1984, 68 year old Lois was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Vernon knew her days were limited, so he decided to secure his own future. In early 1985, 25 year old Vernon married 14 year old Rachel Jones. She was the daughter of Lois's second in command, Perry Jones. Under Texas law. This was legal with her parents permission. In fact, that didn't change until 2017 when the state raised the minimum marriage age to 18. And with Rachel at his side, it seemed like Vernon would take the throne sooner rather than later. There was just one problem. He had competition. Lois had a 46 year old son named George. By all accounts he was violent, aggressive and mentally unstable. Even so, George always assumed he would take his mother's place. But as Vernon's star rose, George saw his inheritance slipping away. In early 1985, a fire burned down the Branch Davidians administrative building. George immediately accused Vernon of starting it. At that point, Vernon wasn't ready for a fight. So he decided to leave Lois and Mount Carmel behind. Even he took a few of his followers to a 20 acre plot of land in Palestine, Texas. The conditions there were squalid. Most people slept in cars or hastily built shanties without running water or electricity. Vernon promised they wouldn't be there for long. Eventually they would reclaim their rightful home at Mount Carmel. In the meantime, Vernon had some other business to attend to. His wife Rachel was pregnant. The Davidians had deep roots to Israel, which they believed to be the physical holy land. Prior leaders had encouraged the group to embrace certain Jewish customs like Passover. And Vernon wanted his first child to be born there. So shortly after the move to Palestine, Texas, he and Rachel traveled to Israel. When Vernon returned to his followers a few months later in March 1985, in he was a completely different man. Gone was the awkward, stammering young drifter. In his place stood someone confident, charismatic and absolutely certain of his destiny. Vernon told his followers he'd had a vision in Israel. He'd been taken up to heaven by seven angels in celestial chariots. And they'd revealed three earth shattering truths. First, that he was the reincarnation of the biblical Cyrus, the Persian king who conquered Israel in 586 BCE. Cyrus was called a messiah in the Bible. Not the Messiah, but someone anointed by God to fulfill a specific purpose. Second, he was the Lamb described in the book of Revelation. As such, he was the purest of human souls, destined to open the seven seals that would bring about the end of the world. World. The third, Revelation was the biggest. The angel told Vernon that he and his followers were fated to die at the hands of Babylon during the apocalypse. Then they would be resurrected at God's side to lead his army against Satan. Vernon always managed to find modern equivalents for biblical references. And he understood Babylon to mean any government that oppressed true religion. To mark his transformation from ordinary human to messiah. Vernon took a new name. David Koresh. David came from King David and Koresh was the Hebrew transliteration of Cyrus. Like them, he would soon take his place at God's right hand. Salvation awaited those who followed him. Everyone else would burn.
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Vanessa Richardson
Packages by expedia. You were made to occasionally take the hard route to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were made to easily bundle your trip expedia made to travel flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.
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Narrator
In early 1985, 25 year old Vernon Howell took his pregnant flight 14 year old wife to Israel on a holy quest. He returned as David Koresh, prophet of the end times. All of a sudden, his awkward stutter was replaced by the unshakable confidence of a person chosen by God. David told his small group of followers that they'd be spared in the coming apocalypse. But before that happened, they needed to retake their rightful home at Mount Carmel. There was a problem though. David's group had only a few dozen or so members at that point. Definitely not enough to retake the compound, let alone fight off the forces of Babylon. Which meant it was time for David to find new recruits. He saw an opportunity to do that in Southern California, where two longtime Davidians already lived in the city of Pomona. David took a few followers and made the temporary move. As soon as they were settled, it was time to get started. The Seventh Day Adventist College campus in nearby Loma Linda was an obvious target. David had changed a lot since he was a kid, but one thing stayed the same. His passion for music. He would play guitar and preach to passing students. He also went to skid row in nearby Los Angeles and invited unhoused people to join him for Bible study. Slowly but surely, his efforts paid off. One of his most successful recruits was a 22 year old named Mark Bro. All his life, Mark had experienced divine visions. When he was 10, he saw an angel floating in his yard. The angel showed him glimpses of the Apocalypse. He had another vision. At 15 years old, it convinced him to leave. Leave the Roman Catholic Church and convert to Seventh Day Adventism. In December 1985, not long after he graduated college, an angel told him to enroll at Loma Linda University for a master's program. The angel also showed him seven people in a green van who would help him find the truth about God. The second day of school, he was buying groceries when a man started chatting him up about his Dallas Cowboys T shirt. The that man was Perry Jones, David Koresh's father in law. Mark recognized Perry from his vision. A few days later, he met David and recognized him too. And the green van he was driving. The two hit it off immediately. They were both deeply religious, well studied and haunted by divine visions. And though David would be arrogant and abrasive, Mark felt he was special. When David said he was a prophet, Mark believed him. Mark quickly came into the fold and went on to recruit other members to the movement. David was impressed with Mark and even more excited to learn he played the keyboard. He'd been looking for a keyboardist for his band, Messiah Productions. Music wasn't just a hobby for David. It was another way to spread his message and attract followers. And it was how he hooked another recruit. 19 year old David Thibodeau. In the summer of 1987, Thibodeau came to Los Angeles with dreams of breaking into the rock music scene. One day he was at the Guitar center on Sunset Boulevard when he struck up a conversation with a grungy looking guy named David Koresh. Although David and his followers were living in Pomona, they spent a lot of time in la, which was just about an hour away. That day, David told Thibodeaux that he had a band and he needed a drummer. Thibodeau wasn't really interested in playing for a Christian rock band. But David was charming and Thibodeaux needed the work. So he agreed to audition. I can see where Thibodeau was coming from. Sometimes we have to put aside our personal feelings in exchange for a sense of security. But it can be tricky. If you've been in a situation like that, I'd love for you to share what it was like. It's important for people to know they're not alone. And in Thibodeau's case, he got the gig. Soon he and David were playing shows together. David wasn't a great musician, but he was good company. During breaks, they'd have a beer and talk about music. Sometimes David also talked about the Bible. And to Thibodeaux's surprise, he enjoyed it. This wasn't the boring scripture study he remembered from childhood. David made the Bible come alive. Before Thibodeau knew it, he was a full fledged member of the flock. And that flock was growing. They poached SDA members from all over the country, as well as Australia and the uk where small Davidian chapters already existed. Although they'd gone international, their spiritual home remained in Texas, at Mount Carmel. However, Mount Carmel had fallen on hard times in the year since David had left. Lois Roden had passed away in November 1986 at 70 years old. After her death, her son George took up the mantle. But he was a divisive figure. Many Davidians didn't trust him to lead the group and left the compound. After that, George spiraled out of control and David was the source of his paranoia. George was certain that David would return any day and try to take back the throne. So George decided to get ahead of it by challenging David to a supernatural duel. In October 1987, he George dug up the body of a woman who'd been died decades earlier and dared David to resurrect her. First, the winner would take permanent control of Mount Carmel and the loser would disappear forever. Instead of raising the dead, David called the cops. He knew George had illegally exhumed the woman's body. But the authorities asked for proof to get it. David and several followers snuck into the compound on November 3rd 3rd, 1987. They wanted to snap a photo of the corpse. George caught them and opened fire with his submachine gun. David fired back. For the next 45 minutes, Mount Carmel turned into a war zone. It ended with a stalemate. George's gun jammed and everyone was arrested, including David. But David wasn't deterred. While he was behind bars, David he used clever legal maneuvering to buy Mount Carmel from under George. By the time David got out in 1988, George was still in custody and the compound was David's. The 28 year old entered Mount Carmel like an emperor returning to his kingdom. He kicked out the sinful meth dealers and porn peddlers who'd been renting cabins from George. He tore down the shacks and used used those materials to build a new multi level headquarters. They were complete with offices, a cafeteria, a gym and a tower with 360 degree views. It was a new dawn for the Branch Davidians. A new leader with new rules and a new routine. Members were up at 6am for communal breakfast. Then came the highlight of each day. A Bible study session with David. He would read scripture and talk for hours, diving deep into the Book of Revelation and the Prophecies of Daniel. After that came work duty. Some did construction projects around the compound, others did farming and a few worked at businesses in town like an auto repair shop. The rules were strict and non negotiable. No sugar, processed flour or dairy products. David taught that milk was baby food and they were adults now. Women had to wear long blouses and couldn't use makeup or jewelry. According to David, all of those things were sinful. David controlled where people slept and what they ate. He decided who could work in town and who stayed at the compound. Children were removed from public school and homeschooled. According to David Stone teachings. When they misbehaved, they were beaten. David decided everything. What movies they watched, what music they listened to, even the smallest details of daily life flowed through him. David was systematically breaking down his followers ability to think independently, replacing their judgment with his own. It rarely felt coercive. He actually encouraged people to question him. But no matter what they said, he always had a biblical answer at the ready for why his way was right. Eventually, the other person always came around to his way of thinking. And before long, David started to test the limits of his followers devotion. As the Lamb of God, David had special responsibilities and special privileges. Sometime in the spring of 1986, over a year before the gunfight at Mount Carmel, David had revealed that God commanded him to take a second wife. His existing wife Rachel wasn't thrilled with the idea, but she eventually claimed that God told her to accept it. God had shown David the face of his Bride to be 14 year old Karen Doyle, the daughter of longtime Branch Davidians. He coerced her into sex and then proclaimed them man and wife. David's followers were shocked, not by her age, but by his decision to become polygamous. Some Davidians feared he'd come for their daughters and wives next. David reassured them he wouldn't. God only wanted him to have Karen. It didn't take him long to break that promise. In August 1989, David David had another vision which he called the New Light. The vision said the only marriages sanctioned by God were David's own. Every other man at Mount Carmel, married or not, had to become celibate immediately. The new Light was devastating for families at Mount Carmel. Husbands watched their spouses become David's spiritual wives. According to according to David, these women weren't legally married to him. But for all intents and purposes they were his. So were all the children on the compound. Anyone who couldn't accept this new reality was free to leave. And many did. New Light helped David weed out those who doubted him, thus solidifying his control over the group. But it also sold the seeds of his own destruction. 26 year old Mark Bro had been one of David's most devoted followers. But the New Light doctrine was a bridge too far. He left Mount Carmel in 1989 and made it his mission to destroy David. He started by telling Davidians that he'd had his own vision and it contradicted everything David had said. Then Mark contacted the authorities about expired visas for foreign members. He reported allegations of statutory rape and told officials about the physical punishment of children at the compound. David managed to talk his way out of most of these accusations, but the attention changed him. Local authorities were now taking a second look at Mount Carmel. This made David increasingly suspicious of the outside world and convinced him that the government was persecuting him for his religious beliefs. This paranoia led David to stockpile weapons and start his own gun business. But what started as a legal way to buy and sell firearms at weekend gun shows gradually became something much more sinister. David began illegally converting semiautomatic weapons weapons to full automatic, telling his followers they needed to prepare for the biblical battle that was coming. He made it clear that Jesus wanted his disciples armed, citing Luke 22:36 as proof. That meant Bible study sessions now included weapons training. David did his best to prepare for the impending apocalypse. But Child Protective Services arrived. But before the end of Times could. In February 1992, Joyce Sparks with the McLennan County CPS opened an investigation into the child abuse allegations coming out of Mount Carmel. This may have been a result of Mark Breaux's letter to the authorities. Joyce conducted multiple interviews with children at Mount Carmel. She could tell some of them were scared, but everyone she spoke to gave the same prepared answers. No one admitted to hitting a child and none of the kids admitted to being abused. Even though she was convinced they were lying, Joyce had to close the investigation. On April 30, 1992, David was victorious once again. But the incident changed him. The government had threatened to take his kids away. In his mind, the mythical forces of Babylon were were closing in fast. After the CPS investigation, David's teachings grew darker. He started stockpiling even more weapons and told his flock to prepare for war. The apocalypse was upon them and no one was safe. In the spring of 1992, 32 year old David Koresh and his 130 or so followers emerged unscathed from a CPS investigation. But they weren't in the clear for long. In June of that year, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms began its own investigation into the group. It started with a UPS driver who accidentally dropped one of David's packages and saw about 50 empty grenades spill onto the floor. The UPS driver alerted the ATF and they started looking into the Branch Davidians. Before long, they learned the group was also receiving shipments of gunpowder and magazines for automatic weapons. They continued the investigation into the summer. But the two agents in charge were inexperienced. The FBI had offered to help, but they refused. Instead, they spent the next few months trying and and failing to survey the compound for evidence. Finally, on January 11, 1993, eight months into the investigation, they decided to try something new. That day, they moved eight undercover agents into a house across the street from the compound. The agents told their new neighbors they were college students. None of the Davidians bought it. The men were all in their late 20s or 30s and acted like it. Within a few days, David's followers traced the agents cars and determined they were probably undercover federal agents. David played along and acted like he didn't know their true identities. He wanted them to think he was harmless. He even invited one of the agents to join a Bible study session on February 5. But it was too late for diplomacy. The ATF was dead set on bringing him down. The issue was they didn't have enough evidence to take David to court and win. They knew they needed to get inside Mount Carmel without David and his followers watching their every move. The question was how? Mount Carmel was a tactical nightmare. It sat on top of a hill with a 360 degree view in every direction. There was no cover anywhere in sight. Even if the special response teams, another word for swat, could get inside, dozens of women and children would be caught in the crossfire. So the ATF came up with a plan that looked good on paper. They'd approach in cattle trailers and pretend to be a lost convoy. Then they'd leap out, bust through the door and go room to room. Female agents would separate the women and children while the men were forced to surrender at gunpoint. The plan depended on the element of surprise and the assumption that the Davidians would simply give up when they saw the officers. Unfortunately, the ATF hadn't bothered to actually study David's teachings. If they had, they would have realized that David and his followers wanted to do die as martyrs. And so the ATF went ahead, completely unprepared for the carnage to come. The original plan called for a March 1 assault. But then on February 27, the Waco Tribune Herald published the first in a series of articles titled the Sinful Messiah. The expose detailed David's polygamous relationships with underage girls and his claims of divinity and the group's growing arsenal of weapons. The ATF had actually tried to convince the newspaper to delay publication until after their raid, but its editors were tired of waiting. The article forced the ATF's hand. They moved the operation up to February 28, fearing that media attention would put the Davidians on high Alert. At least 9:30 that Sunday morning, three helicopters approached Mount Carmel from the rear while two cattle trailers sped up the driveway. Tarps concealed 76 agents dressed in black tactical gear about 50ft from the compound's front door. The agents burst from the trailers, weapons drawn. And then all hell broke loose. What happened next would be debated for years. Someone fired the first shot, though we'll probably never know who. Within moments, gunfire erupted from both sides. To the Davidians, it was as if everything David had predicted was coming true. The forces of Babylon had arrived to wage war against God's chosen people. When the smoke cleared, four ATF agents lay dead and 16 were wounded. An unknown number of Davidians were also killed and injured, including David himself, who was injured by gunshots to his left hip and right wrist and thumb. And the compound was still standing. David had always taught that he would be wounded in battle before his resurrection. When he spoke to FBI negotiators later that day, his voice carried the same satisfaction of a man whose darkest predictions had just come to pass. The siege of Waco had begun. Within hours of the shootout, the FBI took control from the atf. This wasn't a raid anymore. It was a standoff with over a hundred potential hostages. David was volatile, but also seemed willing to negotiate. On March 2nd, he made a deal with the FBI. If they'd broadcast his religious message on national radio, he and his flock would surrender. David's followers prepared to leave. They broke into their stash of forbidden goods candy, whiskey and cigarettes. They believed their time at Mount Carmel was over. But the next morning, David had changed his mind. God had spoken to him during the night and told him to wait. To the FBI, David was a liar. To his flock, he was following divine orders. This fundamental misunderstanding would plague every interaction for the next seven weeks. Meanwhile, the FBI grew increasingly frustrated. They spent hundreds of hours on the phone with David without making any progress. While negotiators tried to convince convince him to release the children. David was busy preaching about biblical prophecies. On March 9th, the FBI applied more pressure. They cut the compound's electricity. Then agents installed massive floodlights and blasted sounds through loudspeakers. Sirens wailed through the night. Recordings of crying babies played on an endless loop. Dental drills screw reached. The sound of screaming rabbits being slaughtered blared through the compound. A few Davidians surrendered, but most remained resolute. David repeatedly told the FBI he wouldn't come out until God commanded it. On April 14, new intelligence indicated the Davidians had enough supplies to last a year. Texas Attorney General Janet Reno recommended a tear gas plan to President Clinton who approved but left the final decision to her. At 5:59 on the morning of April 19, the voice of Special Agent Byron Sage crackled through the phone lines to Mount Carmel one last time, warning of an impending tear gas assault. Two minutes later, two massive combat combat vehicles punched holes in the compound walls and sprayed tear gas inside. The FBI planned to pump in the gas gradually until the Davidians left through exits that weren't contaminated. But at 6:04, just two minutes after the gas began, gunfire erupted from inside the compound. The Davidians were shooting back. The FBI responded by launching t tear gas projectiles through the windows. The assault continued for hours inside the compound. David directed most of the remaining women and children to take shelter in the concrete vault at the base of the compound's tower. Meanwhile, the Davidians had been spreading fuel throughout their home. They seemed to know they couldn't win the fight, but they could decide how it ended. At 12:07pm three separate fires erupted simultaneously in different parts of the compound. Within minutes, the wooden structure, including the vault, was completely engulfed in flames. The FBI watched in horror as their siege turned into an inferno. Nine Davidians managed to escape the flames and were immediately arrested, but 75 others, including all 25 children who remained in the compound, perished from smoke, fire, or falling debris. When investigators were finally able to enter the ruins days later, they found David Koresh's body in a back room. He'd been shot once in the head, though we'll never know by whom. His deputy, Steve Schneider, was found nearby with a similar wound. David Koresh had always prophesied that he would die and be resurrected, leading his faithful followers to heaven. In the end, he got half of his prediction right. The prophet died exactly as he had foretold. But there would be no resurrection, no ascension to paradise. Only ashes, silence, and the terrible weight of 76 lost lives. Even so, I'm curious what you all think. What lessons can we take away from Waco? Could law enforcement have done anything differently? Or were the Branch Davidians already too far gone? Let us know in the comments, wherever you listen. In the wake of the tragedy, the public had their own opinions about what happened. The media coverage was immediate and relentless. For days, television screens were filled with images of the smoldering ruins of Mount Carmel. While reporters tried to make sense of what had gone so catastrophically wrong. The public was traumatized and divided. Some saw David Koresh as a dangerous cult leader leader who had manipulated his followers into a deadly standoff. Others viewed the Branch Davidians as victims of government outreach. Religious people who'd been Murdered by federal agents for their unconventional beliefs. Attorney general Janet Reno took full responsibility for the tragedy, though she defended the decision to use tear gas. Still, her acceptance of blame did little to quell the growing anger toward federal law enforcement. In 1994, the authorities tried 11 of the remaining Branch Davidians on conspiracy and weapons charges. Seven of them were convicted and sentenced to varying amounts of prison time. One of David's followers, Clive Doyle, was acquitted of all charges and returned to Waco in 1998 to take charge of what was left of the group. He continued to lead the organization at Mount Carmel until his death in 2022. But the real consequences of Waco would unfold over decades. The siege had opened a door, and millions of Americans walked through it during the fighting. Member Steve Schneider had prophesied that what was happening to the Davidians would soon happen to all Americans. The government was planning to take away everyone's freedoms. By 1994, the first major anti government militia had formed in Michigan. In the early 1990s, the FBI had about 100 domestic terrorism cases a year. By the end of the decade, it was ten times that number. For the militia movement that emerged from Waco's ashes, David Koresh's teachings mattered very little. What moved them was was simpler. The belief that a tyrannical government had murdered American citizens in cold blood. 32 years later, the ghosts of Waco continue to haunt us. And so does David Koresh. Because in his quest for eternal glory, he turned a blind eye to one fundamental teaching, that all human life is inherently valuable. And he's not the only one who's ignored that warning. In Cult watch this week, I'm highlighting the sanctuary church, also known as the Rod of Iron ministries. The church was started by Sean Moon, the son of another former cult leader named Sun Myung Moon, who founded South Korea's Unification Church. Sean Moon and the sanctuary church are based in rural Pennsylvania, although he took a page out of David Koresh's book and also purchased a compound in Waco, Texas, for larger retreats. According to Sean, he has approximately 15,000 followers, though reports put that number closer to 200. Just as the Branch Davidians interpreted biblical swords as AR15s, this cult believes that firearms are God's tool for dispensing justice in the coming apocalypse. And Shawn believes he and his followers are the only ones who will survive, because the ultimate goal of the sanctuary church is to overthrow America and replace it with a theocratic state. Like David Koresh before him, Sean will be the one to rule as king, thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes. Come back next week. We'll decode the 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 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 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 ensure 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 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 Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes team. Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Lori Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Xander Bernstein and Michael Langsner. Thank you for listening.