CULTS: Manson Family Murders & Heaven's Gate

Summary

Crime House True Crime Stories: CULTS: Manson Family Murders & Heaven's Gate

Release Date: March 24, 2025
Host: Vanessa Richardson

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Crime House True Crime Stories, host Vanessa Richardson delves deep into the dark worlds of two infamous cults: the Manson Family and Heaven's Gate. By exploring the origins, ideologies, and tragic outcomes of these groups, Vanessa provides listeners with a comprehensive understanding of how charismatic leaders can manipulate ordinary individuals into committing heinous acts.

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Part 1: The Manson Family and Charles Manson

Early Life of Charles Manson

Vanessa begins by tracing the troubled beginnings of Charles Manson:

“[...] Manson never knew his father, and his mother, who was only 16 when he was born, passed him around to various neighbors and relatives. He was prone to mischief and ended up in a Catholic reform school at age 12” ([00:00]).

Manson's childhood was marred by instability and incarceration, shaping his manipulative nature and disdain for societal norms.

Formation of the Manson Family

After numerous escapes and re-incarcerations, Manson was released in March 1967, finding himself in the midst of the countercultural revolution of the 1960s:

“[...] Manson was captivated by the changing world, he was still an institutionalized man” ([16:10]).

In San Francisco, Manson began attracting vulnerable young women, creating a tight-knit group known as the Manson Family. His charisma and promises of love, drugs, and a sense of belonging made him a formidable leader.

Criminal Endeavors and the Downfall

Manson's ambition led him to Los Angeles, where he sought to break into the music industry. His association with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys provided temporary leverage but ultimately led to frustration when his music was rejected.

Relocating to Spahn Ranch, Manson consolidated his control, isolating his followers and subjecting them to intense indoctrination. This environment was ripe for the orchestration of violent acts:

“He convinced his followers he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ... But when you get a closer look at Charles Manson, the question is why? And the answers are just as mystifying” ([00:00]).

The Tate and LaBianca Murders

In August 1969, the Manson Family committed a series of brutal murders, including the high-profile killings of Sharon Tate and the LaBianca family. These acts were intended to incite a race war Manson termed "Helter Skelter":

“The goal was to commit a crime that would shock the world and kickstart the Helter Skelter apocalypse” ([19:41]).

The subsequent trial was a media spectacle, revealing the depths of Manson's manipulation and the unwavering loyalty of his followers. Despite initially being sentenced to death, California's abolition of the death penalty led to Manson's life imprisonment, where he remained until his death in 2017.

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Part 2: Heaven's Gate and Marshall Applewhite

Origins of Heaven's Gate

Nearly three decades after the Manson murders, Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles founded Heaven's Gate, blending apocalyptic Christianity with UFO beliefs. Their beginnings were humble, marked by personal struggles and a shared sense of spiritual emptiness:

“Bonnie felt like an outsider... Her daughter described her as someone who never really fit into society” ([32:10]).

Their partnership evolved into a religious movement, attracting followers disillusioned with conventional life and yearning for a higher purpose.

Doctrinal Developments and Gathering Followers

Applewhite and Nettles proclaimed themselves as extraterrestrial beings destined to guide their followers to a higher existence. They emphasized the necessity of abandoning human attachments to achieve transcendence:

“They believed the earth was on the brink of destruction and that salvation required leaving human attachments behind” ([32:10]).

Despite initial setbacks, including failed ventures and dwindling memberships, the group gradually amassed a following committed to Applewhite's vision of leaving Earth aboard a UFO.

The Mass Suicide of 1997

By the 1990s, Heaven's Gate had significantly reduced in size. However, 1997 marked a tragic culmination of their beliefs. Influenced by the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet and sensational media coverage, Applewhite convinced his 39 followers that suicide was the only path to salvation:

“Their robes and meticulous arrangements reflected a serene finality to their deaths, which they termed an 'exit'” ([32:10]).

On March 26, 1997, the group executed the largest mass suicide in American history, believing they were shedding their earthly bodies to join a spacecraft trailing the comet.

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Conclusion: The Allure and Tragedy of Cults

Vanessa Richardson poignantly highlights the underlying factors that make individuals susceptible to cult influence:

“Ordinary people die and kill for their beliefs all the time... they were lost souls aching for spiritual truth and a sense of belonging” ([32:10]).

Both the Manson Family and Heaven's Gate attracted ordinary individuals grappling with personal and societal crises. Manson offered a semblance of family and purpose, while Applewhite provided a path to an envisioned celestial paradise. In their quests for meaning, these leaders exploited vulnerabilities, leading their followers to commit irreversible acts.

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Notable Quotes

• Vanessa Richardson ([00:00]): “When you get a closer look at Charles Manson and Marshall Applewhite, the question is why? And the answers are just as mystifying.”

• Vanessa Richardson ([32:10]): “They were lost souls aching for spiritual truth and a sense of belonging. In exchange for that, they traded their identities, their freedom and their lives.”

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Reflection

This episode serves as a chilling reminder of the potent combination of charisma, vulnerability, and ideology that can give rise to destructive cults. By dissecting the histories of the Manson Family and Heaven's Gate, Crime House True Crime Stories not only recounts sensational crimes but also invites listeners to ponder the profound psychological and social dynamics that underpin such tragedies.

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Follow Crime House True Crime Stories wherever you listen to podcasts and join the community on Instagram @crimehouse for more true crime content.

Transcript

[Vanessa Richardson]

Foreign this is Crime House. During the week of March 24, 1971, notorious cult leader Charles Manson and three of his followers were sentenced to death after being found guilty of multiple grisly murders. Over 25 years later, in 1997, another extremist group made headlines when members of the Heaven's Gate cult died in a mass suicide event, making this week's theme cults. Welcome to Crime House the Show. I hi, I'm Vanessa Richardson. Every Monday we'll be revisiting notorious crimes from this week in history, from serial killers to mysterious disappearances or murders. Every episode will explore stories that share a common theme. Each week we'll cover two stories, one further in the past and one more rooted in the present. Here at Crime House, we know none of this would be possible without you, our community. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show wherever you get your podcasts and for ad free and early access to Crime the Show plus exciting Crime House bonus content. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. Before we get into the story, you should know it contains descriptions of graphic violence and sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised. This week's theme is Cults. We'll start Today's episode in 1971, on the day that Charles Manson was finally brought to justice. We'll explore the history of the notorious Manson Family cult and the horrific acts that made them infamous. Then we'll skip forward almost three decades to March 26, 1997, when investigators discovered the bodies of 39 members of a cult known as Heaven's Gate, which led by a man named Marshall Applewhite. Each of these cult leaders convinced their followers to kill for them, whether they were taking someone else's life or their own. But when you get a closer look at Charles Manson and Marshall Applewhite, the question is why? And the answers are just as mystifying.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

I've got some exciting news. I'm co hosting a new show from Crime House called Killer Minds. Featuring forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Each episode features a deep dive into the psychology of a notorious murderer. From serial killers to cult leaders, deadly exes and spree killers. Killer Minds is a Crime House Studios original. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

At 5:25pm On Friday, March 26, 1971, 12 people filed out of a courtroom. They were about to make one of the most important decisions of their lives. The bailiff shepherded them to a private conference room to answer the all consuming Do Charles Manson and his accomplices deserve to die for what they'd done nearly two months earlier? On January 25th, that same jury had declared the defendants guilty of seven counts of first degree murder. Now, after a long sentencing hearing, they were asked to decide whether Manson and his followers should receive the ultimate punishment. The prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, expected the deliberation to last almost a week. But on Monday morning, after less than a full day of deliberations, he he was called back to the courtroom. Later that day, Manson was led in by the bailiffs, his now bald head and forked beard making him almost look like the devil. His three female accomplices followed to show their unwavering loyalty to Manson. They'd all shaved their heads in solidarity. At 4:24pm Judge Charles Older began the proceedings. The court clerk barely got a few words out before Manson shouted out in a rage, quote, you people have no authority over me. As Judge Older banged his gavel for silence, the bailiff dragged Manson from the courtroom. Once he was gone, a hush fell over the crowd as the clerk read the verdict. The clerk's words brought an end to the terror that had gripped the nation for the last two years. But to understand how one man could cause so much chaos, we have to go back much further than that. Charles Manson was born in 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He never knew his father, and his mother, who was only 16 when Manson was born, passed him around to various neighbors and relatives. He was prone to mischief and when he was 12, ended up in a Catholic reform school after getting into trouble with the law. Reform school is basically what they used to call juvenile detention centers. These were hard places, full of dangerous kids who had committed all sorts of crimes. Manson claimed he was regularly beaten by the other boys until a priest taught him how to defend himself. That environment shaped how Manson viewed the world. He used to say that his father was the streets and his mother was the institutions he grew up in. Manson wasn't interested in a formal education. He didn't care about school. And as a child, his biggest dream in life was to be a gangster. As a teenager, he persisted, pursued that dream with abandon. By age 13, he'd already escaped from reform school multiple times, stolen a car and been arrested twice for burglary. When he was 16, he broke out of his reform school in Indiana and went on a burglary spree with some other boys. They robbed more than a dozen gas stations before they were finally caught and taken taken back again. But even in reform school, Manson had a knack for getting what he wanted. His childhood consisted of being thrown from one group setting to another. So he'd learned how to be a chameleon. It was how he stayed alive. And in time, it became his superpower. He was whoever he needed to be in the moment. In 1951, 17 year old Manson charmed a psychiatrist into declaring him a low rich risk prisoner. This got him transferred to a minimum security institution where the rules were more lax. But Manson was a powder keg of uncontrollable violence. In January 1952, less than a month before he was supposed to be paroled, he sexually assaulted another boy. This got him sent to a high security federal facility in Virginia. When he finally got out in 1954 at age 19, it seemed like maybe he'd changed. He married a 17 year old girl and took a job as a busboy. But pretty soon he was back to his old ways. In July 1955, he stole a car and drove his pregnant wife to California. Three months later, he was caught and arrested again. He would have gotten probation, but when he skipped the court hearing, he was sentenced to three years in California's Terminal Island Prison. His wife left to fend for herself and their young child started dating someone else. When Manson found out in 1957, he broke out of prison, only to get caught hotwiring a car in the prison's parking lot. And on it went. He'd spend a few years in jail, get paroled Then do something stupid to get sent back. He stole cars, forged checks, and recruited underage women into sex work. It was almost as if he wanted to get caught. Manson himself claimed he felt more comfortable inside an institution than he did in the real world. But during the 1960s, that real world was changing fast. In 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated. And in the years that followed, so were Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Robert F. Kennedy. On the whole, violence was growing on a much larger scale. America became entrenched in the Vietnam War. Thousands of students took to the streets in mass protests. Old institutions were challenged by a growing hippie counterculture movement. To many, it seemed like the fabric of society was breaking down. Even though Manson was in a California jail for most of the 60s, he took notice of the changes happening outside. He was attracted to New Age religions, particularly Scientology, which was founded in 1954 by the science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. He also immersed himself in music. In 1964, the Beatles touched down in America and became a symbol of the youth revolution. Their songs about love, personal freedom and drug use resonated with a whole generation of disillusioned teenagers. Manson was instantly hooked. He became obsessed with their music and convinced a fellow inmate to teach him how to play the guitar. He was all in on the hippie movement. But even though Manson was captivated by the changing world, he was still an institutionalized man. By 1967, the 33 year old had spent more than half his life behind bars. But when his latest 10 year sentence was about to end, he begged the authorities to extend it. Prison was his only real, real home. Maybe things would have turned out differently if they'd listened. But on March 21, 1967, Manson was released onto the streets of Los Angeles. By then he was twice divorced, with two children he barely knew. He had few friends, no money, and no idea what to do next. So he made his way to San Francisco, where the hippie revolution was underway. During those first few weeks, 33 year old Manson spent most of his time panhandling and playing guitar at the UC Berkeley campus. That's how he met his first follower, Mary Brunner. Mary was a 23 year old assistant librarian from Wisconsin. She was walking her dog when she heard the sweet melody of Manson's guitar. She stopped to chat and within minutes, he had his hooks in her. Manson was charismatic, perceptive, and his time as a pimp taught him how to spot vulnerable women he could take advantage of. Before long, Manson had moved into Mary's apartment. Then he brought in another girl. And another. And so the Manson Family cult was born. Manson drew people in with his music. Like some kind of twisted Pied Piper. He zeroed in on young women and teenagers who were lonely and alienated. Then he offered them love, sex and psychedelic drugs. He systematically targeted sex workers, orphans, runaways, people who were naive and in desperate need of affection. People like 14 year old Diane Lake. In 1967, Diane's parents joined a hippie commune, although it wasn't a welcoming environment for children. But when she met Manson at a party, he and his followers wrapped her in a big hug and welcomed Diane like a sister. Her parents didn't want her around, but the family was happy to be their replacements. Of course, it was all part of Manson's plan. He encouraged his followers to recruit new members using any means necessary. For Diane, it was love and acceptance. For men, it was mostly sex. Manson instructed his female followers to flirt with interested guys, but only sleep with them if they joined the family. And the group was growing fast. In November 1967, Manson told his several dozen or so followers they were hitting the road. They wound up back in Los Angeles living in vacant houses while Manson tried to make it in the music industry. At some point in 1968, he befriended Dennis Wilson, the drummer for the Beach Boys. Wilson let the Manson family stay at his house and even introduced Manson to a record producer named Terry Melcher. Manson was thrilled, not because he wanted them to join his family, but because he believed Wilson and Melcher were his ticket to stardom. During the summer of 68, he wrote a song for the Beach Boys and recorded music in Wilson's home. But Melcher wasn't interested in producing his music, which made Manson furious. And things only went downhill from there. Although Dennis Wilson enjoyed Manson's company, he didn't love that the family was leeching off of him. They used his car, his money, his clothes and anything else they could get their hands on. So when Wilson's lease on the house was up, he moved in with a friend and had his manager evict Manson and the family. Luckily for Manson, one of his followers led them to Spahn Ranch, a remote film set that was used for westerns. Manson befriended the owner, and the family helped out with repairs on the property in exchange for free lodging. The isolation of the ranch allowed Manson to solidify his control over his followers. There were no books, clocks or calendars allowed at Spawn. It was like Manson was free to create his own society from scratch. At night, Manson would host orgies and make his followers take psychedelics like lsd. And he would talk a lot, long, rambling lectures about the past, present and future of humanity. He convinced his followers he was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. He claimed that the end times were near. A race war was about to begin that would cleanse humanity. But Manson knew of a secret place, a hole in the desert that led to the center of the earth. He would lead his followers there, and when the war ended, they would rise and become rulers of the world. But in order to survive, his followers would need to do exactly what Manson said. Even kill.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

Usenourish.Com/ hey everyone, it's Vanessa with an exciting update. I have another new show from crime House called Killer Minds, featuring licensed forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. We're doing deep dives into the psychology of notorious murderers, from infamous serial killers to ruthless cult leaders, deadly exes, and terrifying spree killers. Along with immersive storytelling full of high stakes twists and turns. Dr. Engels will be providing expert analysis of the people involved, not just how they killed, but why. Killer Minds is a Crime House Studios original new episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

Saturday, August 9, 1969 was a hot one in Los Angeles. For three days, residents had suffered through an unbearable heat wave, with temperatures breaking triple digits. That night, the heat finally broke and the people of Los Angeles breathed a collective sigh of relief. But the next morning, that feeling curdled into horror. At 8am on Aug. 10, a woman named Winifred Chapman arrived for work at 10050 Cielo Drive. It was a palatial home with a guest house perched in a canyon above Beverly Hills. Winifred was the housekeeper for actress Sharon Tate and her husband, Roman Polanski, who was away in Europe directing a film. As soon as Winifred stepped onto the property that morning, something felt off. She noticed the phone line dangling outside the house. It had been cut. She glanced around the yard, her unease growing, and made her way inside. What she found would haunt her forever. There were bodies on the floor. Blood was everywhere. On the carpets, the walls, even the front door where the word Pig was scrawled in crimson letters. Winifred screamed and Rose ran from the house, racing to a neighbor's property to call the police. About an hour later, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office arrived at the crime scene. It was unlike any they'd ever witnessed before. Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant, was one of the victims. Nearby police also found the bodies of J. Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski. Jay was a renowned hairstylist who'd crafted looks for Frank Sinatra, Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Abigail was the 25 year old heiress to the Folger coffee fortune. And Wojciech was Abigail's live in partner. There was one more body outside. An 18 year old radio salesman named Stephen Parent was was slumped over the steering wheel of his car with two bullets in him. As they walked through the carnage, police discovered the guest house in the back. Peering through the window, they saw an 18 year old shirtless man sitting on the couch. Their first thought was this guy must be the killer. The officers yelled Freeze. And kicked the door down before tackling him to the ground. To their surprise, the young man who identified himself as William Garrettson seemed to have no idea why they were arresting him. It wasn't until they led him outside past two bodies on the lawn that he realized he was in trouble. Garretson, who was the property's caretaker, had apparently been right next door while five people were brutally murdered. Yet he claimed to not have heard a thing over the sound of his stereo. The cops weren't convinced, but after a polygraph supported his story, they decided to search for a new suspect. But the carnage wasn't over. That night around 8:30pm 15 year old Frank Struthers returned from a camping trip with his friends. He knocked on the door of his parents home in the Los Feliz neighborhood but no one answered. All the shades were drawn and he couldn't see inside. Frank called the restaurant where his sister Suzanne worked. She told him to stay where he was. Soon Susanne and her boyfriend met him at the house. She found a spare key and went inside. There she found her mother and stepfather, Rosemary and Lino LaBianca, stabbed to death. Their blood was used to paint the words Helter Skelter on the refrigerator. When the press got wind of the LaBianca murders, it ignited a panic. Newspapers as far away as England carried the story emphasizing the similarities between The Tate and LaBianca cases, namely the bloody messages and the fact that a knife was used. William Garrettson obviously couldn't have killed the labiancas because he was in custody. Which meant the killer or killers were still at large. Police also learned that two weeks earlier, a 34 year old music teacher named Gary Hinman had been stabbed to death in Malibu. The words political piggy were written on the wall in his blood. But even though the connection between the three cases was clear to the public, it took months for police to officially acknowledge it. None of the detectives working each case wanted to share intel with each other, so it was hard to piece all the information together. It wasn't until two months later, on October 15, 1969, that the LaBianca team finally reached out to the Hinman team for help. That led them to a guy named Bobby Beausoleil. And that's when the pieces finally started to fall into place. Bobby had been caught driving Hinman's car covered in blood, with the murder weapon hidden in the wheel well. When the police asked for his address, Bobby told them he lived in a hippie commune run by Charles Manson. It turned out Manson had sent Bobby to collect money, money Hinman supposedly owed them for drugs. Bobby didn't go alone. He brought along another Manson follower, 20 year old Susan Atkins. They held Hinman captive for days before Manson gave Bobby the go ahead to kill their prisoner. And according to Susan, that wasn't the only murder Manson ordered. By the fall of 1969, Susan was in jail for Hinman's murder. And she was more than happy to tell her cellmate, Virginia Castro, all about her crimes. In November, Susan told Virginia that she also participated in the Sharon Tate killings. According to her, the house was picked because they knew the layout already. The previous owner was Terry Melcher, the record producer who'd passed on Manson's music. When Virginia asked what they had done to deserve it, Susan said nothing. The goal was to commit a crime that would shock the world and Kickstart the Helter Skelter apocalypse. Susan's confession helped convince the police to focus their investigation on Charles Manson. And as fate would have it, he was already in custody. After the murders, Charles and most of his followers had escaped to an abandoned property in the middle of California's Mojave Desert. Desert, ostensibly to look for the fabled pit that led to the center of the earth. But eventually, their odd behaviors caught the locals attention and in a full circle moment, Manson was arrested in October 1969, though not for murder, but for car theft. When prosecutors learned about Susan Atkins shocking confession, they indicted Manson and 44 of his followers, including Susan, for the Tate and LaBianca murders. It took a few months to put their case together, but on June 16, 1970, the murder trial of Charles Manson and his associates finally began. The trial opened with chaos. Manson had carved a bloody X into his forehead, which apparently meant he had removed himself from society. Soon his followers mimicked him. As the trial dragged on, Manson turned the X into a swastika. But the most chilling moments came from the testimony itself. Star witness Linda Kasabian, who'd been the lookout during the murders, described in harrowing detail how Manson had orchestrated the attacks. She recounted the horrifying instructions he gave and the blind loyalty his followers showed when following them. Forensic psychologist Dr. Joel Hockman explained how Manson brainwashed his followers into obeying his will through mind games and frequent doses of lsd. Their minds had become so warped, they felt no guilt at all about the crimes they committed. On Friday, January 15, 1971, after almost six months of arguments, interviews and outbursts, the jury began deliberations for the next week. All of Los Angeles sat on the edge of its seat. And on the morning of Monday, January 25, the verdict came in. Guilty. As it was read, Manson sat perfectly still, except for his hands, which shook uncontrollably. Manson and his two closest allies, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit murder and seven counts of murder in the first degree. The next two months were consumed by the penalty trial to determine if Manson and his followers should receive the death sentence. On March 29, 1971, they did. But that decision was short lived. In 1972, California abolished the death penalty and their sentences were commuted to life in prison. That's where Charles manson stayed until November 2017, when he died at the age of 83. It was a fitting end for a man who'd hurt so many people. But for his victims, the damage was done. Charles Manson was so obsessed with being loved and admired, he didn't care who got in the way. He wanted his followers to be so loyal to him, they'd do anything he said. And because of that, innocent people lost their lives. Up next, another cult made headlines this week in 1997, when an errant music professor turned prophet led his flock to ruin. Like Charles Manson, Marshall Applewhite had an apocalyptic vision inspired by science fiction and the paranormal. But instead of a hole in the earth, the Heaven's Gate cult thought they'd find salvation aboard a ufo.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

Charles Manson became notorious for getting his followers to kill in his name. And almost 30 years after the Manson family murders, another science fiction inspired death gun cult was all over the news. But this time, the lives they took were their own. On March 26, 1997, in Sag Harbor, New York, a 65 year old engineer named Robert Maer sat in front of his tv. He wasn't paying much attention until the words mass suicide popped on the screen. At that, he sat forward in his chair. The images he saw were strange and haunting. Rows of bodies lay neatly on bunk beds, shrouded in purple cloth. The deceased had belonged to a group called Heaven's Gate, a cult whose name Robert didn't recognize. According to the report, the victims had died by suicide in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, a small but wealthy community outside of San Diego. Robert had never been to Rancho Santa Fe, and he'd never heard of Heaven's Gate. But something about it seemed eerily familiar. When the reporter held up a flyer from the group's early days, he felt his stomach churn. He'd seen that flyer before. His daughter Gail had sent it to him three years earlier. Gail had always been free spirited and curious. In 1991, the 21 year old had followed a boyfriend to California and opened a little store that sold knickknacks and tie dyed clothes. Robert had loaned her money to help launch it, but Gail didn't hold up her end of the bargain. In 1994, she abandoned her store to go on a cross country adventure with a smooth talking new boyfriend, a guy named Richard. And that's when she really pulled away. Not just from her dad, Robert, but her mother, Alice as well. Gail's letters became less frequent, the words more cryptic. In the fall of 1994, she mailed her parents a flyer. The flyer from a group called Total Overcomers Anonymous, with a short note telling them she'd joined. Robert and Alice learned that Total Overcomers Anonymous was a cult. They joined a support group hoping to find leads on their daughter's whereabouts. But no one knew where she'd gone. The last note Gail's parents received was around Christmas of 1995. She'd written casually about learning to use a computer. Robert had clung to that as a hopeful sign that Gail might at least be happy, even if she wasn't in his Life Now. In March 1997, dread coursed through him as he dialed the police hotline number scrolling at the bottom of the TV screen over and over. The line was busy. He lost track of how many times he called, his fear growing with each unanswered ring. Finally, he got through and just before dawn, someone called him back. The voice on the other end was calm and professional, but the words shattered him. There was no way to sugarcoat it. Gail was one of the deceased. The line went dead, but Robert sat frozen, the phone still in his hand. His daughter wasn't coming home. He spent the rest of the morning replaying the last few years in his mind, trying to make sense of it. Gale had left to chase something. Something he couldn't understand. By the time he and Alice realized how far gone she was, it was too late to pull her back. Robert didn't know it then, but Gail hadn't considered her death to be suicide. Quite the opposite, she thought. She was ascending to heaven. Her leader had promised her a ticket to the stars. Instead, she followed him to her death. Now, to understand what happened to Gail, we have to go back decades. Back to two lost souls named T and Doe. Or as their parents originally named them, Bonnie Lou Nettles and Marshall Applewhite. If you'd met Bonnie and Marshall in the Beginning, you probably wouldn't have thought there was anything special about them. They came from ordinary families, lived ordinary lives. Marshall grew up in the 1940s in a small Texas town. Raised by a Presbyterian minister, his first ambition was to be a preacher. After college, he attended seminary school, but dropped out after two years to study music and voice. Marshall had an undeniable gift for melody. For a while, he dreamed of a career in opera or acting. But his life took detours. Marriage, children, and the weight of expectations pushed him into teaching. He was good at what he did, but deep down, Marshall was restless and unhappy. In addition to giving up his dreams, Marshall was a closeted bisexual in a world of strict religious codes. From a young age, he'd been taught to hide who he was or face the wrath of people like his father. For decades, he'd succeeded, but it had put a wall between him and those around him. Beneath his polished exterior, Marshall was gradually grappling with his own identity, his faith, his desires and his purpose. He felt alienated from his wife and kids and resentful of his quiet suburban life. Eventually, he couldn't repress those feelings any longer. By the early 1970s, his picture perfect life had unraveled. His marriage had ended and his. His career as a music professor had come to a halt after rumors of a scandalous affair with a male student. He dabbled in small ventures, even running a sandwich shop in New Mexico, but nothing seemed to stick. He returned to Houston in 1972 looking for a fresh start. And then he met Bonnie. On the surface, Bonnie Lou Nettles was just as ordinary as Marshall. Raised in Houston in the 1930s, she was the second of three children in a working class Baptist family. She married young, built a life as a nurse, and raised four children in the suburbs. But as the years went by, she felt increasingly out of place in the tidy routines of family life. Like Marshall, Bonnie felt like an outsider. Her daughter described her as someone who never really fit into society. A dreamer who liked to stare at the night sky and pretend a UFO would take her away. So it wasn't a surprise that Bonnie turned to spirituality for answers. And before long, she found them in the occult. She explored astrology, theosophy, and fringe ideas about life and the universe. Her nights were filled with study groups and seances, which often left her straight laced husband bewildered. For instance, she once told him that she was getting life advice from a dead monk named brother Francis. By 1972, Bonnie's marriage was failing and her future felt uncertain. All she knew was that a fortune Teller had predicted a tall, fair skinned man would one day change her life. That person turned out to be Marshall Applewhite. There are a few different versions of how the two met. Some say Marshall had a brush with death and ended up in the hospital where Bonnie worked. Others say he had suffered a mental breakdown or was just visiting a friend. Regardless of how it happened, they shared an instant connection. When they crossed paths, Bonney was already very deep into astrology and she offered to read his horoscope. She believed they had known each other in a previous life and were destined to perform some great task. Her explanation clicked with Marshall immediately. Suddenly, his restlessness and recent mystical awakening made total sense. Within months, they left their jobs and families behind to open a spiritual center that sold New Age books and held classes on meditation, astrology and healing. The center didn't prove to be their great task, though. It wasn't successful. So a few months later, Marshall and Bonnie moved to rural Texas to open a spiritual wellness retreat. Then, in July 1973, they had a revelation. They weren't just two middle aged Texans searching for meaning. They were the two witnesses from the Book of Revelation, destined to guide humanity into a higher realm of existence. At first, their purpose was hazy. They crisscrossed the country, driving aimlessly through small towns and camping under the stars. They lived on the edge of poverty, surviving on odd jobs, donations from friends, and occasionally selling their blood at donation centers. Throughout it all, they continued to develop their spiritual vision and it got increasingly dark. Similar to the teachings of Charles Manson. They believed the earth was on the brink of destruction and that salvation required leaving human attachments behind. Marriage, family, possessions, everything tying a person to this world had to be severed. They saw themselves as messengers from a level above human, a heavenly realm accessible only to those willing to undergo total transformation. This was both a spiritual and a physical process. A literal change that would come over those who followed Bonney and Marshall's teachings. Like in the biblical Book of Revelations, they thought that a rapture was coming and only the faithful would be swept up to heaven. But to Bonney and Marshall, heaven was a real physical place and their mode of transportation would be a ufo. The message wasn't an easy sell. The two, as Marshall and Bonnie now called themselves, tried reaching out to churches and bookstores. They pitched their ideas to anyone who would listen. Most people dismissed them as harmless eccentrics and rejection wore on them. Finally, in May 1974, after almost a year year of outreach, the two got their first recruit, a married woman named Sharon. Sharon believed in Marshall And Bonnie so much, she abandoned her family to join them. However, her guilt over leaving her children drove her to return home after only four months. When she got back, her husband found out that Sharon had let Marshall and Bonnie use her credit card, and then he accused them of fraud. The police arrested the two, although Sharon's husband soon dropped the charges. The cops held on to Marshall after discovering an outstanding warrant against him for stealing a rental car. Marshall spent the next six months in jail. He used the time behind bars to perfect their new religion. He also had a shocking epiphany. He and Bonney were not human. They were extraterrestrials, sent to help their followers transform into perfected beings like them. A month after Marshall was released in April 1975, the two unveiled this new doctrine to a crowd of like minded seekers in Los Angeles. And they finally found a like minded audience. 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. The new recruits were a mix of ages and backgrounds. Among them were disillusioned young adults searching for deeper meaning, professionals burnt out by conventional life and free spirits looking for adventure. But they were all united by the same thing. A willingness to make radical sacrifices for the promise of transcendence. The two now had a flock, but their movement remained unstable. They adopted new names, Bo and Peep, underscoring their role as shepherds, guiding their followers, who they called the sheep. Despite their growing numbers, Marshall and Bonnie often struggled to feed and house everyone. They lived communally in makeshift camps and shared what little they had. They were also incredibly disorganized, which caused a lot of headaches. In the days before cell phones. Getting separated from the the group meant you might never find your way back. By April of 1976, the two realized the whole enterprise was on the brink of collapse. So they stopped traveling and settled down in a remote corner of Wyoming. Once they were grounded in a single location, the group became more insular, which meant Bonnie and Marshall were able to exert greater control over their followers. Members could work odd jobs, but weren't allowed a permanent career. In addition, the two banned sex, drugs, drinking, and idle conversation both within and outside the group. The two treated the compound like a boot camp for outer space. And they were the divine captains. They prophesied that one day they would be assassinated and resurrected, just like Jesus was. But a storm was already brewing, one that would put their prophecy to the test. In 1982, Bonnie was diagnosed with liver cancer which was spreading rapidly. And in 1985 she passed away. Her death shook Marshall to the core and set in motion a change chain of events that would test their crew members faith and claim poor Gail Mater's life.

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In 1985, Bonnie Lou Nettles passed away at age 57 of liver cancer. 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 Bonney. 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 perfected immortal aliens. At that point, their most loyal followers would also become aliens. And they would all be carried up in a unique UFO to their heavenly homeworld. But Bonney's death undermined everything. There was no assassination. Just an ordinary death from a tragic disease. And no resurrection either. Marshall knew he needed some way 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 had 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 some of Marshall's followers abandoned him. But the ones who remained took Bonnie's death as a sign they should work harder to follow in her footsteps and join her in the next next realm. Some male members, including Marshall, sought out surgical castration to show their commitment to avoiding sex. If Bonney 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 only grew darker and more 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. However, with each passing day, their numbers dwindled. By the early 1990s, the group had shrunk from hundreds of members to just a few dozen. Marshall tried to stem the bleeding with occasional outreach. First he mailed a booklet with information about the group to various New Age centers. Then he produced a series of satellite TV broadcasts. And finally he placed a large ad in USA Today on May 27, 1993. But despite his best efforts, the cult was failing and 62 year old Marshall was running out of steam. He saw the end approaching and felt that he had one one last chance 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 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, including Gale Mater, stayed. By that point, they already considered themselves more alien than human. They believed that after death they would evolve and join Bonney 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 Bopp, 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 Martin, 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 hosting a who's who of conspiracy theorists, alien abductees and paranormal investigators. For much of America, Art's radio show was lurid late night entertainment. But for Marshall and his group, now calling themselves Heaven's Gate, it was practically gospel. That night, Art interviewed another amateur astronomer named Chuck Schrammek, who claimed to have spotted an enormous object trailing the comet. Shramik had a photo which supposedly confirmed 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 so called remote viewing, a paranormal ability that supposedly allows gifted people to project their consciousness to other places. Brown said three of his remote viewers had visited the object traveling with the comet and they told him that it was a large, climate controlled hollow capsule. In other words, an alien spacecraft. The unverified claim stirred up a frenzy of interest among ufologists and conspiracy theorists. Some of the more fringe groups started preparing for first contact. Even after Chuck Schrammock's photo was proven to be fake, the people inside Heaven's Gate continued to believe. Marshall 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. 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. Their final weeks were spent tying up loose ends. They returned library books, spent the last of their money, and recorded 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 ex members so they could tell the world what happened. They 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 barbiturous and 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. 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, who had once dreamed of being a fashion designer, had been destroyed by a religion he couldn't understand. In the decades since the Manson family murders and the Heaven's Gate tragedy, there have been dozens of books, movies and documentaries, all seeking to understand these tragedies. Cults like these live on in the public imagination because at first glance, they just seem so strange. After all, how could anyone believe that Charles Manson or Marshall Apples White were really Jesus? That they'd find paradise in a hole in the ground or 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 for the most part, the followers of these cults were just that, ordinary regular Americans who sensed something missing from their lives. Charles Manson sought out naive young people who'd been abandoned by their parents. He saw their pain and gave them what felt like a loving family. By contrast, Bonnie Nettles and Marshall Applewhite attracted people who felt a spiritual emptiness inside. People who yearned for a deeper purpose than their mundane middle class lives could provide. In both cases, they were lost souls aching for spiritual truth and a sense of belonging. In exchange for that, they traded their identities, their freedom and their lives.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

Thanks so much for listening. I'm Vanessa Richardson and this is Crime House, the show. The show is a Crime House original. Powered by Pave Studios At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Crime House the Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, your feedback truly matters. And for ad free and early access to Crime House the Show plus exciting bonus content, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. We'll be back next Monday. The show is hosted by me, Vanessa Richardson, and is a Crime House original. Powered by Paves2 Studios, this episode was brought to life by the Crime House the Show team Max Cutler, Ron Shapiro, Alex Benedon, Natalie Pertzovsky, Laurie Marinelli, Sarah Camp, Zander Bernstein, Claire Cronin and Russell Nash. Thank you for listening.

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[Vanessa Richardson]

Find out from a licensed forensic psychologist on Killer Minds, a Crime House original podcast. New episodes drop every Monday and Thursday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.