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The HORRIFIC Branch Davidian Cult Tragedy | Kallmekris | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: The HORRIFIC Branch Davidian Cult Tragedy
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Summary
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This content details the life and rise of David Koresh, from a troubled youth to his transformation into the charismatic, apocalyptic leader of the Branch Davidians, culminating in the tragic Waco siege. It explores how faith was twisted into control, leading to extreme doctrines and a violent confrontation with federal authorities.
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Texas in the early 1990s. A stretch of
flat, dusty land just outside of Waco.
It's quiet. At first glance, it seems
like just another compound. A few
ramshackled buildings, some trailers,
and a playground for kids. But inside
those walls, something else was brewing.
Something dangerous and deeply devoted.
A man who called himself the Lamb of
God. A prophecy of the end times and an
arsenal stockpiled for war. This is a
story of faith twisted into control, of
prophecy, power, and the quiet terror
that can grow behind locked doors. It's
about how one man became David Caresh,
and how he led a community down a path
they would never return from. Crime,
conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and
murder. All things that I love to
consume, and I know you do, too. You
sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually
minded. Freak.
Mhm. Didn't expect that, did you? Or
maybe you did. I don't really know
anymore. But today, we are diving into
another cult. It's been a It's been a
minute since we we uh dove into one of
those. And my god, did I not miss it.
This this is uh this is a doozy. So,
without further ado, let's unbuckle our
seat belts, go Mach 5 down the highway,
slam on the brakes, and bust through
this windshield into this disturbing
David Caresh was born Vernon Wayne
Howell on August 17th, 1959 in Houston,
Texas. and his mother, Bonnie Sue Clark,
was only 14 years old at the time. And
his father was 20-year-old Bobby Wayne
Howell and actually abandoned the family
before Vernon was even born. Really bad
start. And Bonnie's brief marriage to
another man ended soon after she was
being treated very, very poorly, if you
know what I mean. Forcing her to leave
Vernon in the care of his maternal
grandmother, Erlene Clark, when he was
about 4 years old. So already four years
old, he's already going through a lot in
life. Seemingly not really being wanted
by anybody. So young Vernon spent his
early childhood believing his
grandmother was his mother actually and
a charade that the family actually kept
up during Bonnie's occasional visits and
when she would pose as Vernon's aunt.
But at age five, that illusion was
shattered when Bonnie married a man
named Roy Holdman and just reclaimed her
son. I can't imagine just being this
kid. Like I I I feel I feel bad for for
a little kid David because that is
that's a lot to go through at just the
age of five. So they just revealed to
this confused boy that his aunt was
actually his real mother and his mother
that he thought was his mother was
actually his grandmother and his father
was somewhere else nowhere to be found,
you know. So this revelation had a
profound impact on Vernon. Not giving
excuses, by the way, just it had a
profound impact, who reportedly carried
this emotional wound for the rest of his
life. So, returning to live with Bonnie
and his new stepfather, Roy in the
Dallas area, Vernon's childhood did not
become any easier. And starting around
this time as a kindergartenner, he was
actually s by an older male relative.
And in July of 1965, Bonnie and Roy had
a son together. And Vernon's half
brother was named Roger. So, the
turbulent life of Vernon, it just keeps
it just keeps stacking on itself and it
it's terrible. So, the family settled in
Richardson, Texas. But Vernon's
relationship with his stepfather was
rocky and marked by very strict
discipline. And he would later tell of
harsh spankings from Roy that made me
fly like a kite. And even an incident
where Bonnie beat him in front of guests
at his 13th birthday. And by contrast,
Vernon remained very attached to his
grandmother, often begging to return to
her home after visits. And relatives
recall seeing him chase their car on his
bicycle, crying whenever he had to stay
with his mother and Roy. And
academically, young Vernon struggled cuz
he suffered from dyslexia and poor
eyesight, leading to placement in
special education classes and making him
a target for merciless bullying. And
classmates dubbed him Mr. retardo.
Kids are just mean, man. Especially back
then. I'm not saying it, okay? These are
the kids that said it to him. Poor
little guy. Again, I'm not like We're
going to get into some other stuff.
Obviously, this doesn't excuse what an
adult man does, but my my god did this
kid have it. Uh he had it pretty rough.
And that nickname was due to his
repeated failures in school. And Vernon
himself later admitted, "There's not one
grade in school that I didn't fail. I
failed first grade twice, so I failed
second grade.
>> So the constant ridicule left him
socially isolated and very lonely. So
seeking refuge in religion, Vernon
developed an intense interest in the
Bible from a young age. And by his early
teens, he was devoting hours to prayer
and scripture. And he allegedly had even
memorized large portions of the Bible by
heart at age 12. That is very very hard
coming from someone who was made to read
the Bible as a kid. That's it does not
make sense to a kid usually I would
think. I read it now as adults sometimes
and I'm just like what you know and it
was around that same time when he found
a positive outlet in sports which
improved his confidence somewhat. But
academics remained a challenge and he
would bounce back and forth between
living with his mother and grandparents
through his adolescence. And when he was
16, his family enrolled him in the
Dallas Junior Academy, a private
church-run 7th Day Adventist school,
hoping a religious environment might
help him. And Vernon attended for a
time, but got into disputes with
teachers and conflicts at home and
eventually dropped out in the 10th grade
without graduating. But despite his
troubles at school, teenage Vernon had a
knack for practical skills and music
actually. and he taught himself guitar
on an old instrument that he found
taking a few lessons at a local music
shop. And he formed a small garage band
in his teens, dreaming of rock and roll
stardom, though these bands fell apart.
And he later blamed that on other
members drug use. So socially, he
started to attract attention at this
point, especially from the ladies. And
when Vernon was living again with his
grandmother in Tyler, Texas, he fixed up
a backyard shed into a private hangout
decked with rock posters and a black
light. And neighborhood girls would drop
by just drawn to the handsome teen who
played guitar and had his own place
behind the house. It was a glorified
shed with a black light and posters.
Sounds terrifying to me, but to each
their own. And it said that quote,
"Everybody that met Vernon liked him."
unquote during this period which seemed
to be a trait he would carry on through
his life as we will see as we know he
was a cult leader but this was one of
the very few relatively happy interludes
in his youth but it ended abruptly when
tensions with his grandmother's husband
led to Vernon being sent back to live
with Bonnie and Roy yet again so he had
just endured a very chaotic upbringing
an abset father a teenage mother
shuffling between households learning
ing disabilities, abuse, and relentless
bullying. And all of this would shape
the troubled, driven young man who was
about to seek a new identity and a just
a general new purpose in life. So Vernon
stumbled into adulthood with little
direction, obviously. And in 1977, at
around the age of 19, he allegedly had
his first serious romantic relationship
with a 16-year-old girl in the
community. And it was a relationship
that quickly led to pregnancy, teenage
pregnancy. And according to later
accounts, Vernon was shocked at the
prospect of becoming a father. He quote
said, "Me, Mr. Ricardo, going to have a
baby?" I'm sorry, that's just the ' 70s
were a different time. So, his
girlfriend would give birth to a
daughter, but she decided that Vernon
was unfit to be a parent and would
actually move away, cutting him out of
the child's life.
That stings. So Vernon never got to even
see his infant daughter. And as if that
weren't enough, allegedly Vernon had the
opportunity to meet Bobby Howell, his
biological dad. And what should have
been a joyful meeting was actually sadly
detached as Bobby had little desire to
build any sort of relationship with his
son. And they would never meet again
after that. So these just rejections
were heavy blows and reinforced his
feelings of inadequacy and failure. So
with many of his relationships in
disarray, Vernon turned back to his two
main outlets and that was religion and
music. And then Vernon claimed that he
had become a bornagain Christian. And he
first joined a local Southern Baptist
church but soon gravitated toward the
faith of his childhood which was his
mother's denomination. the Seventh Day
Adventist Church or the SDA. And in the
late 1970s, he began attending an SDA
congregation in Tyler, Texas, hoping to
find his place and redemption in devout
faith. And for a time, Vernon Howell was
just another young church member,
fervent, awkward, and eager to belong.
But he could not suppress his intense
personality. His Vernon in his early 20s
became fixated on a 15-year-old girl in
the Tyler church, the daughter of the
pastor. Big no. Not just cuz of the
pastor's daughter, but she's 15 and he's
20. But he believed God had shown him a
sign in scripture that she was to be his
wife. Now we're getting into the
cuckoo realm. right now it's starting to
become unforgivable. And he later
recounts that he opened his Bible and
saw a verse Isaiah 34:16 that he
interpreted as divine permission for him
to take this girl as his mate. God, I
hate that term. So convinced it was
God's will, Vernon approached the SDA
pastor and declared that the Lord wanted
him to marry this man's underage
daughter. And the pastor was rightfully
horrified and immediately forbade Vernon
from ever seeing her. But Vernon,
however, refused to back down,
continuing this secret relationship for
nearly 2 years. And his behavior alarmed
the congregation, obviously, and church
members found Vernon's intensity and
fixation on and prophecy deeply
unsettling. Cuz again, we see this with
most cult leaders. they just kind of
cherrypick things out of the Bible or
whatever scripture that they're reading
to benefit whatever they want. And in
Vernon's case, that was relations with
girls he shouldn't have been having
relations with. So Vernon began
confronting church elders during
services, arguing about doctrinal
issues, and even interpreting sermons
with his own long-winded interpretations
of scripture. And in one Sabbath, he
marched up to the pulpit and launched
into a rambling speech of biblical
prophecy, testing the leadership's
patience. And when he did it again the
very next week, the deacons had had
enough. And they physically intercepted
Vernon and gave him an ultimatum. And
that was to leave quietly on your own or
be thrown out. And he didn't leave. And
the Tyler 7th Day Adventist Church
formally dysfellowshipped. In other
words, expelled. Vernon, declaring him
unwelcome for his disruptive and immoral
behavior. Fair enough. You know, fair
enough. And the scandal of his affair
with the pastor's daughter and his
self-righteous outbursts had made him an
outcast in the congregation. So Vernon
left in disgrace, but also with a sense
of grand destiny unfulfilled now. So now
the ego is starting to
just be pumped up. You know, he thinks
he's better than everyone else and he
got disavowed. He got abandoned. Like he
got in his childhood and he feels like
he needs revenge. Like he's better than
everyone else. So what's he going to do,
guys? What's he going to do? We will
see. You know, we already know he's
going to make a dope. All right. Cuz he
still harbored the dreams of rock music
success from his teens as well. So he
actually would start to stab at a music
career, moving to Los Angeles for a time
in hopes of becoming a rock guitarist.
However, this venture proved to be an
utter failure. Ah [ __ ] Stamp on another
failure for Vernon and Vernon would just
return to Texas with little to show for
it. So cut off from the church of his
upbringing and humbled by his musical
experiences in LA, he was now a
religious rebel in search of a new
spiritual home at in the perfect time
period, the '7s, you know, 60s and 70s
ultimate cult period, you know. So the
22-year-old went to a place that he had
heard about on the fringe of the
Adventist world, which was a small
apocalyptic sect living on a rural
property just outside of Waco, Texas. So
Vernon Howell's turbulent youth was over
and he was about to reinvent himself.
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back to it. So, in 1981, Vernon Howell
arrived at the Mount Carmel Center near
Waco, Texas, the compound of a breakaway
Adventist sect known as the Branch
Devidians. And the group was led by Lois
Rhoden, a widow over 40 years Vernon
senior. And Lois and her late husband
Benjamin Rooden had founded the branch
devidians in the 1950s after splitting
from the mainstream 7th Day Adventism.
And when Benjamin died in 1978, Lois
assumed leadership and into this
environment walked young Vernon, a high
school dropout with a head full of
scripture, eager to prove himself a man
of God in the in his own convenient way.
So, he kind of had like a a pre-made
cult, you know, for him. He just kind of
walked in at this point. And he would be
welcomed as a new member, and he
initially kept a low profile, doing odd
jobs and handyman work around the rural
compound to earn his keep. But it didn't
take long for Vernon to make his
presence felt cuz, as we know, he had a
very, very big personality. And by 1983,
the earnest newcomer began claiming he
had the gift of prophecy. A tale as old
as time
in the cult leader world. Why are they
all prophets? They're just they all just
like, you know, I know, you know, this
guy did in the '60s, this guy did in the
'7s, now we're in the 80s. I think we'll
just try it again. See if it works, you
know, and it does for whatever reason.
And he would spend countless hours
pouring over the Bible, especially the
apocalyptic books of Daniel and
Revelation. and he started sharing bold
new interpretations that he insisted
were divinely inspired. And in private
and then in Bible study groups, Vernon
revealed his doctrine, which was a
complex, controversial teaching he said
God had given to him. And sensing his
potential, Lois Rhoden allowed Vernon to
teach his message to the branch
devidians. and his serpent's roots
lessons, as they were called, touched on
esoteric interpretations of biblical
lineage and sin, which raised eyebrows
and created riffs within the community.
But Lois herself was evidently impressed
by the charismatic young man. And
allegedly, Vernon and Lois grew
disturbingly close. Despite their age
gap, he's going the other way now. He's
going up. And at least it's legal this
time. It's widely believed that Vernon
Howell entered into a romantic
relationship with Lois, who was in her
late 60s at this point, and Vernon was
in his 20s. And Dividian member David
Thabodu later wrote that Vernon
speculated God chose him to father a
special child with Lois, an heir to
leadership called the chosen one. And
such whispers unsettled Lois's son,
George Rhoden, who was widely expected
to succeed his mother as leader. So to
George, Vernon was an interloper,
seducing his elderly mother and usurping
his position. This is literally like it
turning into Game of Thrones up in here.
So Mount Carmel escalated into an allout
power struggle. And Vernon fanned the
flames by making a bold prophetic move.
and he would announce that God had
instructed him to marry Rachel Jones.
And now we're going we're going back
down, who was a 14-year-old branch
Devidian girl whose family were longtime
members. And in 1984, Vernon took Rachel
as his wife and her parents consented
cuz they're idiots, adding Caresh to her
last name. And this was a significant
early use of the surname. He would later
adopt himself as we know. And Rachel
would eventually have two children with
Vernon, a boy named Cyrus and a girl
named Star. So for a brief moment, this
marriage seemed to stabilize the
community. And Vernon's union with
Rachel tied him to a prominent Branch
Devidian family and momentarily stopped
talk of impropriy. But the calm of this
group was very short-lived. And that
same year, a mysterious disaster struck
Mount Carmel, and a fire broke out and
burned down a $500,000
administration building, including the
sex printing press. So, the blaze gutted
a key facility for the entire group. And
in the aftermath, George publicly
accused Vernon of arson, claiming Vernon
had set the fire to sabotage him. Sounds
pretty pretty pretty accurate to me, but
what do I know? But Vernon coolly denied
it, saying, quote,
>> "No man set that fire."
>> Framing the blaze as divine judgment as
if God himself had cast a vote in the
leadership conflict. How convenient for
Vernon. He's already doing all the
convenient things. He's like, "Wasn't
me." You know, it's a guy upstairs. I
think he's trying to tell us something.
You know what's that gas can behind me? It's
It's
and this lighter in my hand. I you know
you you should I think you've been
drinking Todd. All right. We need to
wrap this up. All right. So the fire
further poisoned the atmosphere of the
entire group and George already furious
at Vernon's growing influence over his
mother and the flock was convinced
Vernon was out to steal the sect and he
decided to take action. So backed by a
band of loyalists and armed with guns,
George forced Vernon and his followers
off Mount Carmel at gunpoint in late
1984. So Vernon and about 25 of his
supporters hastily packed up and fled
the property, leaving it for now to
George. So the exile group retreated to
the east, setting up a makeshift camp in
a rural town of Palestine, Texas, about
90 miles away. And they lived in crude
conditions, bed betting down in rusty
buses and tents in the woods. And for 2
years, Vernon's devotees endured
hardships in the wilderness refuge. But
they stayed because they believed they
were like the biblical David running
from Saul, persecuted by a wicked ruler,
who was George, but destined by God to
reclaim the kingdom. So Vernon's rise
had been temporarily checked, but his
resolve only intensified in exile
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banished from Mount Carmel, Vernon set
about consolidating his following and
plotting his return. So from 1985
through 1986, his little encampment in
Palestine, Texas, became the incubator
for a more radical messianic version of
his message. And Vernon, now in his
mid20s, styled himself as a prophetic
leader in waiting. And he recruited new
followers aggressively, venturing far
beyond Texas to spread his apocalyptic
gospel. And he traveled to California
and throughout the US and even made
trips overseas. And by his own account,
Vernon preached and sought converts in
the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia,
attracting young seekers intrigued by
his command of scripture and end times
teachings. And during a visit to Israel,
Burden experienced a dramatic vision in
Jerusalem. And he claimed that God
revealed to him that he was a modern-day
Cyrus, the ancient Persian king anointed
by God in the Bible. And like Cyrus,
Vernon believed he was chosen to lead
God's people and establish a divinely
ordained kingdom. And even as he
proclaimed these revelations, Vernon and
his followers endured a highly
regimented and disciplined life in the
Palestine camp. And they made their
existence in primitive shelters,
scraping by on meager resources and
faith. And then a turning point came in 1986.
1986.
Lois Rhoden died, leaving the Branch
Devidian leadership in flux. And many
exiles wondered maybe they could reclaim
Mount Carmel now that their patron was
gone. And Vernon's charisma and
conviction had secured the loyalty of
the majority of Branch Devidians by this
time. And even some that remained at
Mount Carmel sympathized with him. So
the stage was set for a confrontation
with George. And it would prove deadly.
So, in late 1987, the bizarre power
struggle between Vernon and George
reached its violent climax, and George
exumed a corpse from the Mount Carmel
Community Cemetery. And though he
allegedly said he was just moving the
cemetery, Vernon claimed that he had
issued a challenge, and that was whoever
could resurrect the body would prove
divine favor and rightful leadership.
Guy thinks he's Jesus Christ. Basically,
so Vernon sees this stunt as evidence of
George's depravity, and he actually went
to law enforcement in Waco to report
George for illegally disturbing a grave.
But authorities told Vernon he needed
proof, such as a photograph of the
exumed corpse, to pursue charges. So
Vernon decided to get that proof
himself. And on November 3rd, 1987,
Vernon and seven armed followers crept
back onto Mount Carmel under cover of
night carrying cameras and guns. And
their goal was to photograph the dug up
coffin to incriminate George. But George
would discover the intruders, and a
gunfight erupted in the dark grounds of
Mount Carmel. And bullets flew between
the rival Devidians. And by the time the
sheriff arrived, Rhoden had been shot
and was cowering behind a tree, wounded
and outnumbered. and Vernon and his men
were arrested and charged with attempted
murder for the armed insurgent. And the
ensuing trial took place in 1988 and
Vernon testified that he only went to
Mount Carmel to gather evidence of
criminal disturbance of a corpse and
that George had opened fire first and
the jury ultimately believed there was
reasonable doubt. So all seven of
Vernon's followers were acquitted and
the case against Vernon ended in a
mistrial when the jury deadlocked. So he
walked free and he was emboldened by
this to say the least and he saw it as a
sign of God's favor. Meanwhile, George's
fortunes plummeted. And in 1989, in a
separate incident, he murdered a fellow
Devidian named Wayman Edar with an axe.
What the hell? Whom he deliriously
believed Vernon had sent to kill him.
Guy was starting to get a little crazy.
Okay, actually he already was crazy. I
thought it was Jesus Christ, but he he
he lost it and he was declared
criminally insane and locked away in a
state psychiatric hospital, eliminating
him as a factor. So, with George out of
the picture, Vernon finally moved to
reclaim Mount Carmel. So, the property
had by now fallen into neglect and was
burdened by unpaid taxes during George's
tenure. So Vernon and his followers
pulled their resources and raised the
money to pay off the back taxes, thus
assuming legal ownership of the Mount
Carmel compound in 1989. So when they
took possession, they found that George
had rented parts of the land to
outsiders who operated methamphetamine
labs on the premises.
George was going wild with it. So Vernon
immediately notified local police about
the meth lab and had it removed. a
calculated move to demonstrate that his
branch devidians would not be criminals
or drug dealers. They would just be
doing other illegal stuff, you know. So
Vernon was now the uncontested leader at
Mount Carmel. And by 1990, the once
weward high school dropout had
reinvented himself as the prophetic
leader of the branch dividians. And to
mark his new era, he petitioned for a
legal name change. And on May 15th,
1990, in a California court, Vernon
Wayne Howell officially became David
Caresh. And the name held deep symbolic
meaning. Obviously, David aligned him
with the biblical King David, a
messianic lineage of a prophesized
endtime king. And Caresh is the Hebrew
form of Cyrus, the affforementioned
Persian king whom God anointed in
Isaiah. Guy thought a lot of himself.
That's that's basically the big the big
picture here. So by taking this name,
Caresh signaled that he was a spiritual
Cyrus destined to free God's people. And
in effect, David Caresh was proclaiming
himself Messiah, the anointed one to
lead the faithful in the last days. And
with Mount Carmel back under his control
and a new name declaring his biblical
authority, Caresh began to exert total
control over the branch dividians. And
most of the community accepted him as
their rightful prophet, especially after
George's disgrace. And they believe
Caresh had outlasted satanic opposition
and proven himself chosen by God. And
Caresh's teachings also evolved in these
years, becoming more and more and more
extreme. And in 1989, he introduced what
he called the new light doctrine. And in
it he declared that all women in the
community were spiritually his wives
even if legally married to other men and
that all men followers besides himself
of course
must remain celibate. Oh the convenience
of the cult. Yeah. Yeah. So basically he
had a lot of wives and all the men had
to be celibate. So, he got to do all the
spicy tango dances, if you know what I
mean. And he claimed this command came
straight from God as part of
establishing the house of David. And
again, it always comes from God, so he
can't take any any flak. He's like,
"Guys, I'm just the messenger. All
right, don't don't shoot the messenger.
It's the guy upstairs. He's crazy, but
I'm just going with it. I know it's
crazy." Then the house of David is his
growing clan of children. who would
allegedly reign in God's kingdom. You
know, in researching for these cases, I
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back to it. So, starting around 1986,
Caresh had taken spiritual wives from
among the sect. But after 1989, he
openly taught that every female member,
whether single or married, belonged to
him, as we said. So men were no longer
allowed to have any sort of relations at
all, even with their own legal spouses,
while Caresh himself took a herum of
women and girls as his own. A disgusting
monster. So under this new light
teaching, Caresh pressured parents to
give their daughters to him and
convinced husbands to surrender their
wives. And some of Caresha's wives were
young to say the least. Too young. Okay.
Michelle Jones, the youngest sister of
Caresha's wife Rachel, was just 12 years
old when Caresh claimed her as a bride
and she would end up boring one of his
childrens later on. And another girl,
Kiri Juel, later alleged that Caresh
took her as a wife at only the age of 10.
10. 10
10
a child like grade three four
just disgusting like he's disgusting
piece of [ __ ] But Caresh justified
these acts with twisted scripture
telling followers that God wanted him to
father 24 children by many women to
serve as the 24 ruling elders in the
impending kingdom of God. And many
branch devidian women conditioned to
revere kesh considered it an honor to be
chosen as a wife of the lamb. So all of
this doctrine being placed just laid the
groundwork for future conflict with
authorities because a lot of illegal
stuff was going down. And it was at the
same time that Caresh was redefining
and family life at Mount Carmel. and he
was also turning the community into an
armed apocalyptic sect on top of
everything. So in the late 1980s, Caresh
began stockpiling weapons. And the
Dividians acquired firearms at an
astonishing rate outwardly as a means of
income, buying and selling guns at gun
shows, but also clearly to prepare for
an anticipated final battle with the
forces of evil. And they spent large
sums purchasing militarystyle
semi-automatic rifles, shotguns,
pistols, and ammunition in bulk. And
they even ordered grenades and 50
caliber armorpiercing rounds. Those are
huge. They're massive. That's very
scary. And by the early 1990s, Caresh's
followers had amassed over 200 firearms
and at least a million rounds of
ammunition at Mount Carmel. And many of
these weapons were bought legally
through mail order and at gun shows. And
Texas gun culture at the time made such
purchases pretty easily. But there were
signs the Dividians were illegally
modifying some guns to make them fully
automatic and assembling homemade
grenades which were serious federal
offenses. And Gesh preached that this
arsenal was to defend the faithful in
the coming apocalypse. And the name
Mount Carmel gave way to a foreoding new
nickname among followers and that was
ranch Apocalypse.
Really? That's I feel like that's really
obvious, but what do I know? Aresh truly
believed and told his flock that they
were God's chosen army destined to clash
with the corrupt government Babylon. So
as 1990 ended, David Caresh had
completely transformed the branch
devidians and he was their undisputed
prophet, their lamb of God with many
wives and children and an armory fit for
war. So by the early 1990s, David Caresh
presided over the branch devidian sect
as an absolute ruler, a tyrant if you
will, and he vigorously prepared his
flock for what he insisted were the end
times at ranch apocalypse. And daily
life under Koresh's leadership became
even more regimented and extreme, and he
would continue to collect wives. And
former members later estimated Caresh
ultimately took on at least a dozen
spiritual wives and fathered more than a
dozen children within the group. And he
controlled every aspect of the compound
members lives. Women were made to dress
modestly in long blouses and forbidden
to wear makeup or jewelry. And Caresh
even dictated their diets. He actually
banned sugar, processed flour, and dairy
products, saying, quote, "Milk is what
you drink when you're a baby." and we're
adults now,"
>> unquote. And cutting off anything he
deemed a worldly indulgence, and adult
males, aside from kesh, of course, were
still expected to remain celibate,
dictating themselves wholly to Bible
study and labor. And the men's marriages
were essentially anulled by Caresh's
decree. And meanwhile, Caresh continued
to bed whomever he pleased, claiming
divine sanction. So their lifestyle was
audacious and disturbing. But inside the
cult, Caresh's word was law. And
Caresh's apocalyptic teachings also
intensified. And a sermons and Bible
classes held frequently and sometimes at
marathon length, not unlike Jim Jones,
focused on the impending end of the
world. And Kesh cultivated an us versus
them mentality, which is just cult 101,
like be more creative. You know, it's
just the same thing every time.
And it's sickening. But that was the
outside world was Babylon, utterly evil
and destined for destruction. And he
warned his followers that anyone who
left the group would forfeit salvation
and be doomed when the end came. So
we're putting just fear into everyone
just in case they want to leave. They
can't and they'll like burn in hell.
Brimstone, fire and brimstone. And this
kept many in line out of just sheer
terror. And they were taught that to
abandon Caresh was to invite eternal
damnation and to enforce loyalty and
isolation. And Caresh strongly
discouraged outside influences called
101 just completely insulating them
saying quote
>> you're supposed to separate yourselves
from the world. The world is sin
>> unquote. Former member David Buns
explained of the branchidian mindset. So
Caresh drilled this into his followers
insisting they avoid contact with
worldly family and friends who might
lure them away from the truth. The truth
you know. So in 1991 and 1992, Caresh
continued his recruitment efforts abroad
and he sent emissaries to Australia and
the United Kingdom where he planted
seeds during the 1980s. And Kesha's
charisma was undeniable, unfortunately.
And despite only a 9th grade education,
he could quote scripture effortlessly
and exude confidence. He was the epitome
of fake it till you make it. and he
convinced people from all over the world
to pack up their entire lives and move
to central Texas to join his apocalyptic
community. And he didn't even need to
leave Texas to do so. As one observer
noted, even decades later, true
believers struggled to articulate the
pull that he had. Quote, "There was just
this force within him." A force that
made people uproot themselves to follow
Caresh's vision. However, defectors from
the group also began to emerge, carrying
alarming stories to outsiders like Mark
Brolt, an Australian devote who had been
an inner circle member, became
delusioned by Caresh's excess and left
the sect in 1989. And Brolt immediately
started warning authorities about
Caresh. And he contacted police and
media in Texas, but was largely
dismissed as a disgruntled ex member.
And Waco sheriff allegedly waved off
Bolt's reports as sour grapes. What a
idiot. This guy's telling the police
that Caresh is taking wives that are
much too young and they're just like,
"Ah, he's just mad. They paid their
taxes. It's fine."
What? But Bolt would reach out to anyone
who would listen in the outside world.
and he found an ally in David Juel, a
man whose ex-wife had become one of
Caresh's wives and took their young
daughter into the cult. And in March of
1992, Juel and Bolt contacted at least
two US congressmen, desperately warning
that Caresh was s girls and might
orchestrate a mass can if cornered, if
you know what I mean. And these warnings
were relayed to the FBI nearly a year
before the Waco tragedy, but apparently
were not acted upon at the time. Bralt
had better success sounding the alarm in
Australia where both the media and even
the US embassy took his information
seriously, you know, like you should.
And they sent a cable to Washington
warning that a mass
at the ranch was imminent and that
Caresh would kill anyone who tried to
arrest him. But despite these massive
red flags, Caresha's reign at Mount
Carmel continued unchecked through 1992.
And that year, Texas state authorities
did attempt a closer look, prompted by
whispers of child abuse inside the
compound. And the Texas Department of
Child Protective Services, or the CPS,
opened an investigation into the
allegations against Caresh, specifically
in mistreating children. and case
workers interviewed Caresh and actually
some of the children. But the branch
devidians were evasive and well coached.
And crucially, the group hid Caresh's
underage marriages by falsely assigning
younger girls to men their own age as
cover. Absolutely
disgusting. For example, 12-year-old
Michelle Jones was presented as being
married to member David Thibido, who was
10 years younger than Caresh, to
disguise the fact that Caresh was
actually her husband. What is going on
here? And why is that okay? You know,
CPS investigators never found concrete
evidence to substantiate the ab claims
and no child would implicate Kesh and no
one would admit to the spiritual
polygamy. And after 6 months in June,
the child investigation was closed with
no action taken. But in retrospect, this
was a hugely missed opportunity to
intervene before things escalated. But
by late 1992, another branch of
government had cares on its radar. And
that was a US Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms, otherwise known
as the ATF. And reports from various
sources indicated that Caresh's group
was amassing a massive arsenal of
weapons and possibly converting
semi-automatic rifles into machine guns.
An ATF opened an investigation into the
branch devidians firearm activities and
agents learned that the Dvidians had
ordered hundreds of high-capacity gun
magazines, dozens of AR-15s and AK-47
style rifles, grenade components, and
black powder. And a package of inner
grenade casings had even burst open on
delivery, alarming a UPS driver who
reported it to the sheriff. And by the
fall of 1992, the ATF was growing
increasingly concerned. I love how the
government's more concerned about um
firearms than uh children being
mistreated, but what do I know? So, here
was a cult led by a man accused of
mistreating children, predicting an
apocalyptic showdown, and stockpiling an
armory of militarygrade weapons in a
compound with scores of children. And in
early 1993, authorities were closing in.
And a local newspaper, the Waco Tribune
Herald, was finishing an extensive
investigative series on Caresh titled
Sinful Messiah, poised to expose his and
arraignments. At least someone stepping
up. And the ATF for its part was
preparing a major raid on Mount Carmel.
And they requested that the series
release be delayed so as not to
interfere with their operations. So as
David Caresh preached to his followers
about the looming end of days, law
enforcement's net was tightening around
the branch devidians, prepping for that
fateful siege that would make Caresh
infamous. So David Caresh created an
elaborate theology to justify his
actions and solidify his hold over the
branch Devidians. And at the core of his
doctrine was Caresh's claim to be the
one true interpreter of scripture.
literally the only person on earth who
understood the Bible's deepest secrets.
Isn't just the most convenient job in
the world? And he taught that the
prophecies of the book of Revelation
were unfolding in real time and that he
was the lamb of God prophesized in
Revelation. And in the Christian New
Testament, only the lamb often
understood as Jesus Christ is worthy to
open the mysterious seven seals that
usher in the end of the new world. But
Caresh, like George, just basically
thinks he's Jesus Christ. And he
appropriated that role for himself, of
course, declaring that he had a unique
God-given authority to decode and
execute the divine plan of the end
times. In other words, Caresh convinced
his followers that their eternal fate
hinged on him. He, as the lamb, held the
keys to unlock the final chapter in
history. And because of this, Caresh
insisted that only his interpretations
of scripture were valid and anybody
anything anybody else said was absolute
BS according to Caresh. And former
Dividians recall that Caresh presented
himself as the conduit of God's truth.
No one else could correctly interpret
the Bible except Caresh himself. No
pastor, scholar, or elder. And he poured
over prophetic books like Daniel,
Isaiah, and Revelation for hours on end,
weaving an intricate endtime scenario.
And according to Caresh, the apocalypse
was imminent, unfolding in the now. And
the Devidians firmly believed they were
living in the final generation of
Earth's history. And Caresh taught that
the prophecies of Daniel would be
fulfilled at Waco and that the Mount
Carmel Center was essentially the new
Jerusalem where Christ's return would
occur. The community lived in a constant
state of expectancy. Convinced that any
day the forces of Babylon or secular
government would attack and trigger a
holy war, Crush's sermons bristled with
violent imagery and warnings of doom for
the wicked. And he emphasized passages
about God's wrath and the annihilation
of unbelievers instilling fear as a
means of control, fire and brimstone, as
we said before. And children were raised
on terrifying tales of the end of the
world. And one young survivor
remembered, quote, "Caresh constantly
told us the end of the world was
coming." Unquote, leaving her in
perpetual fear. I remember as a kid just
being so scared of the rapture. I only
heard about it once as a kid about like
how a rapture could happen and I woke up
every day like if my parents were like
not in the room they usually are or my
siblings weren't and I thought everyone
was gone. I thought the rapture happened
and I was the only one left on earth. So
I can't imagine how these kids felt just
getting it pushed into them every single
day that they'll go to hell if they
don't do everything that they're told
and all this stuff. It's just it's just
so sad. And in Kesha's apocalyptic
framework, the branch devidians held an
exalted place. He taught that his
followers were the chosen elect, the 144,000
144,000
mentioned in Revelation who would be
saved out of the dying world. Very
strange precise number. And this
conferred on the group as a powerful
sense of purpose and superiority, right?
They were God's end time army, the very
first fruits of salvation. and everybody
else was just ah they're just going to
be all damned and they suck and they're
not as good as us, you know. So, this
wasn't just some rag tag cult on a farm
in Texas. Caresh even hinted that once
the final battle was won, his offspring
would reign as princes in God's kingdom.
I guess the girls just didn't matter at
all. And he reportedly used Psalm 45 to
prophesize that he needed to father 24
children who would be the future princes
ruling the new kingdom of God. and his
followers believed they were literally
living out biblical prophecy under
Kesha's leadership and departing the
group meant losing one's place among
God's elite which was a fate worse than
death in their minds. So it's really
hard to overstate the psychological
domination this represented. He
rationalized these relationships by
claiming God's law superseded man's and
Caresh enforced this by coercion and
charisma and most followers eventually
accepted it as God's will however
painful it was. So from the outside
looking in, the branch devidians under
David Caresh looked like a classic
closed cult world of fanaticism and
coercion. And it can be hard to fathom
why dozens of seemingly ordinary people
would join and remain in such a group.
But those who were inside Mount Carmel
describe a mix of factors that bound
them to Caresh. Even as his demands grew
darker, charisma and spiritual allure
were certainly part of it. And David
Caresh possessed a magnetic, persuasive
presence, and he had an uncanny ability
to quote scripture and weave elaborate
explanations of biblical prophecy. He
was really good on the spot, leaving
listeners just totally entranced. One of
the followers was quoted to say, "Caresh
was charismatic. This was someone who
only had a ninth grade education, but he
had a knack for memorizing and repeating
Bible sections. So, his sheer confidence
and command of the Bible convinced many
that he truly was divinely inspired. But
in actuality, he was just really good at
memorizing stuff. That's about it. That
was his superpower. And new recruits
often encountered Kesh during his
recruitment tours or Bible studies and
were taken in by his intense conviction
and apparent mastery of the word of God.
And he would often promise to reveal the
secrets of revelation and to open the
seven seals, something that felt
incredibly profound and special. And
often times people that join cults don't
feel special. They feel extremely lost.
similar to how Caresh felt, but he just
honed it in and abused it. Um, and he
found people that were were lost and
broken and he took them in and
basically brainwashed them with fear.
Cuz newumber cuz newcomers to the branch
devidians often report being loved
bombed at the start, showered with
warmth, biblical camaraderie, and a
sense of being chosen. And the communal
living meant shared meals, group prayers
multiple times a day and a break from
loneliness in the outside world. So
caresses just cultivated an atmosphere
of collective devotion where everyone
called each other brother and sister and
this just fostered strong emotional
bonds and the isolation just reinforced
those bonds. So by the time of the Waco
standoff, many branch devidians were so
entrenched that surrendering or
betraying Kesh was completely
unthinkable. It wasn't an option and
they had given him their minds, their
bodies, their souls. And in the end,
most would also give their lives. So
February 28th, 1993 was Operation
Showtime. And just before 9:30 a.m. on a
quiet Sunday, ATF agents in full
tactical gear stormed the Mount Carmel
Center to execute search and arrest
warrants on Caresh and his followers.
But the element of surprise was lost
because the Dividians had been tipped
off that the raid was coming. And it was
actually a local reporter who
unwittingly alerted Caresh's
brother-in-law while asking for
directions. And Caresh and his men were
armed and waiting. So, as ATF agents
approached the ramshackle compound,
gunfire erupted in a furious two-way
shootout. And within minutes, bullets
tore through walls, doors, and windows.
And the agents of the yard scrambled for
cover as lead pelted them from the
building. And inside, terrified women
and children crouched low while Caresh
and his mighty men, a term used within
the group to describe his core of
trusted male defenders, were turned fire
with assault rifles. And the firefight
was intensed and prolonged and several
ATF officers went down. And by the time
ceasefire was negotiated, the firefight
had exacted a deadly toll. Four ATF
agents lay dead and 20 more were
wounded. And on the branch devidian
side, five members were killed in the
gun battle that morning and another
member was allegedly executed later that
day for attempting to flee. and Caresh
himself was severely wounded at this
point, but he survived the initial
clash. The ATF's raid had failed
catastrophically, devolving into a
complete bloodbath with bodies on both
sides. So, what began as a law
enforcement action now spiraled into one
of the longest standoffs in American
history. So, the morning's violence
quickly brought in the FBI, which has
jurisdiction whenever federal agents are
killed. And by that evening, the FBI's
hostage rescue team or the HRT and
negotiation unit had taken over the
scene. And they established a perimeter
around Mount Carmel. And thus began the
tense siege that held the nation in
thrral from February 28th to April 19th.
51 days. Waco was a tale of a religious
fringe group that decided to fight back
against the federal government.
There's a man standing in the room with
an AK-47. The FBI takes over. After 51
days, they began ramming the main building.
building.
>> And in the first days, telephone
negotiations were opened with Caresh and
his top lieutenants. In nursing his
gunshot wound, Caresh spoke in dense
biblical rhetoric, making it hard for
FBI negotiators to get straight answers.
And though initially there were some
signs of progress, Caresh agreed to
release some of the children inside. And
in a surprising move, on day two of the
siege, he allowed a local radio
interview because, you know, he loves attention.
attention.
>> It's not against law to buy a firearm.
It's not against law to to buy anything
that they sell at a gun show. And Caresh
would deliver an hourong sermon over the
airwaves proclaiming his identity and
message to the world in a rambling
monologue. And in exchange for that
moment of glory, Caresh did send out a
group of his followers. And over the
next week, about 35 people left the
compound voluntarily, including 21
children, thank goodness, and 14 adults.
But Karesh refused to let any
abledbodied men, the mighty men, exit,
and each soul that emerged, was whisked
away by agents. And the children, some
as young as infants, were placed in
custody of social services. And they
told harrowing stories to psychiatrists
of life under Caresh. And tales of
beatings and of David's young wives
inside Mount Carmel. And roughly 130
dividians remained. including Caresh,
dozens of loyal men and women, and still
many children and Caresh's own and
others. So, as days dragged on, the FBI
grew very frustrated, and negotiators
pleaded with Caresh to surrender
peacefully. And Caresh would promise to
come out, then go back on his word, just
constantly taunting the FBI. And at one
point early on, Caresh said he would
lead everyone out if one of his sermons
was broadcasted on national TV.
Remember, he's just always wanted to be
famous. And the FBI actually arranged
for a taped message of Caresh to be
broadcasted. But once it aired, Caresh
changed his mind and refused to
surrender, claiming God told him to
wait. In Psalms 40, you learned by the
key of David, I waited patiently on the
Lord. He inclined to me when he heard my
cry. He brought me up out of a horrible
pit and out of the miry clay.
Established my feet on a rock. Where's
the rock at class? >> Heaven.
>> Heaven.
>> And this pattern just kept repeating.
Just delays and broken promises while
inside the compound conditions started
to deteriorate. And Caresh said he
needed time to write down his religious
revelations, particularly a lengthy
manuscript explaining the seven seals
prophecy. And only when that was
completed would God permit him to
surrender. So, as weeks passed, the FBI
became more aggressive in its tactics,
and they cut power and water to the
compound, and they blasted high decibel
noises through loudspeakers at night,
including sleep-d depriving sounds like
jet engines, pop music, and even the
screams of rabbits being slaughtered.
Oh my god, that's that sounds terrible.
And I don't feel bad for Caresh and his
men, but I feel I feel bad for the
children, you know, that they got to
endure that, but I mean, they're trying
to save them. I get that, but my lord.
And tanks rumbled around flattening the
Devidian's cars and outer fences. This
was a full-on war zone in the middle of
Texas. And the FBI was just trying to
apply pressure and stress to force a
breakthrough. But to the Devidians, it
felt like their prophets predictions
just coming true. Because Caresh had
long said Babylon, the US government,
would attack them. And now here it was
with tanks and flood lights. And the
unique problem the bureau faced at Waco
was that nearly all those inside wanted
to remain there. And there were no
hostages to rescue, one analysis noted,
which is stupid because there's literal
children in there. They don't have a
choice. But but indeed the branch
devidians just hunkered down
interpreting the FBI's actions as
fulfillment of scripture and negotiators
did manage to coax out a few more
individuals over March but the majority
stayed with Caresh and in total around 46 people left alive during the siege
46 people left alive during the siege and by midappril patients in Washington
and by midappril patients in Washington had worn thin and after 51 days Attorney
had worn thin and after 51 days Attorney General Janet Reno approved the FBI's
General Janet Reno approved the FBI's plan to end the stalemate. by force and
plan to end the stalemate. by force and Caresh had still not surrendered or
Caresh had still not surrendered or finished his so-called manuscript at
finished his so-called manuscript at this point and the FBI believed
this point and the FBI believed negotiations were at an impass and there
negotiations were at an impass and there were increasing fears justified or not
were increasing fears justified or not that Caresh might orchestrate a mass
that Caresh might orchestrate a mass cancellation or execute a violent
cancellation or execute a violent breakout. So, in the pre-dawn hours of
breakout. So, in the pre-dawn hours of April 19th, 1993, the FBI put their
April 19th, 1993, the FBI put their final operation in motion. And at 6:00
final operation in motion. And at 6:00 a.m., loudspeakers blared a warning to
a.m., loudspeakers blared a warning to those inside. This is not an assault,
those inside. This is not an assault, encouraging them to surrender
encouraging them to surrender peacefully. And then, armored vehicles
peacefully. And then, armored vehicles began punching holes in the compound
began punching holes in the compound walls. And through these breaches, FBI
walls. And through these breaches, FBI agents pumped in massive amounts of CS
agents pumped in massive amounts of CS gas, a powerful tear gas intended to
gas, a powerful tear gas intended to flush people out of bunkers. And for
flush people out of bunkers. And for several hours, the tanks intermittently
several hours, the tanks intermittently smashed and gassed the building. And the
smashed and gassed the building. And the Devidians, however, had prepared by
Devidians, however, had prepared by putting gas masks. At least the adults
putting gas masks. At least the adults had masks, but tragically the children
had masks, but tragically the children did not. So unfortunately, the FBI and
did not. So unfortunately, the FBI and the government were gassing children. It
the government were gassing children. It just oh so awful. And they all just
just oh so awful. And they all just huddled in interior rooms and the
huddled in interior rooms and the expected rush of panicked people fleeing
expected rush of panicked people fleeing just never happened. And shortly after
just never happened. And shortly after 12 p.m. a fire ignited inside Mount
12 p.m. a fire ignited inside Mount Carmel. And within seconds, flames were
Carmel. And within seconds, flames were visible on multiple sides of the
visible on multiple sides of the sprawling wooden building. And the fire
sprawling wooden building. And the fire spread with explosive speed,
spread with explosive speed, accelerating by strong winds and
accelerating by strong winds and supposedly flammable materials within.
supposedly flammable materials within. And television cameras broadcasting live
And television cameras broadcasting live caught this horrific site with flames
caught this horrific site with flames shooting out of windows and thick column
shooting out of windows and thick column of black smoke rising into the Texas
of black smoke rising into the Texas sky. And the compound's makeshift
sky. And the compound's makeshift construction turned it into a tinder
construction turned it into a tinder box. And walls and tunnels collapsed as
box. And walls and tunnels collapsed as the blaze consumed everything. And some
the blaze consumed everything. And some Devidians attempted to flee at the last
Devidians attempted to flee at the last minute. And a handful of men, women, and
minute. And a handful of men, women, and children burst out through a rear
children burst out through a rear brereech and jumped from windows. And
brereech and jumped from windows. And some were burned. But most would remain
some were burned. But most would remain trapped inside, unfortunately. And the
trapped inside, unfortunately. And the fire raged intensely, engulfing Mount
fire raged intensely, engulfing Mount Carmel and burning it to the ground in
Carmel and burning it to the ground in less than an hour. And government
less than an hour. And government firefighters who had been kept at a
firefighters who had been kept at a distance for safety arrived too late to
distance for safety arrived too late to save the structure or those within. And
save the structure or those within. And when the smoke cleared, the scope of the
when the smoke cleared, the scope of the tragedy became very evident. And 76
tragedy became very evident. And 76 branch devidians, including David Caresh
branch devidians, including David Caresh himself, perished in the blaze. And only
himself, perished in the blaze. And only nine people inside survived by escaping
nine people inside survived by escaping the fire. But everyone else was dead,
the fire. But everyone else was dead, either from the flames or smoke
either from the flames or smoke inhilation or by gunshot wounds. An
inhilation or by gunshot wounds. An autopsies revealed that many Devidians,
autopsies revealed that many Devidians, including Caresh, died of a single
including Caresh, died of a single gunshot wound to their head. So it
gunshot wound to their head. So it appeared that as the fire closed in,
appeared that as the fire closed in, some devotees or cares himself chose
some devotees or cares himself chose mercy killing or can over burning alive
mercy killing or can over burning alive and at least 20 dividians had been shot.
and at least 20 dividians had been shot. Some of which were not adults and that
Some of which were not adults and that is
gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking. And Caresha's body was found charred beyond
Caresha's body was found charred beyond recognition, identified later on by
recognition, identified later on by dental records. And the Waco siege had
dental records. And the Waco siege had ended in unspeakable horror as a flaming
ended in unspeakable horror as a flaming apocalypse that eerily mirrored the
apocalypse that eerily mirrored the doomsday Caresh had prophesized. And
doomsday Caresh had prophesized. And Caresh's death marked the end of the
Caresh's death marked the end of the branch Devidian standoff. But the
branch Devidian standoff. But the tragedy was far from over in the
tragedy was far from over in the public's consciousness, as the
public's consciousness, as the smoldering ruins of Mount Carmel became
smoldering ruins of Mount Carmel became a scene of national trauma and
a scene of national trauma and controversy. The siege had lasted 51
controversy. The siege had lasted 51 days and its final day would spark
days and its final day would spark decades of debate over why it ended the
decades of debate over why it ended the way it did and who was to blame. So the
way it did and who was to blame. So the immediate aftermath of the Waco siege
immediate aftermath of the Waco siege saw shock, outrage and a demand for
saw shock, outrage and a demand for accountability and the US government
accountability and the US government moved quickly to prosecute the branch
moved quickly to prosecute the branch devidians who survived the fire. And in
devidians who survived the fire. And in total 12 members were charged with
total 12 members were charged with various crimes ranging from murder of
various crimes ranging from murder of federal agents to weapons violations.
federal agents to weapons violations. and one woman made a plea deal and 11
and one woman made a plea deal and 11 Devidians stood trial in 1994 in San
Devidians stood trial in 1994 in San Antonio. And the trial outcome was a
Antonio. And the trial outcome was a surprising rebuke to the government. And
surprising rebuke to the government. And the jury actually acquitted all 11 of
the jury actually acquitted all 11 of the most serious charges of murder and
the most serious charges of murder and conspiracy in the deaths of the four ATF
conspiracy in the deaths of the four ATF agents. So essentially, jurors did not
agents. So essentially, jurors did not hold the survivors directly responsible
hold the survivors directly responsible for initiating the gunfight. and many
for initiating the gunfight. and many observers felt the jurors placed more
observers felt the jurors placed more blame on the ATF's tactics. However, the
blame on the ATF's tactics. However, the Devidians were not off the hook
Devidians were not off the hook entirely, and five members were
entirely, and five members were convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a
convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a lesser charge for aiding in abetting the
lesser charge for aiding in abetting the deaths of federal agents, and seven were
deaths of federal agents, and seven were convicted on various firearm charges. In
convicted on various firearm charges. In all, eight branch devidians received
all, eight branch devidians received prison sentences ranging up to 40 years,
prison sentences ranging up to 40 years, though most were around 5 to 15 years.
though most were around 5 to 15 years. And the judge and prosecution expressed
And the judge and prosecution expressed disappointment, but the verdict
disappointment, but the verdict indicated the jury felt the Dividians
indicated the jury felt the Dividians had acted in what they believed was
had acted in what they believed was self-defense during the raid. And over
self-defense during the raid. And over time, these individuals served their
time, these individuals served their sentences and were released. And by
sentences and were released. And by 2007, all the imprisoned Devidians had
2007, all the imprisoned Devidians had regained freedom. And public controversy
regained freedom. And public controversy over Waco only intensified in the years
over Waco only intensified in the years following 1993.
following 1993. And the fiery end of the siege provoked
And the fiery end of the siege provoked multiple investigations and
multiple investigations and congressional hearings. And in 1995, the
congressional hearings. And in 1995, the US Congress, particularly the House of
US Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, under pressure from a
Representatives, under pressure from a skeptical public, held extensive
skeptical public, held extensive hearings on Waco. And testimony from
hearings on Waco. And testimony from survivors ATF and FBI officials and
survivors ATF and FBI officials and experts was presented to determine if
experts was presented to determine if the government had acted recklessly or
the government had acted recklessly or if Caresh bore sole blame. Because the
if Caresh bore sole blame. Because the optics of tanks and gas and a charred
optics of tanks and gas and a charred compound of bodies, amongst them non
compound of bodies, amongst them non adults, led many to condemn federal
adults, led many to condemn federal tactics. And conspiracy theories also
tactics. And conspiracy theories also blossomed, like claims that the FBI
blossomed, like claims that the FBI deliberately started the fire or shot
deliberately started the fire or shot the escaping Devidians, etc. And to
the escaping Devidians, etc. And to address lingering doubts, in 1999, the
address lingering doubts, in 1999, the Justice Department appointed former
Justice Department appointed former Senator John C. Danforth as a special
Senator John C. Danforth as a special counsel to conduct an independent
counsel to conduct an independent investigation. And after an exhaustive
investigation. And after an exhaustive review of evidence, the Danforth report
review of evidence, the Danforth report delivered clear conclusions and that was
delivered clear conclusions and that was that quote, "Government agents did not
that quote, "Government agents did not start the fire at Waco. Government
start the fire at Waco. Government agents did not shoot at the branch
agents did not shoot at the branch dividians on April 19th, 1993. There was
dividians on April 19th, 1993. There was no mass conspiracy to cover up
no mass conspiracy to cover up wrongdoing,"
wrongdoing," >> unquote. and Danforth placed the blame
>> unquote. and Danforth placed the blame for the tragedy squarely on David Caresh
for the tragedy squarely on David Caresh and certain branch devidians, stating
and certain branch devidians, stating that they quote burned down the complex
that they quote burned down the complex and shot at least 20 of their own people
and shot at least 20 of their own people >> unquote. And the report exonerated high
>> unquote. And the report exonerated high officials like Attorney General Reno and
officials like Attorney General Reno and the FBI leadership of malicious intent,
the FBI leadership of malicious intent, though it did criticize some operational
though it did criticize some operational lapses. And despite these official
lapses. And despite these official findings, a debate persists to this day.
findings, a debate persists to this day. And some believe the FBI's use of CS gas
And some believe the FBI's use of CS gas and aggressive tactics precipitated the
and aggressive tactics precipitated the disaster, but others hold that Kesh was
disaster, but others hold that Kesh was hellbent on a deadly end regardless of
hellbent on a deadly end regardless of what authorities did. But what is
what authorities did. But what is undeniable is that Waco became a symbol,
undeniable is that Waco became a symbol, a rallying cry for anti-government
a rallying cry for anti-government groups and a case study in how not to
groups and a case study in how not to handle a cult standoff. And the legacy
handle a cult standoff. And the legacy of Waco took a dark turn on April 19th
of Waco took a dark turn on April 19th of 1995, exactly 2 years after the Mount
of 1995, exactly 2 years after the Mount Carmel fire. Because that morning,
Carmel fire. Because that morning, Timothy McVey, an army veteran with
Timothy McVey, an army veteran with anti-government views, detonated a truck
anti-government views, detonated a truck bomb at the Mura Federal Building in
bomb at the Mura Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people,
Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including a daycare in the worst act of
including a daycare in the worst act of domestic terrorism in US history. And
domestic terrorism in US history. And McFay explicitly cited the Waco siege
McFay explicitly cited the Waco siege and the earlier Ruby Ridge incident,
and the earlier Ruby Ridge incident, which saw an innocent woman shot and
which saw an innocent woman shot and killed by federal agents in an 11-day
killed by federal agents in an 11-day armed standoff, as his motivation and
armed standoff, as his motivation and justification for what he did because he
justification for what he did because he saw the Waco fire as government murder
saw the Waco fire as government murder and chose April 19th as a symbolic date
and chose April 19th as a symbolic date of revenge. And thus, the Oklahoma City
of revenge. And thus, the Oklahoma City bombing was a grim fallout from Waco,
bombing was a grim fallout from Waco, demonstrating how the tragedy in Texas
demonstrating how the tragedy in Texas fueled the anger of the militia movement
fueled the anger of the militia movement and extremists who viewed the federal
and extremists who viewed the federal government as tyrannical. And in the
government as tyrannical. And in the decades after 1993, Mount Carmel became
decades after 1993, Mount Carmel became a somber memorial and a point of
a somber memorial and a point of pilgrimage for different groups. And not
pilgrimage for different groups. And not long after the siege, a few surviving
long after the siege, a few surviving Dividians and some supporters returned
Dividians and some supporters returned to the property. And in 1999, survivors
to the property. And in 1999, survivors actually built a small chapel on the
actually built a small chapel on the site to serve as a church and a memorial
site to serve as a church and a memorial to those who passed. And the names of
to those who passed. And the names of the deceased Devidians and even the
the deceased Devidians and even the names of the four ATF agents were
names of the four ATF agents were inscribed on simple memorials. And a
inscribed on simple memorials. And a chainlink fence that once surrounded the
chainlink fence that once surrounded the compound gradually filled up with
compound gradually filled up with homemade tributes, crosses, and flowers
homemade tributes, crosses, and flowers from visitors. But a handful of Branch
from visitors. But a handful of Branch Stravidian survivors continued to meet
Stravidian survivors continued to meet for Bible study and worship every
for Bible study and worship every Saturday on the grounds, keeping their
Saturday on the grounds, keeping their faith very much alive. And chief among
faith very much alive. And chief among them was Clive Doyle, an Australian-born
them was Clive Doyle, an Australian-born Devidian who had escaped the fire with
Devidian who had escaped the fire with burns on his hands. And Doyle remained
burns on his hands. And Doyle remained in Waco and became the de facto keeper
in Waco and became the de facto keeper of the Mount Carmel site and the branch
of the Mount Carmel site and the branch Devidian memory. And he steadfastly
Devidian memory. And he steadfastly believed Caresh would one day be
believed Caresh would one day be resurrected and vindicated. And for
resurrected and vindicated. And for nearly 30 years after the siege, Doyle
nearly 30 years after the siege, Doyle led quiet Sabbath services in the little
led quiet Sabbath services in the little chapel, sometimes joined by other
chapel, sometimes joined by other survivors like Sheila Martin, who lost
survivors like Sheila Martin, who lost her husband and children in the fire.
her husband and children in the fire. And in parallel, a new branch dividian
And in parallel, a new branch dividian faction, emerged, and a man named
faction, emerged, and a man named Charles Pace, who claimed to be a
Charles Pace, who claimed to be a successor to Caressia's mission, though
successor to Caressia's mission, though not a prophet himself yet, I guess,
not a prophet himself yet, I guess, moved onto Mount Carmel in the early
moved onto Mount Carmel in the early 2000s. and Pace gathered a small
2000s. and Pace gathered a small community of about a dozen people living
community of about a dozen people living in a cluster of mobile homes on the site
in a cluster of mobile homes on the site and they called their group Branch the
and they called their group Branch the Lord our righteousness. They built their
Lord our righteousness. They built their own new church on a monument at Mount
own new church on a monument at Mount Carmel. And Pace's community like
Carmel. And Pace's community like Caresh's preaches apocalyptic Adventist
Caresh's preaches apocalyptic Adventist beliefs and awaits end times. And though
beliefs and awaits end times. And though Pace distanced himself from Caresh's
Pace distanced himself from Caresh's more criminal behaviors, if you will,
more criminal behaviors, if you will, tensions sometimes arose between Pace's
tensions sometimes arose between Pace's group and Doyle's survival circle over
group and Doyle's survival circle over who represents the true branch
who represents the true branch Devidians. But both factions have the
Devidians. But both factions have the same ultimate expectation, the
same ultimate expectation, the fulfillment of endtime prophecy. And
fulfillment of endtime prophecy. And though Pace denounced Caresh overall,
though Pace denounced Caresh overall, while Doyle continued to defend Caresh's
while Doyle continued to defend Caresh's teachings and character in interviews,
teachings and character in interviews, quote, "People ask me," well, how come
quote, "People ask me," well, how come you still believe in David after all
you still believe in David after all these years? And Doyle said,
these years? And Doyle said, >> "Well, I didn't buy into David as a
>> "Well, I didn't buy into David as a person. I bought into an idea he
person. I bought into an idea he presented. I still believe in that idea,
presented. I still believe in that idea, the foundation of which is the Bible."
the foundation of which is the Bible." unquote. So Doyle remained faithful to
unquote. So Doyle remained faithful to the end. And he died in Waco in June
the end. And he died in Waco in June 2022 at the age of 81, never wavering
2022 at the age of 81, never wavering from his conviction that David Caresh
from his conviction that David Caresh was chosen by God and would rise again.
was chosen by God and would rise again. And with Doyle's passing, one of the
And with Doyle's passing, one of the last direct eyewitness voices from
last direct eyewitness voices from inside Mount Carmel fell silent. And
inside Mount Carmel fell silent. And Pace remains alive and continues to lead
Pace remains alive and continues to lead his followers today. But the tragedy
his followers today. But the tragedy that unfolded in Texas in 1993 remains
that unfolded in Texas in 1993 remains one of the most controversial and
one of the most controversial and haunting events in American history and
haunting events in American history and its lessons paid for in blood endure.
its lessons paid for in blood endure. But that is that for the deep dive on
But that is that for the deep dive on David Caresh and the Branch Devidians.
David Caresh and the Branch Devidians. It was a lot, but let me know what you
It was a lot, but let me know what you think of this whole case down in the
think of this whole case down in the comments below. We can have a discussion
comments below. We can have a discussion about it. And if you have any other
about it. And if you have any other cases you want me to dive into, let me
cases you want me to dive into, let me know down below. I always read the
know down below. I always read the comments and until then I will see your
comments and until then I will see your beautiful face and stay safe.
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