Abstract

This document will provide a critical retrospective forensic evaluation of the events that occurred between the United States Government, and the Branch Davidians of Mount Carmel, in Waco Texas, in 1993. It is through such analysis that you should gain a better understanding of this tragedy, and the lives of nearly 100 lost souls.

Introduction

It has been15 years since the 51-day standoff in Waco, Texas between the Branch Davidians of Mount Carmel and the United States Government. Yet, society has made little to no progress in understanding the complexities of this tragic event. Maybe this is because we think we need to demonize the Davidians and exonerate the United States Government, or demonize the United States Government and exonerate the Davidians. Either way our society continues to have many outstanding questions.

The fact is there are three sides to this story; the Davidians, the Governments, and the truth. Therefore, what I must do, as an independent forensic psychologist, is approach the situation with an open mind, and then realize that each party may have actually experienced the situation differently. If I do this, then maybe I will be able to weed through the over whelming mounds of opinions and evidence, and accomplish some sort of conclusion.

Case History

In 1985, Vernon Howell married Rachael Jones (14), and through contributions from the group took a trip to Israel. It was in Israel that Vernon became anointed, and began to envision himself as the modern day Cyrus (Samuelson, 1993). Upon returning to Texas, Rachael gave birth to their son Cyrus Ben-Joseph Howell, and purchased a 40-acre property in Palestine, Texas (Samuelson, 1993).
In 1986, Marc Breault, and Howell�s mother Bonnie joined the group (Samuelson, 1993). Howell made his first trip to Australia where he managed to gain acceptance from several of Ben and Lois Roden�s previous members (Samuelson, 1993), and he began practicing polygamy. It was at this time that he claimed Karen Doyle (14) as his second wife, and Michele Jones (12) his third (Samuelson, 1993).
This is the same year that George Roden, the son of Ben and Lois Roden, dug up a 25-year-old corpse, and challenged Howell to revive it. Koresh not only refused to participate in such foolishness, but he also alerted local authorities. But, they required more than the word of Koresh, which caused Koresh and his followers to formulate a plan. Then, despite warnings from the sheriff to use caution, Koresh lead several armed followers to Mt. Carmel with hope to collect photographs of a body in a casket, and leave. Things did not go as planned. Roden caught the 8 vigilantes and began to shoot at them; which lead to his being shot. After which, Jack Harwell, the sheriff of McLennan County, called Koresh to inform him and the others that they were being charged with attempted murder. He suggested that the men relinquish their weapons, and turn themselves in. To this day, records show that the Davidians were more than accommodating, and that the charges were eventually dropped after a jury ruled 9-3 in favor of the Davidians; who by the way had purchased their firearms in a completely legal manner. At this point, Howell took his rightful place as leader of the Branch Davidians. He even paid 16 years worth of back taxes (Samuelson, 1993).
In 1989, Nicole Gent left for Australia to have her baby. Hostility between Howell and Breault began. Breault�s wife Elizabeth returned to Australia as Breault waited for a visa that would allow him to join her. During this time, Breault attempted to reconcile with Howell and while it worked for a time, it was never the same. Therefore, Marc Breault left Mount Carmel, never to return (Samuelson, 1993). Basically, from that point on the two men became opposing forces over a battle concerning the Davidians in Australia; most left Howell (Samuelson, 1993).
In 1990, Vernon Howell legally became David (King David) Koresh (Hebrew for Cyrus). Koresh tried to establish a branch of his sect in Israel that year, and his attempts failed. Unfortunately, this would not be the best that the year had to offer; especially since Robyn Bunds broke away from the sect, and three warrants, for statutory rape, were issued against him (Samuelson, 1993). Obviously, things looked dim, and it was not about to get better anytime soon. To say the least eight Australians alleged that: Koresh was guilty of child abuse, including statutory rape, food and water deprivation, neglecting education, and exposing children to explicit episodes of sex and violence. They said that they feared that he would eventually engage in child sacrifice if something were not done to prevent it. During this time, they also accused Koresh of assault with a deadly weapon, tax fraud, failure to register the births of his children, possessing and carrying concealed weapons, and massive immigration violations. All of which would play into his plan to enrage authorities into an apocalyptic gun battle (Samuelson, 1993).
Joyce Sparks of the Texas Department of Human Services in Waco made unannounced visits to Mont Carmel, and her investigations came up empty handed. (Samuelson, 1993) allegations of weaponry, were declared false when The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT) checked local gun store records and found everything to be in order. Koresh offered to allow the ATF to inspect his guns, but they declined. Obviously, they did not feel the need (Samuelson, 1993). Then again, maybe they were more interested in snooping than they were checking the guns in the first place, for two undercover agents rented a house that sat about 300 yards away from the Davidians (Samuelson, 1993).
The Dallas Morning News obtained an FBI memo. It stated that no information had been found to verify Michigan allegations of "child abuse and neglect, tax evasion, slavery and reports of possible mass destruction." (Samuelson, 1993). In addition, �in January 1993, CS Gas was banned at the Chemical Weapons Convention in Paris (Samuelson, 1993).�
On February 25, 1993, Agent Aguilera's submitted an affidavit that became U. S. Magistrate Greene�s sole reason for issuing a warrant (Samuelson, 1993). The ATF then sidestep local authorities. They called the impending raid "Operation Trojan Horse" (Samuelson, 1993), which at first consisted of a plan to bait Koresh away from the Davidian complex in order to avoid involving innocent women and children. However, when the element of surprise became lost, they changed their minds and chose to act immediately (Samuelson, 1993). Interestingly enough they had already told the media to prepare for a big blow out (Samuelson, 1993).
On February 27, 1993, articles concerning the Branch Davidians �cult� appeared in the Waco Tribune-Herald. However, the ATF was not pleased with such reports, and so they privately criticized the Waco paper for such publication (Samuelson, 1993).
Feb 28, 1993, One hundred AFT agents were deployed and arrive at The Branch Dravidian�s home/church in Mount Carmel, Waco Texas with a mission to serve a warrant on David Koresh. While attempting to serve this warrant, a gun battle began, which ultimately resulted in the death of 4 ATF agents and 6 Branch Davidians. With only 40 rounds of ammunition left, the AFT began to retreat and made a request for the FBI hostage Rescue Team to provide assistance. In return, FBI SWAT was deployed, and communication between the two began. At first, Koresh agreed to release women and children if the FBI would allow him to broadcast a national message. The FBI agreed (Dennis, 1993).

Feb 29, 1993 Matteson and Lawson left the Davidians with 4 children. These women were then arrested and charged for conspiracy to murder. While charges, which were later dropped, the women were still held as material witnesses. Then, on this day against recommendations by negotiators and behavioral specialists, military vehicles were deployed to the estate (Dennis, 1993).
March 5, 1993, Koresh requests suture kit, 6 gallons of milk, and a video of the previously released children. These requests were granted. He also requested to be allowed to remove Peter Gent�s body, which was also granted. Lastly, Koresh requested a direct line to the media and for the military equipment to be removed. These requests were denied (Dennis, 1993).
March 8, 1993 The Davidians continue to request a line to the media, three Davidians are permitted to bury Peter Gent�s body in a shallow grave in the front yard, and Koresh sends out money so that agents can purchase 6 more gallons of milk. At this point, a videotape of the children was released for publication, however the FBI chose to suppress the tape in fear that such a release would create a sympathy bond between the viewers and Koresh (Dennis, 1993).
March 9, 1993, Agents cut off and on power to the �Home� several times. The Davidians hang a sheet out the window with the words, �GOD HELP US WE WANT PRESS.� (Dennis, 1993)
March 10, 1993, the power again is turned off and on as the FBI begins to �clear� the grounds; while destroying Davidians property in the process (Dennis, 1993).
March 12, 1993, Kathy Schroeder leaves so that she can be with her children. Once out, she calls back in. 6 more gallons of milk are delivered, and against negotiators, advice the power is cut off again (Dennis, 1993).
March 14, 1993, Gyarfas and Schroeder both are permitted to call the compound. They assured the Davidians that they were being treated well and that they had access to telephones and the press (Dennis, 1993).
March 16, 1993, Koresh requests a copy of the Feb. 28, 1993 warrant, but doesn�t receive this copy until Feb. 19 (Dennis, 1993)
March 17, 1993, Agents send in a video of the �released� members (Dennis, 1993).
March 18-19, 1993 FBI continues to cause property damage as they bulldozed around the property. Koresh pleaded with them to stop (Dennis, 1993).
March 20-21, 1993, Victoria Hollingsworth, Annetta Richard, Rita Riddle, Sheila Martin, and Ofelia Santoyo leave (Dennis, 1993).
March 22, 1993, FBI continues clearing out property against negotiators advice (Dennis, 1993).
March 23, 1993, Livingstone Fagan leaves and supposedly refuses to call back to the home (Dennis, 1993).
March 24, 1993, Louis Alaniz, a non-Davidian, managed to bypass authorities and break into the home (Dennis, 1993).
March 24, 1993, The Davidians complain about destruction to children�s motorcycles and the fact that bibles were being taken away from the individuals who had left. When further negotiations failed, the FBI resumed destructive measures and decided to refuse to allow anyone to exit the home to care for their animals (Dennis, 1993).
March 26, 1993 Jesse Amen breaks passed the agents and enters the building and Davidians hang another sheet out the window. It read �TANK BROKE THE PHONE LINE.� (Dennis, 1993)
March 27, 1993 Kathy Schroeder was charged with conspiracy to murder. Again, negotiations failed and FBI retaliated by bulldozing the fence in front of the home. They were however kind enough to deliver 6 more gallons of milk.
Over the next few days several people attempted to exit the building, but were flashed banged by the FBI agents (Dennis, 1993).
April 9, 1993 Davidians complain that tanks were unnecessarily running back and forth over Gents grave, and that agents were engaging in derogatory actions. They stated that agents were �flipping the finger�, and �mooning� the Davidians women if they peered out their windows. They also complained of being flash banged for coming out (Dennis, 1993).
April 10, 1993, Agents install razor wire around the perimeter (Dennis, 1993).
April 14, 1993, Koresh agrees to surrender if permitted to write the 7 seals. He estimates that it would take about 14 days. Negotiators agree and tell him to take his time (Dennis, 1993).
April 16, 1993, Koresh has finished the 1^st seal and continues working on the 2^nd(Dennis, 1993).
April 17, 1993, Louis Alaniz leaves the Davidians. Janet Reno plans to gas (Dennis, 1993).
April 18, 1993, Reno�s plan is sent to President Clinton. Koresh�s prize car is removed, and typing supplies are delivered (Dennis, 1993).
April 19, 1993, FBI announces that they are about to unleash non-lethal gas into the compound. Davidians open fire against the gas filled vehicles. By noon, fire erupts from three separate locations of the Davidians home. 9 Davidians manage to escape, and 82 individuals (including 21 children.) parish in the flames (Dennis, 1993).
From this point on, everything turns chaotic as the Government demonized the Davidians and the Davidians demonize the Government.

Psychological analysis.

�The Davidians�

By examining the �facts�, it becomes easy for me to understand why the United States Government believed that the events of 1993 were a direct effect of the Branch Davidian �cult�s� own doing. On the other hand, these same facts also explain how the Branch Davidians could be so terrified of authorities that they would died defending their beliefs. For instance, lets examine David Koresh and his fellowship.

From the moment the situation at Waco became public, Government officials used the media to create an illusion of David Koresh and his followers that could not have been farther from the truth. The government used criteria from a warrant obtained by the ATF to publicly accuse the Davidians of stockpiling illegal firearms, drug production, and bogus child abuse allegations (Gazecki, 1997 & Committee, 1996). They also made a mockery of the group�s apocalyptic, and polygamy beliefs, which helped to gain support from not only government officials like Attorney General Janet Reno, and president Bill Clinton, but also the public in general for their initiative (Committee, 1997). In other words, they wanted viewers to believe that this man had become so committed to his own apocalyptic prophecy that he was not only willing face execution, but was also willing to allow his followers to martyr themselves as well. This in hindsight meant that the Government agents could use unnecessary force against innocent people, without backlash for their actions. Of course, before they could act out their sadistic plan, they had to force society to believe that this group was �brainwashed� enough that they no longer cared about anything else; including their children. Unfortunately, none of the above allegation was true.

The fact is the officials in charge knew very little about Koresh, and the Davidians. Therefore, they did what seemed only logical. They compared David Koresh to a variety of other �cult� leaders and stand off cases that had previously made negative impacts on society, and this use of ethnocentrisms became the first of many mistakes (Committee, 1997).

This is why I feel it is important to analyze Koresh and his people without bias. This does not mean you cannot evaluate his life, and his personality, or that you cannot compare him to other seductive leaders. What it means is that you must also evaluate religious �cults� as a whole, and make room for the theory that the United States Government was in the wrong and violated these individual�s Constitutional rights; which is impossible to do with out examining the real meaning of the word cult.

The title �cult� is a derogatory term. In fact, the word �cult� could be used to describe any organized religion (Watters, 2009), because cults carry certain characteristics that most organized religions have. For instance, cults have a leader who recruits his or her supporters by misleading them, and then robs them of their own individual identities (Viswanathan, 2007); a technique that experts call �thought reform�. In general, thought reform includes two steps. First, the leader must break down the individuals current belief system (Viswanathan, 2007). Second, they must reeducate the individual so that they become a new person (Viswanathan, 2007). An example of this process can be witnessed on any given day as Christian fellowships seek out and recruit �sinners� in order to save them from enduring an afterlife in Hell (Viswanathan, 2007). This, by the way, in most cases is nothing short of a believer shoving biblical emotional baggage on to the shoulders of a non-believer, until they accept the message that is being taught; thus being something that Koresh did not do.

Actually, David Koresh was quite open with his teachings, sure, he held strong beliefs and taught those beliefs; but he never really manipulated anyone. He was even known in universities nationwide. Therefore, it is logical to say that the Davidians were not brainwashed. They had pre-developed thoughts, feelings, and bonds of their own, and when they chose to join David�s group they did so willingly, because they felt they had finally found a �home� and a leader who could and would guide them in the direction that �THEY� wanted to go (Branch Davidians, 1993). Simply put, these people were just like most Americans. They read their bibles, listened to a teacher�s interpretations, and either accepted it as truth or they did not. That means that this acceptance was the result of reasoning, not a result of Koresh�s malfunctioning personality. Therefore, it becomes easy to see that unlike the �People of Jonestown,� these people were not hostages in fear for their lives or being held against their will (Branch Davidians, 1993). They were free to leave at any given time (Branch Davidians, 1993, Samuelson, 1993 & Dennis, 1993). (Special note: in order to say that Koresh used psychological religious manipulation methods to control his fellowship, you must realize that all religious leaders participate and use some type of these same actions) Of course, that means that the Government deceived us. Right? Well, even this interpretation is risky.

However, such an inconsistency will definitely place a barrier in the decision making process when it comes down to deciding who made the most makes. Therefore, in order to continue, I felt the need to look at this group as individuals. Were they a group of psychotics who abused each other and the children, or were they law-biding citizens who had simply decided to live a life style that was deviant to �American� culture?

Despite popular belief, the fact is that further investigation suggests that the Davidians in general, were law-biding individuals (Samuelson, 1993). They never even tried to evade authority figures. For that matter, in the past, this group had cooperated fully with both McClennan County Sheriff Jack Harwell, and Joyce Sparks of the Texas Department of Human Services, and in every investigation, the allegations were unsubstantiated (Samuelson, 1993). This is including an investigation where the Davidians� firearms were removed, inspected, and returned (Samuelson, 1993). These details suggest that the AFT overstepped its boundaries before even setting one foot onto the Davidians property. So let us move on to the events of February 28, 1993, and the ATF�s malicious way of issuing a warrant.

�February 28, 1993�

As seen in the case history, the ATF were well aware of the �family� atmosphere within the Davidians� home, and that the �family� consisted of approximately one-hundred men, women and children. This in and of it�s self should have forced the agents to use caution (Committee, 1996), but it did not. Instead, the AFT deployed one hundred armed, �military trained� agents to the Branch Dravidian home, where they stormed the scene (Committee, 1996). [Please note that the military training they were not entitled to because the ATF made false allegations that the Davidians were involved in drug manufacturing procedures, a charge that was never verified (Committee, 1997).] Such acts caused the Davidians to retaliate, which may or may not have caused the death of 4 ATF agents.

I say may or may not have because after reviewing post-released film of the event, I personally see evidence that is contractive to these allegations (Gazecki, 1997). In fact, these videos clearly show that one ATF agent shot his self in the leg while climbing the ladder, and then after three other agents blasted their way through a window, he opened fire into the same window. [Special note: the majority of the holes seen in the home were produced by outside weapons. (Gazecki, 1997)] Therefore, the four deceased agents could have been the result of ATF activity, instead of what was perceived as Davidian rage. Not to mention the Davidians were less than anxious to continue firing, once ATF agents began to retreat; along with their willingness to allow agents to retrieve their deceased agents from within the home. [Special note: While the ATF had somewhere around 40 rounds of ammunition left, the Davidians had enough to eliminate the remaining agents had they have chosen to (Committee, 1997).]

However, the agents were not as kind, for they allowed Mike Schroeder, a Branch Davidian whose only desire was to get home to his wife and children, but was shot with 9 rounds. Then left to hang on a fence (like a trophy) by ATF and FBI agents for several days; despite the fact that the man�s wife and children could see him from near by windows (Thompson, 1993). [Special note: When the FBI finally did remove Schroeder�s body, they used a grappling hook, and deposited it in a nearby field where wild dogs feasted on the carnage until it was destroyed (Thompson-2, 1993).]

�The Stand-Off�

Once the ATF massacred Mike Schroeder and five others, and then tucked their tail to retreat, the negations process was handed over to the FBI (Dennis, 1993). This is about the time that things became even more controversial, because those inside the �compound� were faced with extremely rough decisions. They could come out and face the agents, who had played judge, jury and executioner or they could remain inside and wait for a sign from God. They decided to wait for God.

Over the first week, early negotiations brought reasonable results. 21 children and two elderly women exited the building. However negotiation efforts were sabotaged by the less than professional way that the FBI continuously over rode the negotiator. The fact is, I cannot say that the Davidians were completely innocent, because they did refuse to come out. However, I can state that the Government officials made such a plan less than inviting. You see, despite recommendations from behavioral specialists, the agencies used a variety of abusive, barbaric tactics. They continuously turned on and off the power supply to the home (Dennis, 1993 & Committee, 1997). They ran over and destroyed the Davidians� property, and Peter Gent�s grave with tanks (Dennis, 1993). They used psychological warfare methods, such as floodlights through windows, blasting repetitive irritating music, and the sounds of rabbits being slaughtered from loud speakers (Dennis, 1993 & Committee, 1997). They refused to allow the Davidians to contact the media (Dennis, 1993 & Committee, 1997). They flash banged anyone who exited (Dennis, 1993 & Committee, 1997). Then, as if that was not bad enough, the agents flipped them off and dropped their pants to shine their backside at the women if they peeked out of the windows (Dennis, 1993). If you ask me, I believe that any normal person would chose to hide in the safety of his or her own home over facing a corrupt mob of government officials such as this.

Then again, as stated before several did eventually decide to leave the building. Lucky for them, there were agents ready to ship them off for interrogations, and then place them in holding just incase they could be used as material witnesses, which was nothing short of false imprisonment (Dennis, 1993). After all, the original search warrant was for David Koresh, and the rights to search for illegal firearms, not to capture, incarcerate, and interrogate innocent people (Committee, 1993). Right?

Basically, the entire 51-day siege was a torturous event, and just when the Davidians thought they might escape, the government changes the rules again. David Koresh had negotiated a deal with the FBI negotiator that if he were permitted to follow �God�s� will and write out his interpretation of the 7 Seals, then he would willingly walk out with his people. However, before he could even finish the second Seal, President Clinton, Attorney General Janet Reno, and the FBI decided to use tanks to bust holes in the Davidians home, and use CS gas against them. This cruel and unnecessary procedure would place in action a chain of events that would set fire to the Davidians home, send 9 Davidians to prison, and cause the agonizing deaths of 82 others, of which 21 were innocent babies.

�The Cover Up�

After the smoke cleared, many interesting things happen. Videotapes became lost (Committee, 1997). The FBI refused to allow anyone other those networking directly with the FBI to enter the scene. The bodies were poorly stored. Even scientists who had been sent to test the weapons were turned away and told that the FBI would conduct the tests. Above all, they totally demolished, and even hid all evidence that may have placed them at blame. In other words, the FBI covered their tracks and got off scott free, while the survivors of this holocaust paid for crimes that they did not commit.

Conclusion

After sifting through as much of the available �public� information as possible in the time frame allotted, it is with great concern that I must conclude that the events of Waco 1993 could have definitely been prevented. For one, the American Government and affiliates should have validated all allegations, and eliminated any and all sources that may have been invalid; such as Mr. Breault and the others in his group who had a personal grudge against the Davidians. Secondly, the agencies should have invested their time in research, so that they could gain a clear understanding of the true nature of Koresh and the Davidians before they jumped into getting the warrant. Third, the agencies should have worked on a less threatening way to enforce a warrant, such as waiting until Koresh left the home. Then again, I think everyone would have benefited if the agencies had displayed patience, and withheld their own prejudice long enough to for whatever negotiation to happen in order to ensure that innocence was not lost. Of course, we cannot turn back the hands of time, therefore the United States Government becomes ultimately responsible for the deaths of nearly a hundred individuals; including 21 innocent children and two pregnant women.

References:

Affidavit (1993). http://www.thesmokinggun.com/fall/waco1.html

Branch Davidians (1993) Branch Davidian People Hillary Clinton Killed. Retrieved on March 2, 2009

from the You tube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMIedq-RFCg&feature=PlayList&p=82A2DE6EFAE7DE72&index=28

Committee On Government Reform and Oversight (1996). Investigation Into The Activities Of The

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Toward The Branch Davidians Retrieved on Feb. 14, 2009 from the U.S. Government Printing Office website: http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3378/h.rept.104-749.pdf

Dennis, E. (1993) Evaluation of the Handling of the Branch Davidians Stand-Off In Waco Texas.

Retrieved on March 14, 2009 from the Department of Justice website: www.usdoj/05publications/wacoeval.htm

Samuelson, E. (1993) REVISED WACO CHRONOLOGY -- October 1993. Retrieved on March

16, 2009 from the scepticfiles.org website: http://www.skepticfiles.org/waco/batf.htm

Thompson, L. (1993) Waco; The Big Lie. Retrieved on March 3, 2009 from the You tube website:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iCfvhl9NXw&feature=related

Thompson, L-2 (1993). What Happen At Waco. Retrieved on March 3, 2009 from the serendipity

website: http://www.serendipity.li/waco/waco_his.html

Viswanathan, S. (2007) Cults: Dangerous Devotion. Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from youtube.com

website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHmkmRB3Ap0

Stewart, C. & Stewart, D. (2007) Waco. Retrieved on March 16, 2009 from the Encyclopedia of

Death and Dying website: http://www.deathreference.com/Vi-Z/Waco.html

Van Horn, K. (1994) Assault on Waco. Retrieved from the skepticfiles.org website:

http://www.skepticfiles.org/atheist/assaultw.htm

Watters, R. (2009). Eight Marks of a Mind-Control Cult. Retrieved on Feb 27, 2009 from the Free

Minds website: http://www.freeminds.org/psychology/mind-control/eight-marks-of-a-mind-control-cult.html

Personal Statement:

My primary reason for choosing this topic is because the case mentioned above happen right before my eyes. I still recall lying on the bed, and screaming at the television as news showed the tanks plowing their way through the walls of the Davidians home. Of course, back then at 19, I really did not understand what was happening. All I knew was that my two children were playing in the other room, while I kept hearing that the Davidian children were still inside and that the parents wouldn�t come out because they were apart of some child abusing, illegal weapon hording cult. It still feels so real to me, and this assignment gave me the chance to really dig into the past and find the answers that I have so desperately yearned for over the past 15 years. Therefore, while, I realize that this paper may spark some interesting conversation, I hope that it will also help answer someone else�s questions.

Thank You.

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