Case 339
Waco
*** Content Warning: Gun violence, sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, child abuse ***
[Part 1 of 3]
In 1981, a 20-year-old named Vernon Howell drove more than two hours from his hometown in east Texas to visit a church near Waco that was home to a group known as the Branch Davidians. Vernon would be welcomed into the church’s fold, setting off a course of events that would ultimately end in tragedy and permanently alter the United States of America.
CREDITS
EPISODE
Research & writing – Elsha McGill
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas
Audio editing – Anthony Telfer
OTHER
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS
Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas
BOOKS
Waco – Jeff Guinn
Waco: A Survivor’s Story – David Thibodeau
Why Waco? – James D. Tabor & Eugene V. Gallagher
Stalling for Time – Gary Noesner
Inside the Cult – Marc Breault & Martin King
Memories of the Branch Davidians: The autobiography of David Koresh’s mother – Bonnie Haldeman
ONLINE ARTICLES
What are the 7 Seals in Revelation? – Bibleinfo.com
Cultists believe their leader can open mysterious Seven Seals – UPI.com
David Koresh’s Seven Seals teaching – watchman.org
The Sinful Messiah – Waco Tribune-Herald
Tragedy at Waco: hungry for truth – Adventist Record
What really happened at Waco – Texas Monthly
Sacred and profane – The New Yorker
Planet Koresh: Inside the Mount Carmel compound in Waco, Texas – Literary Hub
I will give thee Madonna – London Review of Books
Former Waco cult member opens up about escaping David Koresh in new documentary – Fox News
Who was Rachel Koresh, the doomed wife of Branch Davidian leader David Koresh – All That’s Interesting
For Rachel Koresh and kin, a deadly devotion – The Washington Post
Who was David Koresh: ex-followers describe life inside apocalyptic religious sect – ABC News
Lessons from Waco: what happens to kids? – ABC News
20 Years after Waco: the standoff, the negotiations, and ill-fated plan – Police1.com
No more Wacos – Cato Institute
Mother allowed to leave cult compound – Los Angeles Times
Waco cult: How David Koresh persuaded 30 Britons to join – BBC
Officers investigate Rodenville shooting – Waco Tribune-Herald
Judge rules casket out as evidence on Roden – Waco Tribune-Herald
Mistrial declared for 1 Davidian – Waco Tribune-Herald
DOCUMENTARIES
Waco: American Apocalypse
ACADEMIC PAPERS
The Branch Davidians and the politics of power and intimidation – Lawrence J. Rifkind & Loretta F. Harper