In the summer of 2000 five people were murdered by the Helzer Brothers (Glenn and Justin) and Justin’s girlfriend, Dawn Godman. The three members named their cult The Children of Thunder and committed these murders because they believed the murders would usher in the return of Christ. The victims were 22 year old Selina Bishop, who was the daughter of the blues guitarist Elvin Bishop, Jennifer Villarin and her companion James Gamble, and a couple who have been married for 55 years, Ivan and Annette Stineman. Their bodies were cut in pieces, put in black duffle bags and thrown into Mokelumne River.
The leader of the cult was the older brother Glenn also known as Taylor. The Helzer brothers grew up in the Mormon religion and lived the life they were suppose to live by there beliefs. Then one day Taylor, Glenn, make a decision that changed his life and would eventually change his brothers and friend life forever. Taylor wanted to change his way of life, so he stopped following the Mormon ways, got divorced, started drinking, smoking and wear black clothes. Due to the way Taylor started acting he was eventually excommunicated from the Mormon Church. This was the start of Taylor forming his own beliefs system.
Taylor believed, “There was right and wrong, and good and evil.” Taylor started to believe that he was a prophet of God and could receive messages from him. He also believed these killings that he had planned were part of God’s master plan to defeat Satan. He convinced his brother, Justin, and Dawn to trust and follow his plans because God told him what to do. Justin and Dawn believed and did everything that Taylor told them because they were warned if people are not loyal to Taylor, then he would kill them.
The Helzer br...
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...d him too. God does not tell people to murder others, we suppose to love one other like we are family.
Works Cited
Demian, B. (n.d). MARTINEZ / Guilty verdict in murders of 5 / Last of 3 members of cult like group to be convicted. San Francisco Chronicle (CA).
Scheeres, J. (n.d.). Children of Thunder: The Helzer Brothers. Murderous Glenn Helzer and Justin Helzer called their cult The Children of Thunder. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.icyte.com/system/snapshots/fs1/6/2/5/c/625c8b189427717d7b803311a7d14d5fbd9c07e5/index.html
Tv. (n.d.). Children of Thunder: The Helzer Brothers. Murderous Glenn Helzer and Justin Helzer called their cult The Children of Thunder — Bags of Bodies — Crime Library on truTV.com. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/helzer_brothers/index.html
...leased from prison, Mathews continued his quest for religion by seeking Joseph Smith of the Mormon society, under the alias Joshua the Jewish Minister. The two had a heated discussion of resurrection and reincarnation. On the other hand, Matthews claimed to be both God and the reincarnation of the apostle Matthias. However Matthews his meeting with Smith was unsuccessful because both prophets believed the other was of the devil. Matthews’ s religious journey albeit chaotic and aberrant now serves as subconscious guide for how new religious movements and cults in present day America.
The satanic cult panic in part contributed to the conviction of Misskelley, Echols and Baldwin. Baldwin himself describes this assumption; “I can see where they might think I was in a cult,” he said, in that 1993 interview, “because I wear Metallica T-shirts.” (Rich, 2013). The article goes on to explain that the crime happened at the end of the five-year satanic panic period that had plagued American popular culture. These boys did not dress like other teens; they did not listen to the same music. Metal music especially music from bands like Metallica were frowned upon because of their expletive lyrics. When the public established that the boys were different from them, they developed stories that would align with their beliefs. The article establishes that after several weeks of investigation and no clear leads, “rumors of satanic involvement assumed greater urgency” (Rich, 2013) By doi...
Victor, Jeffrey S. Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Chicago: Open Court, 1993.
Perhaps the biggest factor in why these brothers murder can be attributed to the theory of Subculture of Violence. Subculture of violence states that those who are poor or less fortunate are more likely to engage in violent acts, such as murder and rape. This is attributed to their social standing, and their inability to get out of the lower social classes. The actual cause of violence in these situations is poverty and social inequality. While the brothers are not lashing out at those who are significantly richer than them, they are lashing out at those who are more powerful than them. They are also lashing out at those who make others poor and impoverished.
To understand the why these youths were killed in Alabama, one must come to understand the events that led up to their death. Birmingham, Alabama was a very unstable area during the 1960’s, and this instability stemmed from pure racial hatred brewing within this city. Bombings started as early as the 1940’s and gave a section of Birmingham the nickname dynamite alley. The resulting civil unrest caused a man to step forward to stop it, a man by the name of Fred Shuttlesworth. Mr. Shuttlesworth was a part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and he organized many events and demonstrations but the only result that came from them was more violence.
...psychological offenses, the people that belong to their cults are brainwashed into doing things they wouldn't normally do in their right state of mind. Cult leaders used various ways of molding a follower's mind and brainwashing them to do things for them. Some cult leaders used punishments as a way of breaking the follower's that were resistant to their demands. Others used and perfected the art of persuasion. Either way, the mind of their followers or 'family' are in total control of the leader.
“Five dollars dude”, a gruff sounding man says while an equally gruff looking bouncer checks over my I.D. I pull the money out of my wallet and hand it to him in exchange for a wristband, or stamp of some kind, signifying that I’ve paid and am of age. I walk into the venue; dark, noisy and crowded. The smell burns at my nostrils and my ears ring with the echoes of chants and screams. Then he appears on stage; his name: Kevin Barton; his band: Tabernacle. Like a reaper and his servants preparing you for the journey, seemingly to the gates of hell, the crowd waits with anticipation. The solemn look on all of their faces matches their attire: black shoes, black slacks, black pencil ties, and white shirts. These aren’t just any Mormons (actually none of them are) but rather masters of hardcore. What set them apart from other bands though are their unique blend of personality and character, and their ability to come together and play music.
The first five murders, later to be called the "Tate" murders, occurred in a house high above the city of Los Angeles. One victim (Steven Parent) was found in his car outside the house and he had been shot four times and stabbed once. Another two victims (Abigail Folger and Voytek Frykowski) were found on the back lawn of the Tate estate. Coroner's reports would later indicate that Abigail had been stabbed twenty-eight times and Voytek was shot twice, struck over the head thirteen times and stabbed
A cult is a structured group, most of whose members demonstrate unquestionable loyalty to a dynamic leader. The cult leader governs most, if not all, aspects of the lives o...
The breakthrough came when a young woman confessed to the crime. Susan Atkins was arrested for car theft and admitted to being a part of the group also known as “The Family”. She explained their theory that the murders were to be the first step in a global race war, which the group called HelterSkelter. It would cause the end of the world, with the Manson family emerging as leaders to the survivors. Atkins implicated several others, including, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Tex Watson. They were all white, middle class youths living like hippies in a desert near LA. They came from average American homes, and had no prior history of violence, which made the police conclude that someone else had to be in charge. Atkins told them about their leader, who they followed with unwavering devotion, and that he was the only one who knew the truth, Charles Manson who has now come to represent true evil in most people eyes.
Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).
"The darkness that had come in from the Mediterranean covered the city so detested by the procurator" (188). This "darkness," or the thunderstorms which are conjured throughout Bulgakov's mysterious and controversial novel The Master and Margarita seem to come with a reason. Each time, they bring a revelation of the capacity of certain characters and a vision of some higher power, one which may be above Woland and his multiple identities, one that may be connected with the peace-loving Yeshua and his philosophy of goodness, and more powerful than the power-hungry Pilate. They swallow everything, erase the boundaries between good and evil, rational and irrational-overall, they are a manifestation of that higher power, whatever it may be.
Castillo, Mariano, Alina Machado, Randi Kaye, Hilary Whiteman, and Josh Levs. "Oklahoma Killing May Be Gang-related." CNN. Cable News Network, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
On the evening of May 5, 1993, three boys from West Memphis, Arkansas, were last seen riding their bikes together. In the early evening, Chris Byers' stepfather, John Mark Byers, reported that his stepson had not come home and he was becoming worried. The police were also notified of two other boys who had been with Chris and were considered missing, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch. The police and the parents of the missing children searched the neighborhood unsuccessfully until 3AM the next morning. The bodies of the three eight year old boys were discovered in a wooded area in Robin Hood Hills the next day at 1:30 PM. The boys had been hog-tied and severely beaten. Their naked bodies were located in a shallow creek in an isolated patch of woods behind the Blue Beacon truck wash. However, the question that remains until this day is whether justice was served in this case. Perhaps you are not familiar with the West Memphis Three, otherwise known as the Robin Hood Hill Murders. Most people would not of heard of this case unless they were citizens of the small town; however, HBO produced a documentary, "Paradise Lost," which graphically showed this case in a different light. This Peabody Award winning documentary brought the story of this crime and its aftermath into the national spotlight in 1996. The implication it left was that satanic panic, public hysteria and media sensationalism was responsible for the convictions in the case, not solid evidence. This is a shattering account of what a fundamentalist community in the south can accomplish toward the blatant destruction of American justice.
Throughout our history, cults have become a prevalent part of our society. More and more cults are forming every day. Although not all of them are dangerous, some can perform practices that are toxic to their members. Cults use fear and control to gain more and more members. Once members join a cult, they are forced to perform the practices that the cult leaders require. It is through these practices that cult leaders convince their members to stay in the cult. Through mind control and scare tactics, cults have become a very powerful and dangerous part of our society.