David Koresh
| David Koresh | |
|---|---|
Koresh in 1987
|
|
| Born |
Vernon Wayne Howell August 17, 1959 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 19, 1993 (aged 33) Mount Carmel Center McLennan County, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot |
| Body discovered |
Branch Davidian ranch McLennan County, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Memorial Park Cemetery 32°21′23″N 95°22′03″W / 32.35640°N 95.36750°W |
| Residence | Elk, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Religious leader of Branch Davidians |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse(s) | Rachel Jones |
| Children |
and 12 others |
| Parent(s) |
|
and 12 others
David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was the American leader of the Branch Davidians religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet.
Coming from a dysfunctional family background, Koresh claimed to be a Christian in the Seventh-day Adventist Church before joining a splinter group, based at the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas, which took the name "Branch Davidians." Here he competed for dominance with another leader named George Roden, until Roden was jailed for murdering another rival. Koresh was then accused of statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl, apparently with her parents’ consent, a relationship that he sanctified as a ‘spiritual marriage’.
The serving of arrest and search warrants by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) as part of an investigation into illegal possession of firearms and explosives provoked the historic 1993 raid on the center. Four ATF agents and six Davidians were killed during the initial two-hour firefight, both sides claiming the other side fired first. The subsequent siege by the FBI ended with the burning of the center, where Koresh and 79 others were found dead after the fire.
Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell on August 17, 1959 in Houston, Texas, to a 14-year-old single mother, Bonnie Sue Clark (September 8, 1944 – January 23, 2009). His father was Bobby Wayne Howell (August 3, 1939 – July 16, 2008). Before Koresh was born, his father met another teenage girl and abandoned Bonnie Sue. Koresh never met his father, and his mother began cohabitating with a violent alcoholic.
In 1963, Koresh's mother left her boyfriend and placed her 4-year-old son in the care of his maternal grandmother, Earline Clark. His mother returned when he was seven, after her marriage to a carpenter named Roy Haldeman. Haldeman and Clark had a son together named Roger, who was born in 1966. Koresh described his early childhood as lonely, and it has been alleged that he was once gang-raped by older boys when he was 8 years old. Due to his poor study skills and dyslexia, he was put in special education classes and nicknamed "Vernie" by his fellow students. Koresh dropped out of Garland High School in his junior year.
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