TRUTH AND LIES: WACO (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news documentaries exploring complex and controversial true stories. This episode examines the 1993 siege at the Mount Carmel compound, home to the Branch Davidian cult and their sinister leader David Koresh, in Waco, Texas. Koresh, born Vernon Wayne Howell in 1959 to teenager Bonnie Clark, was an unimpressive student, but soon displayed a flair for religion as he memorized the Bible, later proclaiming himself "chosen" by God. After attempting a music career, Koresh became a leader in the Branch Davidian sect, a doomsday offshoot of the Seventh-Day Adventist church, and the "self-proclaimed Messiah" drew followers with his grim proclamations about ultimate truth. Branch Davidians adhered to strict isolationist rules regarding behavior, attire, food and drink, and Koresh exerted "absolutely authority," imposing corporal punishments for disobedience. With the country still reeling from the 1992 siege at Ruby Ridge, at which two civilians and one U.S. Marshal were killed, the Davidians settled on a remote 77-acre compound known as the Mount Carmel Center, with the men and women housed separately. Kiri Jewell recalls how Koresh wielded control over his followers to "fill the gaps in his life," eventually taking her mother Sherri and many other women – and underage girls – as his "wives." Defining himself as a "sinful Messiah," Koresh coerced the women and girls into sexual relationships, promising that they would "have God's children," and Kiri struggles to explain how her mother could have willingly surrendered her teenage daughter to his demands.
Koresh also aimed to militarize the group with a wide array of firearms, consistently stoking their fears of the government and of a forthcoming apocalypse. His actions eventually attracted the attention of the ATF, who staked out the compound for "Operation Trojan Horse," though several agents denounce the "ridiculously stupid plan," pointing out that they were severely outgunned by the paranoid Davidians. They placed three middle-aged agents across the street as "students" and sent Robert Rodriguez in to infiltrate the group, but Koresh soon learned of the ATF's plan to storm the compound and confronted Rodriguez directly. Rodriguez's warnings to the agents that Koresh knew of their impending arrival were ignored, with the result that the agents "walked into an ambush." David Thibobeau and several other Davidian survivors describe the experience of the firefight, though no one is certain who fired first, and chaos quickly broke out as the Davidians returned heavy fire. Wayne Martin called 911 and spoke to Lt. Larry Lynch, who urged the group to stop firing, and Lynch spoke directly to Koresh, who seemed emotionless as he described his own allegedly fatal injuries and blamed the government for starting the conflict.
The ATF, expecting a simple and successful raid, was stunned to lose four agents within minutes, and a tentative ceasefire was called. Reporter Mary Garofalo explains that she arrived at Mount Carmel assuming that the siege would end within hours and instead remained in Waco for 51 long days, and journalist Terry Moran recalls how the sensational media coverage of the bizarre story only fed into Koresh's narcissistic love of attention. Koresh spoke directly to several news outlets, prompting questions of why he had not been arrested long ago, and public opinion was divided over the government's arguably invasive actions into private citizens' lives. The negotiators pleaded with Koresh to consider releasing the children, and follower Kathy Schroeder explains that while she was ready to die for Koresh's "cause," she was reluctant to sacrifice her own children. Joann Vaega emotionally describes how her mother Margarida, another Koresh "wife," urged her to leave and join her half-sister Ursula Gehrmann on the outside, aware that she herself would likely die.
Thibobeau describes the unpleasant conditions within the compound, including the carefully rationed food and water, as the siege stretched out over several weeks. Attempting to establish trust, the ATF requested video footage of the Carmel inhabitants, and the tapes showed clearly frightened children beside their defiant parents, who asserted that they were remaining by Koresh's side by choice. The agents returned videos of themselves discussing their own kids, hoping to emphasize their humanity, and Koresh agreed to surrender if allowed to broadcast his sermons on the radio – but then reneged on the deal and remained inside. The negotiation team, "terribly embarrassed" by their ongoing failures, used bright lights and deafening music in an attempt to drive the Davidians out, and they also attempted to "turn" Koresh's second-in-command, Steve Schneider, who seemed to be conflicted about sharing his wife with Koresh. After nearly two months, national attention had waned and the government resolved to oust Koresh and end the siege once and for all. On April 19, Day 51, the ATF barreled into the compound with a tank and used tear gas on the inhabitants, and a fire soon broke out and quickly spread, thanks to the high winds. Moran explains that recordings from inside the compound strongly suggest that Koresh himself set the fire, which with survivor David Bunds agrees, and follower Byron Sage can be heard on the tapes pleading with Koresh to lead his people, or at least the children, to safety.
In the end, however, 78 people died at Mount Carmel, including Koresh, who was likely shot by Schneider. The shocking event became a national "touchstone" and lead to a Congressional investigation of the ATF's actions, with heavy debate about the origins of the fire and the true culpability for the deaths. The event directly galvanized various unbalanced extremists, including Alex Jones and Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, though the agents state that such atrocities could have been prevented had they been allowed to be more publicly "candid" about the specific events at Mount Carmel. The destroyed "church" was eventually rebuilt as a show of defiance to the government, and current-day Branch Davidians opine that it was "God's will" for the 78 to die. Vaega states that she places blame for her mother's death on both sides, and Clark maintains her belief in her son's divinity and the righteousness of his actions. Schroeder, whose husband Mike was killed in the raid, ascertains that Koresh will "return" someday to resume leadership of his followers. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:59:43
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 131878
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Education/Information; Cults; Texas
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2017-
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CREDITS
- Muriel Pearson … Executive Producer, Writer
- Emily Stanitz … Coordinating Producer
- David Sloan … Senior Executive Producer
- Carrie Cook … Senior Producer
- Terri Lichstein … Senior Broadcast Producer
- Spencer Wilking … Producer
- Alison Lynn … Producer, Writer
- Taryn Hartman … Associate Producer
- Meghan Moore … Associate Producer
- Tami Sheheri … Associate Producer
- Sunny Antrim … Field Producer
- Keturah Gray … Field Producer
- Elissa Stohler … Field Producer
- Kim Powers … Writer
- Kiri Jewell … Interviewee
- Joann Vaega … Interviewee
- Bonnie Clark … Interviewee
- Mary Garofalo … Interviewee
- Ursula Gehrmann … Interviewee
- Larry Lynch … Interviewee
- Terry Moran … Interviewee
- David Thibobeau … Interviewee
- Kathy Schroeder … Interviewee
- David Bunds … Interviewee
- Mike Hanson … Interviewee
- David Koresh (see also: Vernon Wayne Howell)
- Margarida Vaega
- Robert Rodriguez
- Steve Schneider
- Wayne Martin
- Timothy McVeigh
- Sherri Jewell
- Byron Sage