April 19, 2009THE 16TH ANNUAL MEMORIAL SERVICE
WILL BE HELD IN WACO ON APRIL 19TH (SUNDAY)
In the Conference Room at
COUNTRY INN & SUITES
1502 N. INTERSTATE 35
WACO, TEXAS
11 A.M. TO 2 P.M.
Eating arrangements will be determined on the 19th as there is no restaurant attached to the Hotel.
We
look forward to seeing you all on the 19th. If you have any questions
please address them to Clive Doyle at [removed for privacy].
(( For more information, you may contact Clive Doyle directly, or you may call the webmaster of this site at 254.230.1149 ))==================================================
Waco Tragedy News
(2/28/93)
A
Please take the time to visit the Mt. Carmel discussion board to view Waco: A New Revelation
which is posted there online in approximately 10 minute segments. Feel free to explore the website
and sign up to participate in the discussions as well.
http://members5.boardhost.com/mtcarmel/
I am having my children sit and watch this with me tonight so they too will never forget what happened
there. Even though they werent born yet when it happened, they know more about Waco than the average
Joe. Its so important the younger generations are taught to find truth for themselves.
Please say a small prayer for those who were lost today... may they never be forgotten.
ATF Agents:
Robert Williams, 26
Conway LeBleu, 30
Steve Willis, 32
Todd McKeehan, 28
Winston Blake 28
Peter Gent 24 white
Peter Hipsman 28
Perry Jones 64
Michael Schroeder 29
Jaydean Wendell 34
Waco Tragedy News
(2/28/93)
B
On This Day: Feds Raid Waco Compound
On Feb. 28, 1993, federal agents tried
to arrest David Koresh at his Waco, Texas, compound. A gunfight ensued,
killing 10 and beginning a 51-day standoff.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/Feb/On-this-Day--Federal-Agents-Raid-Davidian-Compound-in-Waco-.html
At 9:30 a.m., over 70 U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents approached the headquarters of the
Branch Davidians, an apocalyptic sect of the Seventh-Day Adventist
Church.
The agents, responding to
reports of stockpiled weapons and child abuse,
had planned the raid for eight months and hoped to "protect the
children, neutralize the military force, and seize the arms," PBS says.
Koresh refused to=2
0surrender and a shootout erupted, leaving four ATF agents and six Davidians dead. The debate continues about
who fired the first shot.
Over the next 50 days, Koresh negotiated by telephone with agents
seeking the group’s voluntary surrender. Armored vehicles surrounded
the headquarters. Most residents stayed inside, although 10 children
were released to safety.
As the siege wore on, some agents argued for the use of force, but
negotiators persisted and even “argued the Bible with Koresh,”
according to the Crime Library Web site.
By mid April, authorities decided negotiations were futile, and newly
appointed Attorney General Janet Reno approved the use of tear gas to
flush out the compound's occupants.
On April 19, vehicles with spray booms pumped tear gas into the
building, and agents fired pyrotechnic tear gas rounds at a nearby
tornado shelter. Gunshots broke out and a fire started, engulfing the
building. Seventy-five people, including Koresh and 21 children, died.
The tragedy sparked
a20heated public discussion
about whether the violence could have been avoided. In 2000, a Texas
court ruled that the agents were not responsible for the deaths, ending
a lawsuit brought by a surviving member of the Davidian sect and the
families of the deceased.
Steve Higgins, the former director of the
ATF, defended the actions of his agency in a July 1995 op-ed published
in The Washington Post. Higgins stressed
the need for intervention,
and the potential danger posed by Koresh’s stockpile of weapons. Citing
Jonestown and other cult suicides, Higgins went on to say, “The day has
long passed when we can afford to ignore the threat posed by
individuals who believe they are subject only to the laws of their god
and not those of our government.”
An essay on the CATO Institute’s Web site from Sept
.. 8, 1999,
criticizes the investigation
and the aftermath of the Waco siege: “Although the president shed
crocodile tears over the 12 children at Columbine High School and now
seeks partisan advantage by pushing for federal laws that could not
possibly have prevented Columbine, he and his administration remain
coldly indifferent to the 26 children at Waco.” According to David
Kopel and Paul Blackman, the true events of the siege are shrouded by
lies. They call for an outside investigation free from FBI influence.
In a Feb. 28, 2007, Huffington Post blog entry called “
What Really Happened at Waco,”
Texas reporter James Moore writes about his and television photographer
Jim Peeler's firsthand experiences covering the Waco siege. Following
the incident, certain news stations blamed TV crews, including Peeler,
for “hanging out of the trees” and “tipping the Branch Davidians.” But
according to Moore, the photographers “were innocent of doing anything
other than acting with great courage to=2
0report on a story of profound national importance.”
An August 1997
New York Times film review
analyzes the documentary, ''Waco: The Rules of Engagement,” produced by
PBS four years after the incident. The documentary presented some new,
controversial information, including the implication that federal
agents fired on Branch Davidians while the fire was burning. Reflecting
the ongoing debate about the Waco incident, the review says, “In any
event, many [of the film’s viewers] seemed to come out as baffled as
they were when they went in.”
The documentary, “
Waco: The Rules of Engagement,E2 is available at the Dulcinea Media Store.
Waco Tragedy News
(1-23-09)
It's with a very
heavy heart that I bring you news of Bonnie's passing today. For those
of you not familiar with her name, she was David Koreshs' Mother. Not a
kinder, gentler woman can be found. I will truly miss her with all my
heart. The details of her death have not become public as of yet, so I
hesitate to bring you anything further at this time. I can say it is a
complete tragedy beyond comprehension. Please say prayers for her
remaining family members and friends... they need them.
Sharlene Shappart
WacoTragedyNews
Waco Tragedy News
(1-24-09)
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_story_024140715.html?keyword=topstory
Mother of Branch Davidian's Koresh found murdered in Chandler
By Rich Flowers, Athens Review
A
54-year-old Chandler woman is in the Henderson County Jail charged with
the fatal stabbing of her sister, the mother of infamous Branch
Davidian leader David Koresh.
Beverly Clark, 54, of Chandler
was booked into the Henderson County Jail Friday in connection to the
death of Bonnie Clark Halderman, 60. Clark, charged with murder,
remained in jail Saturday. Bond had not been set.
Henderso n
County Sheriff Ray Nutt said dispatchers received a call concerning the
incident around 1 p.m. Friday. At 1:15 p.m., Investigator Wick Gabbard
and Henderson County Pct. 3 Constable David Grubbs arrived at Clark’s
residence on FM 3079 near Chandler. The officers found Clark still
present, as well as a knife they believe was used in the killing.
“We
were told Halderman had gone to her sister’s house to take her to the
doctor,” Nutt said. “What took place between the time she got there and
her death is still under investigation.”
Gabbard is the lead investigator in the case.
Halderman’s body was sent to Southwest Medical Center in Dallas for autopsy.
Halderman’s
son, David Koresh, died on April 19, 1993, along with 75 others inside
the Branch Davidian compound near Waco during a standoff with federal
agents. Koresh told his followers he was a prophet and the head of the
Biblical House of David. The standoff, and subsequent fire that killed
most inside the Davidian compound, gained national attention. There
remains dispute whether the fire was started from inside the compound
by branch members or by federal agents.
In 2007, Halderman’s
autobiography was published under the title “Memories of the Branch
Davidians.” The book was compiled from Halderman’s oral account of her
life and her recollections about Koresh.
----------------
Rest in peace Bonnie... you will be missed. Love you!
Sharlene
Original notice on site entrance:
As you are probably already aware, Bonnie Haldeman (David Koresh's
mother) was killed on Friday, January 23, 2009, apparently by her
mentally ill sister.
Services are to be held in Chandler:
Chandler Memorial Funeral Home
205 Broad Street
Chandler, TX 75758
Viewing 6pm - 8pm
Monday, January 26
Funeral Service 2pm
Tuesday, January 27
A procession to the gravesite in Tyler will follow the service on Tuesday.
If you are coming in from out of town, please be aware that there are
no hotels in Chandler as it is a very small town. You will probably
wish to make arrangements to stay in Tyler.
If you need more information, call Wendi @ [deleted]
Waco Tragedy News
(12/28/08)
Jaime
Castillo, a Santa Clarita resident who belonged to David Koresh's
Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas, and was among nine survivors of
the 1993 federal raid on the cult compound, has died.
Castillo,
40, lived and worked in Santa Clarita for the past two years after
serving 13 years in prison on charges related to the standoff. He died
of hepatitis C and liver failure at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in
Sylmar on Friday, according to friends and family.
Castillo
was a young aspiring musician in the San Gabriel Valley in the late
1980s when he answered a local ad for a band seeking a drummer. The ad
had been placed by Koresh, who was later to become leader of the cult
that engaged federal agents in a 51-day standoff.
"Jaime liked
rock and roll, and Koresh had a rock and roll band," said Ernie
Rodriquez, a friend of Castillo since childhood. "At first, it was just
all about music. He really didn't even know David Koresh's background."
"But over time, Koresh started preaching to him. And Jamie just got sucked into the religious aspect."
At
the time, Rodriquez said, Koresh's influence seemed to be a positive
one, as Castillo stopped drinking alcohol and began jogging and other
activities to improve himself.
According to news reports, Koresh
at one time tried to establish a music career in Hollywood during the
1980s, even as he became more involved in the Branch Davidian church.
He
later moved to Texas with band members and followers and eventually
took control of the church after an internal power struggle.
The
standoff began in February 1993 after federal agents attempted to serve
a search warrant based on tips about stockpiling of weapons at the
compound. Four agents and six Davidians died when gunfire was exchanged
during the raid.
A subsequent FBI siege ended on April 19
when agents assaulted the compound with tanks and tear gas. The battle
and ensuing fire resulted in the deaths of 76 people, including Koresh
and 21 children.
Attorney General Janet Reno faced heavy
criticism for authorizing the assault, although federal agents said
they were concerned for the safety of the children inside and the
possibility Koresh would lead his followers to a mass suicide.
Survivors
of the sect, including Castillo, were later placed on trial for weapons
charges and voluntary manslaughter. His initial prison sentence was for
40 years, but the U.S. Supreme Court later reduced it and Castillo was
freed on parole in 2006.
"He always maintained his
innocence," Rodriquez said. "After he got out, he always said `I didn't
do what they accused me of.' He told me the most he should've been
convicted of is for resisting arrest."
Even after prison, Castillo remained a friendly, likable guy who still loved music, friends and family said.
He
was "very easygoing, very fun-loving," said his brother, Luis Castillo,
who lives in Montebello. "Happy-go-lucky. He loved music. He was always
joking around with everybody. A very easy, mellow personality."
While
in prison, he liked to read and earned a certificate in physical
training. After his release, he landed a job at a fitness center in
Santa Clarita.
After prison, "He was happy to put that behind him and just start his life," Luis Castillo said.
Rebecca
Pe a, a Pasadena resident who knew Castillo since their teen years,
said his experiences in Waco and prison didn't change him a bit.
"He
was just always cracking a joke," Pe a said. "No matter what the
situation was he made light of it and he was just really a neat guy.
Somebody that you could just hang with and felt like you knew for a
long time."
Castillo is survived by his brothers, Edward and Luis, sister, Leticia, mother, Victoria Beltran, and father, Raynel.