In one letter to members, he said, "God created boys and girls able to have children by about 12 years of age.". If you wish to learn more about the location where the members of the cult lived, then keep on reading. She said she did not. Castro had gotten the girls and others to believe that he was over a hundred years old and his body was often inhabited by one of three angels Arthur, Daniel, and Amber, who was the angel of death. The penalty for a Class III offense may be any, all or any combination of the following: Restriction to inmates own cell, not to exceed three days;restriction from privileges, not to exceed 20 days;extra work for up to two hours per day, not to exceed 10 days;a fine not to exceed $10.00;restitution; oran oral or written reprimand.. He was convicted of first-degree murder, eight counts of rape, eight other sex crimes, eight counts of making false writing and three counts of aggravated assault. McGrath said she and her family joined the commune after Perez met her mother, Jennifer Hutson, a Wichita real estate agent who sold him a house, in 2001. LAS VEGAS SHOOTING SURVIVORS RECALL CHAOS AND TURMOIL OF HORRIFIC NIGHT, MEETING RESCUER, IN NEW DOCUMENTARY, Sara McGrath today. It was on March 2, 2006, that Brian left Angels Landing to visit South Dakota. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. Through interviews with Sara, her younger sister and other members of the commune, they uncovered Perez's shocking methods of manipulation and abuse and he was charged with 28 felonies. The case of Kansas cult killer Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, is being explored on Sunday. He had become depressed and was talking to Perez more often, Sara told Oxygen. The Wichita Eagle noted that the Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry showed Perez raped girls ranging in age from 8 to 16. Lou Castro was a man with a shadowy past who somehow convinceda number ofpeople that he was an angel,could heal the sick and see into the future. He seemed to always place the blame on others. Angels Landing is one of the most popular destinations in Zion National Park. Perez, who will be sentenced March 24, is facing imprisonment for possibly the rest of his life. The problem was they didnt have a crime, just suspicions. With the help of the district attorney and his assistant, I was able to do it. But there was a catch. It was during that same year that Jennifer began dating David Quiring who had joined the group in 2003. However, Daniel Perez was a United States citizen. Carlson was known to her followers as "Mother God" and claimed to be able to cure cancer and communicate with angels. Sheela fled to Switzerland, where she served time for her crimes, and later opened nursing homes. (Photo courtesy of Oxygen. When the suspects were asked who murdered an American victim, Mark Kilroy, they named Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, 26, the leader of the cult, and Sara Aldrete, a student at Texas Southmost College, known as "the witch.". ), FORGOTTEN WEST MEMPHIS THREE DOC AIMS TO GIVE VICTIMS OF NOTORIOUS CRIME 'THEIR VOICES BACK, HOST SAYS. And more horrors occurred behind closed doors. They are one count first-degree murder, eight counts of rape, seven counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, three of aggravated assault, one of sexual exploitation of a child, and eight of making false information. When he died his assets and policies were paid out to various people he had been living with at Angels Landing. At the time, there were many vehicles on the property worth more than $40,000 each as well as a swimming pool and multiple houses. Angels Landing Commune was an innocuous plot of land in a rural area near Wichita, Kansas where a now-convicted rapist and murderer, Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, held power over a cult. Sara McGrath was brought into Perez's family by her mom, a real estate agent who first helped Lou Castro find the right property when he came to town. When Brian died in a freak accident atthe autobody shop where he worked in March2006, Goodwyndove into every bit of personal and financial information he could oneveryone living atAngels Landing. For the next 20 years, the group lived in various camps in Southern California and took on new followers. Here, members sing before sitting down for lunch at their Los Angeles headquarters in February 1971. As reported by Columbia Daily Herald, authorities linked Daniel Perez to a total of six accidental deaths, for which Perez collected an estimated $4.2 million. Prosecutors alleged that Perez forcibly drowned Hughes to collect a life insurance policy after her death. Daniel reported all of this to the FBI in January 2010. Within weeks after their first meeting, Sara, her sister Emily, and her mother moved to Angel's Landing and became part of Daniel Perez's toxic "family.". At that point in time, both of them resided at Angel's Landing, a 20-acre property in rural Kansas. The trial took place in February 2015 and several witnesses from the group testified for the prosecution including Daniel, K.L., Emily, Cody, Michelle, Marilynn, David, Megan, Sarah, C.C., and C.C. Castro immediately took an interest in the young girl and she posed provocatively in a swimsuit as he took pictures. Hughes death was initially ruled accidental. However, there was little information linking Perez to the deaths. All the vehicles had vanity license plates with Angel 1, Angel 2, and so forth. The Branch Davidians originated in 1955 from a schism among the Shepherd's Rod/Davidians, which stemmed from Seventh-Day Adventist teachings. The outlet shared that in 2015 Perez was handed two life sentences, plus 406 months with no possibility of parole for 80 years. Even after he was sentenced, I was a bit scared., KIM KARDASHIAN DETAILS HER NEW DOC, SAYS SHE'S NOT WORRIED ABOUT JUSTICE REFORM CRITICS, Daniel Perez also went by Lou Castro. Then, in 1995, a Solar Temple building in the Swiss Alps was found burned down with 16 bodies inside. Trish had also moved into a nearby apartment complex. Emily tried to get her out but was unable to. Within a few months, her life had completely changed. Several former members have alleged they were sexually assaulted and beaten as children. Dateline explores those crimes that have taken the country by a storm. did not know where Perez was living. He had met the group through Brian whom he had worked construction with. Sara and her younger sister Emily were barely teenagers when their mother, Jennifer Huston, packed their bags up and moved into Angels Landing in Kansas to be a part of Daniel Perezs cult. The newly engaged couple, along with Monas daughter Lindsey went missing when the plan they had been on disappeared. "Deadly Cults" airs Sunday, May 3 at 7 p.m. on Oxygen. Although local authorities were again hampered by a lack of evidence, they strongly suspected Daniel Perez was involved. The sisters are trying their hardest to move past the massive abuse they have faced at his hands. They changed their surname from Bottom to Phoenix, signaling their new beginning, and moved from Venezuela to the United States. If it werent for them and my husband, I wouldnt have been able to do it., He was sentenced to two life sentences in prison. Lafferty claimed he committed the killing after a revelation from God. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. In January 2002, Castro had forced Emily to have oral, vaginal, and anal sex with him. At his trial, she even said that she was made to tape an 8-year old undressing as well at least twice. Many who go there want to experience untamed adventure and get a classic photograph. The two would have a child, Angelica in December 2004. Earlier this year, commune members Sara McGrath and her sister Emily opened up about what it was like to live in the cult and talked about Lou Perez, who was regularly raping Sara for years under the guise of fixing her. Commune members also report that he told the members that he needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive. The group moved from state to state, making it difficult to track Lou Castro and his crimes. There was nothing I could do, she said I remember saying, Am I fixed now?'. The life insurance payout for Hughes death alone exceeded $1 million. He convinced members of the Angel's Landing commune - based in Kansas, the US - that he had magical powers, was hundreds of years old, could cure diseases and knew when people were about to die. At first, Angels landing was like a kids dream More on #Dateline tonight at 9/8c with @Dateline_Dennis. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Insurance salesman Bill Hatton confirmed Daniel Perez collected $2 million from the death of Patricia Hughes alone. They believed him. At his trial, she even said that she was made to tape an 8-year old undressing as well at least twice. The evidence conclusively shows that Mr. Perez used people as mere objects to fulfill his desire for money, sex and a lavish lifestyle, Bribiesca said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison. In March 2006, Hughes husband Brian died in an accident at the autobody shop where he worked. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I didnt realize I was in a cult until I had been out for a few years.. Berg also encouraged sex with children. . Daniel Perez had been living there when he met Trish Gomez. On September 11, 2011, Perez/Castro/Venegas was charged in Sedgwick County District Court in Kansas with one count of first-degree murder for Tricia Hughess death, ten counts of rape, ten counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, three counts of aggravated assault, eleven counts of making false information, and one count of criminal threat. Sara McGrath is thankful she has been able to move on with her life after surviving a cult. Hughes death was ruled accidentalat first. He ran the Angel's Landing Commune back in the early 2000s where he would manipulate and murder to help finance his lavish lifestyle. Daniel Perez testified in his defense along with three other witnesses. Angel's Landing was the location where Daniel Perez's cult was housed. They have said that while he had multiple chances to give up on them, he has become a pillar of support for them. Here, a soldier views the burned remains. / CBS NEWS. Emilys sister, Sarah did not move with the group as she was living on her own outside of Angels Landing. After that Castro started to get nervous telling Sarah that they were trying to get him. Lou took off to look at houses in Tennessee. David Koresh began leading the group in 1987, abandoning many of the original teachings and adopting the belief that the end of the world was near. Castro/Venegas was taken into custody that day. All 530 in attendance, including dozens of children, were killed. There, he would murder at least one of his followers and repeatedly rape children on his commune. Joseph Di Mambro's gun was found during the investigation. Daniel Perez, who used aliases including Lou Castro while he lived in Kansas and other states, is facing trial this week in Sedgwick County District Court on 37 charges, including first-degree. Columbia Daily Herald reports he was ultimately found guilty on one count of first-degree murder, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of aggravated sodomy, eight counts of rape, and eight counts of making false statements. As reported by Columbia Daily Herald, authorities linked Daniel Perez to a total of six accidental deaths, for which Perez collected an estimated $4.2 million. According to the Wichita Eagle, Perez insisted to his followers he was a centuries-old angel who needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. There was a sense of urgency since it was getting to the 2 year mark. He wrote them a letter saying that he believed there were financial crimes going on as well as lots of abuse, she recalled. Mack was arrested and indicted on federal charges, including sex trafficking. Listen to the story of how one man conned his way to a lifestyle of leisure by convincing others that he alone had the power to bring them back to life. (Photo courtesy of Oxygen. Goodwyn called it the most bizarre story he'd everheard butsaid Perez's conviction was probably the most amazing feeling in my law enforcement career.. It was extremely scary, she said. Sarah would later state on the show Deadly Cults that Lou Castro told her he had to fix her so that she would be able to get married and have babies someday. Among those was Hughes husband, Brian. As the cult became more doomsday focused, it got more followers, who brought in more money. Some people who were born into the group later killed themselves, including one of Berg's sons, who first killed his nanny. The man had a clandestine past and had evaded law enforcement on multiple occasions before, and it was no wonder that suspicious activity would take place in the house. She's seen here leaving the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after sentencing. This photo shows the Phoenix family in 1983. On April21, 2010, authorities arrested Perez at his new home in Tennessee. Though Sara had a bad feeling after their first interaction, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt due to her mother. They asked Lou if he could look at them and tell them if he had seen any of them around. In August 2003, Trishs death benefit was paid out to her husband Brian. His parents, suspicious that the group was becoming something more insidious than a religious community, decided to separate from the group in 1977, when Joaquin was 3 years old. 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