The Associated Press contributed to this report. In this photo, one of their bodies is carried out of a hotel room in Southern California. It was during their relationship that Daniel Perez convinced K.L. In total, there were six reported accidental deaths over seven years at Angels Landing. Daniel Perez had been living there when he met Trish Gomez. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! ), TED BUNDYS EX-GIRLFRIEND RECALLS HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SERIAL KILLER IN DOC: I WAS DEVASTATED. Daniel Perez Now: Where Is Cult Leader Lou Castro Today in 2020? Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Tragically, Brian was killed in what would be ruled an accident in South Dakota. Soon both Detective Goodwyn and Jon Sullivan of the FBI interviewed Daniel about what he had reported. However, Daniel Perez was a United States citizen. The most notorious mass murder in Ohio's history happened on the night of April 21, 2016 in rural Pike County. Castro had gone into a restaurant to have a meal with someone and when he left Detective Goodwyn collected Castros water glass and silverware. McGowan has said that when her father learnedBerg was advocating for child-adult sexual relations, he packed up his three daughters and escaped to the U.S. After Berg's death in 1984, the group tried to distance itself from his endorsement of pedophilia. moved to Lees Summit, Missouri. He went by many names, but the people close to him knew him as one of three angels that possessed special powers. The dynamic in Angels Landing was Lou Castro was the boss with Trish being second in command. Koresh kept "spiritual wives," some of whom were underage. He wasnt sure if he was dumped in Texas or Mexico. I guess he appeared innocent or as someone who cared too much. About every two and a half years, bankaccountbalances would get low in the makeshift family, then someone would die, Goodwyn said. Perez was found guilty in February 2015 of fraud, child exploitation, rape and first-degree murder. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. David had lost his wife and didnt really like being alone so he moved in with the happy little group. He preached a "religious-less religion" that embraced sexual liberation. Over the years, Perez collected millions of dollars in life insurance policies from members who died. Tonight on NBC's Dateline NBC, correspondent Dennis Murphy looks into the case of Angel's Landing and cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers he was a. It earned the nickname cowtown as it was where cowboys would bring their livestock up from Texas to the railroads. . They have said that while he had multiple chances to give up on them, he has become a pillar of support for them. Angel's Landing is a 20-acre compound in Sedgwick County, Kansas. Upon settling, Trish took out a $1 million insurance policy on her life that included an accidental death rider. Charges would be eventually filed against Perez for the rapes, but the case was dismissed when Perez was found dead in Mexico. They led to millions of dollars in life insurance payouts. In April 1996, Perez met a woman named Marilynn along with her son and 14-year-old daughter, Michelle. The witnesses testified to the groups transient movements over a 15-year period that included a number of states (Texas, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, and Mexico). On April 8, 2019, Allison Mack appeared in a Brooklyn federal court to enter a guilty plea for two racketeering charges in connection with her involvement with the NXIVM cult. Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections Jon Sullivan, it turns out, had been investigating Castro since 2007. and Perezs relationship when the honeymoon ended. In June 2003, a woman named Patricia Hughes died in a freak accident. Patricia Hughes had a $1.24 million dollar life insurance policy payout from her husband Brian. WhenMcGrath realized some of what was going on in his girlfriend's makeshift family, he sent an email to the FBI through their websitein 2010. Multiple accounts of abuse and misconduct were carried out on this property, especially against minors. Sara McGrath said Daniel Perez began sexually abusing her within weeks of their arrival at the compound. But I also think that people who are in a cult may not realize that theyre in a cult until theyve been out for a while. Meanwhile, Perez was regularly raping Sara for years under the guise of fixing her, she told producers. On April 21, 2010, a search warrant was executed for Venegass Tennessee residence. The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was a breakaway movement from the Roman Catholic Church founded in Uganda in the 1980s. An addition to the small group was Jennifer Hutson. In an interview with Oxygen, Sara McGrath said her mother, a real estate agent who helped Perez find and purchase the land, was one of the first members of his new cult. Eventually, the wreckage would be found and death certificates were issued for Mona, Jim, and Lindsey. He convinced his communal. He seemed to always place the blame on others. She was dead. Unfortunately, the lab would be unable to get a good print off of anything the detective had collected. In all, nine people were murderedin several separate attacks. He was found guilty of 28 crimes in Sedgwick County District Court in Kansas in 2015. Many victims had been poisoned. Perez, now 62, is behind bars at the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to theKansas Sex Offender Registry. The girl told investigators that she was 11 years old when Perez told her to lie to police, saying Hughes had fallen and drowned in the pool. According to Sedgwick County Sheriffs Offices Detective Ron Goodwyn, around every two and a half years, bank account balances would get low, and then someone would die. 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.. Only Castro, Trish, Emily, Sarah, and Nicole were at Angels Landing that day. K.L. But it didnt take long for things to turn.. The Manson Family was a commune and cult created by Charles Manson in California in the 1960s. In all, 924 died. As the cult became more doomsday focused, it got more followers, who brought in more money. PRINCE ANDREW ACCUSER VIRGINIA ROBERTS GIUFFRE TO STAR IN NETFLIX DOC ABOUT JEFFREY EPSTEIN, Sara McGrath said that in the beginning, Angel's Landing offered a support system -- until things quickly turned. Sedgwick County District Judge Joseph Bribiesca on Tuesday. s name. At his trial, she even said that she was made to tape an 8-year old undressing as well at least twice. Before Trishs death, the group owned two Corvettes and several SUVs. The story of the rural Kansas compound, its survivors and Daniel Perez was told on an episode of Dateline that originally aired August 7, 2020, on NBC. She said she did not. K.L. I wasnt sure that I was going to be able to do it. It was extremely scary, she said. Kidnapping Survivor Abby Hernandez Reveals How She Never Lost Hope. Manson's followers were mostly young women. age 17. Daniel reported all of this to the FBI in January 2010. In all, 74 cult members and former cult members died. Afterward, she called her sister Sarah who was at the car dealership with Castro crying telling her that Trish fell in the pool. 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. Here, locals and relatives of the cult victims wait in a Ugandan church compound during a mass burial in 2000. Berg also encouraged sex with children. Where Are Sara and Emily from Dateline's Angels and Demons Now? Castro then told her that he would bend time so that she would not be there, but would be there as it happened. One day he and another detective showed up at Angels Landing with glossy photographs of made-up suspects. Sara became even more concerned when some of Perez's more disturbing predictions came true. Authorities found the corpses lying in bunk beds, covered by a purple cloths. At first, Angels landing was like a kids dream More on #Dateline tonight at 9/8c with @Dateline_Dennis. had initially stayed behind with Emily and Nichole so that they could finish up school, but the three eventually joined the group in Tennessee in June of 2009. Aldrete and the other follower were arrested on the spot. Three other people connected to Heaven's Gate later committed suicide, bringing the cult's death toll to 42. Trish, age 26, was pronounced dead with her cause of death being accidental drowning. Mack was arrested and indicted on federal charges, including sex trafficking. 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. The Order of the Solar Temple was formed in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret. Emily then heard a shriek from Trish and a splash. It was in South Dakota that Trish met Brian Hughes and they soon started dating and would ultimately marry. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. With the help of the district attorney and his assistant, I was able to do it. Tonight on NBCsDateline NBC, correspondent Dennis Murphy looks into the case of Angels Landing and cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers he was a centuries-year-old angel who could see the future, predict their deaths and heal their injuries. Four crime scenes, thirty-two gunshot wounds, eight members of the Rhoden family left dead in their homes. What followed was a years-long investigation,which was difficult becauseGoodwyn didn't have police reports,official victimsorknow Perez'strue identity. He eventually attracted several thousand followers. This came to fruition in June 2003 when Patricia Hughes, who lived on the property, died. While everyone inside Angel's Landing knew the suspected cult leader as Lou Castro, that had not always been his identity. The witness, who was 11 at the time of the crime, was told to wait in an office nearby with Patricia's daughter for 20 minutes . By the time police tracked him down, they found Constanzo and another follower both fatally shot. pic.twitter.com/aps7CzzYu8, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) August 6, 2020. As reported by Oxygen, Sara did not feel comfortable around Daniel Perez. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. In the meantime, Castro/Perez/Venegas was sentenced to two years in jail for aggravated identity theft and social security fraud. Daniel Perez was convicted on all counts and sentenced to two life terms with a consecutive sentence of 80 years. NXIVM founder Keith Raniere was accused of running an abusive sex cult through his Albany-based seminar company. Before Raniere's arrest, in 2017, a New York Times expos accused NXIVM of fronting a cult called "DOS" or "The Vow." One such story, where the cult leader Daniel Perez aka Lou Castro repeatedly manipulated and abused his followers, has been covered in the episode called Angels and Demons. For him to have been able to do such abhorrent acts, one wonders what the tools at his disposal were. In March 2006, Hughes husband Brian died in an accident at the autobody shop where he worked. [Perez] was telling him, One day youll get your chance to go to the other side,' she said. 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. After being formally fingerprinted investigators discovered that Lou Castro/Joe Venegas was in fact, Daniel Perez. The two would have a child, Angelica in December 2004. Some people who were born into the group later killed themselves, including one of Berg's sons, who first killed his nanny. In Angel'sLanding, a 20-acre property located in a rural area north of Wichita, Perez convinced his communal family that he had magical powers, including the ability to see the future, The Wichita Eagle reported. But there was a catch. He claimed that he could make it rain, or see someones past, present, and future lives and could communicate with the other side.. Emily would tell investigators about Trishs drowning and that would end up being enough to put Castro away. Powered by. Though initially from Texas, Perez settled down here in Kansas with his followers. 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. Perez first attracted law enforcement's attention in 2003 when he was living with a small group of people from mixed backgrounds on a 20-acre property calledAngels Landing. They changed their surname from Bottom to Phoenix, signaling their new beginning, and moved from Venezuela to the United States. Debuting in 1992, it has discussed many cases that have left the audience shocked at the violence and atrocities. The charges include rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and murder. The cult attracted young, elite universitystudents and graduates who believed that the apocalypse was near and that they would be the only ones to survive. Perez, also known by the name Lou Castro and many other names, convinced his followers he had magical powers. Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for May 1, Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry, Jay Leno shows off 'new face' after suffering third-degree burns, Kylie Jenners ex Travis Scott nightclub incident: New York police investigating alleged bar brawl, Ricou Browning, 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' star, dead at 93, 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant scolded by Pat Sajak, ripped apart by fans, Jillian Michaels suffered a spinal injury in secret that left her crawling due to pain, 'Friends' star Courteney Cox almost left Hollywood in the '80s, father told her it was 'time to pack it in'. He was recently arrested for. 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. Powered by. Perez was 46-years-old at this time. Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. Trish would tell others that when he was young Castro had died and when he came back he had these powers. One of the survivors, Sara, told Oxygen Perez raped her repeatedly, saying he was fixing her. Investigators would later learn Hughes was collecting millions of dollars in life insurance payouts, and that six deaths ruled as accidents were connected to the cult. Casto wasnt single for long as he had met a woman named Mona Griffith who happened to live in the same apartment complex as him at the time. He also claimed he could predict when someone would die. The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ was founded by Jim Jones in Indiana in 1955. The murder victim, Patricia Hughes, was a 26-year-old wife and mother who lived at Angels Landing. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. 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. This led to the big break in the case. Former cult member Sara McGrath, who lived with Angel's Landing leader Daniel Perez, recounts the untimely death of her mother By Alyssa Ray May 01, 2020 10:00 AM Tags Oxygen A series of. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. The cult collapsed after authorities deported Rajneesh and convicted some of his staff, including secretary Ma Anand Sheela (seen here), of orchestrating a food-poisoning scheme against locals. Five drug smugglers were arrested in connection with the murders. All the vehicles had vanity license plates with Angel 1, Angel 2, and so forth. He did not appear to have any employment records, and they had no proof of his existence before he appeared in Wichita looking to purchase property. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. He had convinced the group that he needed someone "pure" to share his bed as he was a "seer" and needed a young female virgin to take care of him or he would die. MISSING IOWA TV JOURNALIST JODI HUISENTRUIT'S FAMILY STILL SEARCHING YEARS LATER, DOC REVEALS: IT'S HORRIBLE', Sara McGrath said she was too scared to come forward with her story. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. began to visit Castro. No one was killed, but at least 700 people were poisoned in an effort to influence a local election. with her own life if she didnt in his words, step up.. There was nothing I could do, she said. Detective Ron Goodwyn said the conviction was probably the most amazing feeling in my law enforcement career.. PatriciaHughes,whowas like a second mother to the girls,had slipped and fallen in the pool. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. I think that my situation was very uncommon. I wasnt sure that I was going to be able to do it. She was also the first African American to attend the Oscars. He was sentenced to two terms of life in prison and will not be eligible for parole until 2095. That is when he came across an obituary for Mona, Jim, and Lindsey that had Lou Castros name attached to it. Later, Jones had his followers kill themselves by drinking a cyanide-laced drink. With this new name investigators were able to see that Joe Venegas had opened a new bank account in Tennessee. Five more members died in a burned Quebec house in 1997. Thirteen people died, and thousands were injured in the attack. In addition to providing Perez with a steady income, his predictions of the deaths helped convince his followers that he was a prophet. In 1997, Applewhite persuaded 38 followers to kill themselves, telling them that they wouldn't be dying, but leaving their earthly vessels behind. Authorities also noted numerous high-end vehicles on the property, despite the community's apparent lack of financial resources. In 1989, authorities found 12 male bodies on a ranch in Mexico, near the U.S. border. In September 2008, Saras mother died in a car accident, and Sara found her future husband, Daniel McGrath. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections, Angels Landing Commune: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher). Although he claimed he was simply trying to "fix" her, she knew it was wrong. One such episode, 'Angels and Demons,' presented the heinous crimes committed by self-proclaimed psychic Daniel Perez, whose known alias is Lou Castro (amongst others.) After about six months, 14 members came out of the cave, and nine members came out later. If you wish to learn more about the location where the members of the cult lived, then keep on reading. When he died his assets and policies were paid out to various people he had been living with at Angels Landing. 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