Tragedy soon struck Jim and Mona. 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. One day he and another detective showed up at Angels Landing with glossy photographs of made-up suspects. 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. Goodwyn found a disturbing pattern of expensive life insurance policies being taken out on people in Perez's circle, then cashed in by members. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. He convinced his communal. Insurance salesman Bill Hatton confirmed Daniel Perez collected $2 million from the death of Patricia Hughes alone. However, there are no further updates on her present situation, and she could not be placed on social media either. Brian was a diesel mechanic and from those that knew him, he was always safety conscious when working under vehicles. Tonight on NBC'sDateline NBC,Dennis Murphy interviews cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers at Angel's Landing that he was a 1,000-year-old angel who could see the future. . Over the course of seven years, he collected millions of dollars in life insurance payouts. Tonight on NBC'sDateline NBC, correspondent Dennis Murphy looks into the case of Angel's Landing and cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro. . Turns out his real name is Daniel Perez, and people formerly in his cult have since told tales of rape, sexual abuse, and murder. They would later find three more. Investigators initially believed she drowned while trying to rescue her 2-year-old daughter from a swimming pool. 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. Mona also met a man named Jim and the couple soon became engaged. Sara McGrath said she was too scared to come forward with her story. Upon settling, Trish took out a $1 million insurance policy on her life that included an accidental death rider. moved to Lees Summit, Missouri. Charges would be eventually filed against Perez for the rapes, but the case was dismissed when Perez was found dead in Mexico. There arealsoseveral other mysterious deaths surrounding the Wichita, Kansas, compound where Perez held court, according to Deadly Cults onOxygen. Two years after Brian Hughes died, Sara McGrath's mother died in a suspicious car accident. Daniel Perez claimed to be some sort of angel. She was eight months pregnant. Thirteen people died, and thousands were injured in the attack. In all, 74 cult members and former cult members died. Around that time, some members warned American media of mass suicide rehearsals at Jonestown. Perez was 46-years-old at this time. There he met a 15-year-old girl, K.L., who believed that Perez was much younger than his actual age and the pair soon began a sexual relationship. To evade law enforcement, Perez would consistently be on the move, relocating constantly from one state to another. Days later, two Solar Temple buildings in Switzerland went up in flames. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. Castro then told her that he would bend time so that she would not be there, but would be there as it happened. Emily was 10-years-old at the time. The stories behind these cults' origins, leaders and demises are riveting and often disturbing. The story of the rural Kansas compound, its survivors and Daniel Perez is being told on a new episode of Dateline, which originally aired on NBC Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9/8C. In the early 1970s, Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles renamed themselves Bo and Peep and took a road trip across the U.S., assembling a group they called "the crew.". The leaders planned a big party at a secluded church. He was recently arrested for. K.L. Ron Lafferty's brother, Dan Lafferty, seen here in 2003, is serving a life sentence in connection to the murders. While other 13-year-olds were getting boyfriends and holding hands, I was holding onto my secret and losing the people I loved one by one. He told the members he was an angel who was hundreds of years old and needed to have sex with children, or he would die. But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder. Daniel Perezs cult was motivated by greed, investigators learned. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The Russian doomsday cult was founded by Pyotr Kuznetsov. It was during that time that Perez forced Michelle to have sex with him on several occasions. In June 2003, Sara was on her way to a car dealershipwhere Perez was supposed to meet her when her little sister called. For well over a decade, conman Daniel Perez convinced a small band of followers into thinking he was possessed by three mostly evil angels, or maybe was an angel, and that he had the keys. That is when he came across an obituary for Mona, Jim, and Lindsey that had Lou Castros name attached to it. Koresh kept "spiritual wives," some of whom were underage. They said they would commit suicide if authorities intervened. Kansas Department of CorrectionsDaniel Perez Prison Record. Mona took out a $750,000 policy on her life naming Lindsey as her beneficiary and Trish as Lindseys caregiver. It was in Angels Landing that Emily had moved into the master bedroom with Daniel Perez. "I made choices I will forever regret," she said, telling the judge she was filled with "remorse and guilt.". Here, a courtroom sketch shows Raniere at a hearing in April 2018. Castro told Emily to take Nicole into a nearby pool house and not come out. After a death on the property, police found a pattern where he would take out life insurance policies on people in his circle that would later be cashed in by members. Sheela fled to Switzerland, where she served time for her crimes, and later opened nursing homes. On April 21, 2010, a search warrant was executed for Venegass Tennessee residence. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher), OWNERS OF LATE CHILD STAR JUDITH BARSIS HOME SAY THEY FELT A DARK PRESENCE IN MURDER HOUSE FLIP'. He also had a camera placed in the bathroom to watch her change. In 1993, the ATF and Texas National Guard raided the Waco compound. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The outlet shared that in 2015 Perez was handed two life sentences, plus 406 months with no possibility of parole for 80 years. Daniel Perez, AKA Lou Castro. You can move on and life can be good after a storm., The case of Daniel U. Perez is explored on Oxygen's 'Deadly Cults' true-crime docuseries. What is Angel's Landing? If you wish to learn more about the location where the members of the cult lived, then keep on reading. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Prosecutors alleged that Perez forcibly drowned Hughes to collect a life insurance policy after her death. Sara McGrath with her mother during happier times. 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. The property is huge and situated in the 9500 block of North Oliver in a rural area of Wichita, Kansas. Powered by. The sisters are trying their hardest to move past the massive abuse they have faced at his hands. The rapes continued even after the family moved. He was able to look at bank balances for the majority of the group members. The fix her part of his plan was to have sex with her on an ongoing basis. He also claimed he could predict when someone would die. His extreme spending didnt seem to stop with just the small group at Angels Landing. When paramedics arrived they were surprised to see Trish floating in the shallow end of the pool, but believed the story that Emily told that Trish had rushed into the pool to save her daughter, but slipped hitting her head and drowned. The outlet noted that the Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry showed Perezs victims range in age from 8 to 16. Perez led a cult that lived at Angels Landing, a 20-acre property in the 9500 block of North Oliver in a rural area north of Wichita, near Valley Center and Kechi. An investigation, that would end up lasting for 9 years, made the authorities suspicious since he did not have a job but was swimming in luxury items. They asked Lou if he could look at them and tell them if he had seen any of them around. Wasco residents were frustrated by the cult members, known as Rajneeshees, to begin with, but tensions rose when the Rajneeshees attempted to take over the government of the nearby town of Antelope. It is the 20-acre property where Daniel Perez lived with his followers. The Order of the Solar Temple was formed in 1984 by Joseph Di Mambro and Luc Jouret. The episode ofDateline,titled Angels & Demons, features interviews with Daniel Perez, commune members Sara and Emily as well as with Detective Ron Goodwyn and more. One day when Detective Goodwyn happened to come upon Castro driving down the road and he decided to follow him. Cody would stay behind with his father, but K.L. 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. READ NEXT: Daniel Perez Now: Where Is Cult Leader Lou Castro Today in 2022? The hope was that they would get a fingerprint and finally find out who Lou Castro was. Perez is also working a job in prison, according to his prison record. 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. He somehow appeared wise.. In Columbia, he tried to pass himself off as Joe Venegas, an alias he used to open the bank account after using the name Lou Castro and living on a 20-acre spread in Kansas known as "Angel's. 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. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections, Angels Landing Commune: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Daniel Perez, 55, was sentenced Tuesday in Wichita, Kansas, by Sedgwick County District Judge Joseph Bribiesca to serve two life sentences, plus 406 months on charges that include first-degree. Goodwyn said the conviction was probably the most amazing feeling in my law enforcement career.. Berg encouraged female members to recruit new members through sex - a practice he called "flirty fishing.". [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Sedgwick County Sheriffs Offices Detective Ron Goodwyn told Oxygen. ), FORGOTTEN WEST MEMPHIS THREE DOC AIMS TO GIVE VICTIMS OF NOTORIOUS CRIME 'THEIR VOICES BACK, HOST SAYS. I didnt realize I was in a cult until I had been out for a few years.. It turned out that he was collecting the payments from the life insurance policies of the deceased members, and this could explain how he was able to afford such an extravagant property as well. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. However, Daniel Perez was a United States citizen. Applewhite plus 38 other people between the ages of 26 and 72 died in three groups over three days. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. Perez was charged with multiple criminal counts, including first-degree murder. In 2004, Brian, Jennifer, K.L., and another woman, Megan Harbert had taken life insurance policies out on their lives. He wrote them a letter saying that he believed there were financial crimes going on as well as lots of abuse, she recalled. Eventually, the wreckage would be found and death certificates were issued for Mona, Jim, and Lindsey. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Lafferty was sent to Utah's death row; he died there in November 2019. In his profession unexplained wealth usually meant drugs. pic.twitter.com/LsUYdFja74, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) August 7, 2020. The most notorious mass murder in Ohio's history happened on the night of April 21, 2016 in rural Pike County. Manson was convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder. Hernandez might need to play every day for Boston, and Fenway Park remains a soft landing. Sara didn't like Perez at all, she told producers, but her mom felt a bond with him and was convinced he was anangel, who could tell you when you were going to die. ", The Messed Up Truth About Cult Leader Daniel Perez. / CBS NEWS. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections Its' now famous name descends from Methodist minister Frederick Vining Fisher who, on his first visit to Zion Canyon in 1916 allegedly quipped only an angel could land there. The day after the guilty verdict, Goodwyn and two investigators he worked with - former Wichita. But in the 1990s, authorities in Canada began investigating the group amid accusations of sexual misconduct, and people started to leave. For 15 years, Daniel Perez a self-described "seer" who claimed to be a 1,000-year-old angel led a traveling group of mostly women from state to state. s home and arrested him. Before Raniere's arrest, in 2017, a New York Times expos accused NXIVM of fronting a cult called "DOS" or "The Vow." However, there was little information linking Perez to the deaths. [Perez] was telling him, One day youll get your chance to go to the other side,' she said. On April 28, 2021, themummified remains of Amy Carlson, the 45-year-old leader of the group Love Has Won, were found in a home in Moffat, Colorado. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Jones taught a blend of Christianity, socialism and communism, with an emphasis on racial equality. There was something about that Lou Castro guy #Dateline tonight at 9/8c. Years later, the truth of the murder surfaced when one of the girls went back to police, even though Castro had initially convinced her to lie for him. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. s mother. 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