David Koresh
David Koresh, born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of the Branch Davidian religious sect, which gained notoriety during a fatal standoff with federal authorities in 1993. Raised in a challenging environment in Houston, Texas, he experienced a troubled childhood marked by abuse and a lack of parental guidance. At the age of twenty, Koresh became involved with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and later joined the Branch Davidians, where he adopted the name David Koresh, signifying his self-proclaimed role as a messianic figure. Koresh's leadership was characterized by his unique interpretations of the Bible, belief in an impending apocalyptic confrontation, and controversial practices, including arrangements regarding relationships within the community.
The conflict escalated when federal agents suspected illegal weapons possession and misconduct within the compound. On February 28, 1993, an attempted raid led to a shoot-out, resulting in casualties on both sides. This incident initiated a prolonged standoff between Koresh's followers and the FBI, lasting fifty-one days, during which negotiations unfolded amidst significant tension. The standoff culminated tragically on April 19, 1993, with the compound catching fire, leading to the deaths of eighty-five individuals, including Koresh. The events at Waco have since sparked discussions about governmental authority, religious freedom, and the treatment of unconventional belief systems in America, leaving a lasting impact on public discourse and policy.
David Koresh
- Born: August 17, 1959
- Birthplace: Houston, Texas
- Died: April 19, 1993
- Place of death: Waco, Texas
American leader of the Branch Davidians
Cause of notoriety: Koresh and his religious followers were involved in a shoot-out with agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). A fifty-one-day standoff ensued, and Koresh and eighty-five Branch Davidian members were killed.
Active: February 28-April 19, 1993
Locale: Waco, Texas
Early Life
Vernon Wayne Howell, who would later change his name to David Koresh (kohr-EHSH), by most accounts lived a challenging life that was characterized by a tumultuous childhood and indications of violent tendencies in adulthood. Howell was born to a fifteen-year-old single mother in Houston, Texas. He never knew his father and was raised by his grandparents. He described his childhood as lonely and indicated that he suffered abuse at the hands of his stepfather. He also dropped out of high school.
At the age of twenty, Howell joined his mother’s church, the Seventh-day Adventists. He became deeply involved in the religious teachings of the church and eventually began to develop his own interpretations of the Scripture to which he was exposed. Howell began to oppose the leaders of the church on various points of Scripture and was eventually asked to leave the church. In 1981, at the age of twenty-two, Howell joined the Branch Davidian religious sect located in Waco, Texas, at a religious compound known as Mount Carmel Center.
Religious Career
Howell eventually assumed control of the Branch Davidian sect at Mount Carmel. In 1990, Howell legally changed his name, assuming the name David Koresh. His name change had important religious symbolic meaning. Howell maintained that he was now the leader of the biblical house of David and that he was a messiah sent to Earth by God; hence, he chose the name David. Howell assumed the last name “Koresh” because it is the transliteration of the name Cyrus in Hebrew. Both David and Cyrus are referred to as messiahs in the Hebrew Bible. Howell’s new name reflected his belief that he was a messiah and that God had spoken to him and provided him with an interpretation of the Bible that differed from many other interpretations. In essence, Koresh believed that he was the final disciple of Christ who was sent to Earth to spread God’s religious teachings.
Koresh also maintained that he was to bear numerous children while the other men in the religious group were to remain celibate. The offspring of Koresh were to represent a good and pure sect of society that would remain intact after a battle between an armed apostate and a group that had remained true to their religious beliefs—in other words, a battle between good and evil. Because of Koresh’s views, the members of the religious sect kept firearms at the Mount Carmel Center. There is also evidence that Koresh and his followers engaged in the trade of firearms at gun shows as a method of securing funds to keep the Mount Carmel Center operational.
ATF Raid and Standoff
The activities of the Branch Davidians came under the scrutiny of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Undercover ATF agents collected evidence suggesting that the Davidians were stockpiling weapons, many of them illegal weapons, and that Koresh had been involved in sexual misconduct involving underage children as young as twelve inside the compound. Subsequent independent investigations would eventually question the veracity of many of the assertions on which these charges were based and question the ATF jurisdictional authority over the sex-based charges.
On the morning of February 28, 1993, the ATF planned to execute a raid of the compound to seize the illegal weapons that were believed to be on site. Koresh and his followers knew that they were being investigated by authorities and were tipped off by media that the raid was about to occur, which gave Koresh and his followers time to prepare. As agents approached the compound, shots were fired, and a shoot-out was initiated. Conflicting reports exist concerning who fired first—ATF agents or the Davidians. The shoot-out ended with the deaths of four ATF agents and five Davidian members.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) assumed control over the operations in the aftermath of the raid and negotiated with Koresh during a fifty-one-day standoff, during which Koresh claimed to be following the instructions of God, which required him to write religious documents that needed to be completed before he was to surrender. Federal agents worked to make it uncomfortable for the occupants of the compound to stay inside, blasting loud music at the compound for days. The standoff ended on April 19, 1993, when the Branch Davidian compound burned to the ground, killing eighty-five Davidian members, including Koresh.
The burning of the compound proved to be controversial. The official government position was that the Branch Davidians burned down the compound and that at no time during the lengthy standoff did FBI agents fire rounds of ammunition at the Davidians in the compound. However, an independent investigation using infrared technology of film shot from above the compound concluded that FBI agents did indeed fire rounds of ammunition into the compound. Independent accounts of the events at Waco have also countered the government claim that the Davidians started the blaze, asserting that government officials were responsible.
Impact
The ATF standoff with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians initiated questions about the role of government in its regulation of subterranean religious groups and other subcultures in U.S. society. To many, the siege and standoff at Waco became just one more example of government abuse of authority. Others supported the strong arm of the government to regulate such groups, blaming Koresh and his megalomania for the deaths. The events at Waco also became intricately tied to an event that occurred exactly two years later. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. McVeigh claimed that the bombing was a show of retaliation against the government for its handling of the Waco case and a similar standoff that occurred between the AFT and the Randy Weaver family at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in 1992.
Bibliography
Boyle, Peter J. “The Children of Waco.” The New Yorker, May 15, 1995. Speaks to the ongoing impact of Waco long after it was over.
Linedecker, C. L. Massacre at Waco, Texas: The Shocking Story of Cult Leader David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993. Presents the events at Waco in the context of the government’s official position: that Koresh was an evil cult leader who was a law violator and needed to be tamed.
Reavis, D. J. The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1998. Reavis examines the events of Waco from a multitude of perspectives, including the perspectives of the ATF, the FBI, and the Davidians. Concludes that the government had little reason to investigate the Davidians and lied about key events, including who fired first and allegations of drug and sexual abuse.
Wright, S. A., ed. Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Contains critical essays about the history of the Davidians and Koresh and the events at Waco.