The 6 most shocking revelations from Netflix’s latest docuseries “Waco: American Apocalypse”
Between February 28 and April 19, 1993, the largest—and most notorious—massacre on American soil took place, killing 86 people. The 51-day standoff, known as the Waco Siege, became the year’s most brutal news as law enforcement, members of a religious cult and its supreme leader fought to the bitter end.
In 1993, the United States government served a machine gun search warrant on cult leader David Koresh, who led the apocalyptic religious movement known as the Branch Davidians. Koresh preached a kind of apocalyptic prophecy – which included interpretations of the Book of Revelation and the Seven Seals – and convinced his followers that they would soon be under attack from the federal government.
Led by Koresh, the Branch Davidians illegally stockpiled guns and ammunition, prompting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) to launch a raid on the group’s Mount Carmel compound, located 20 miles outside of Waco , Texas. What was expected to be a one-day affair turned into a nearly two-month siege of violence, anger, and death.
Now, nearly 30 years later, Netflix revisits the horrifying events in its latest true-crime installation, Waco: American Apocalypse. The three-part series attempts to recreate the bitter siege and underscore its enduring impact through interviews with law enforcement, surviving members of Branch David and the journalists who were on the ground.
From Koresh’s child sexual abuse allegations to his cult’s unabashed devotion, here are six shocking revelations from the series:
Lee Hancock from Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)Koresh not only convinced his ardent followers that he was the Messiah, but also convinced them to follow him to a fiery end of the world.
“The government is going to come in with tanks and there’s going to be this big shootout and a big fire ending,” said Lee Hancock, a veteran investigative journalist and former corporate reporter for the Dallas Morning News. “He and all his followers will burst into flames and be immediately translated and then come back with him to lead God’s vengeance army.”
To prepare for the impending doom, Koresh and the Branch Davidians “massed enough arms at Mount Carmel to outfit a small army”. They violated several federal gun laws. They converted semi-automatic assault rifles to automatics. They made live grenades and owned about 40 to 50 machine guns and about 100 hand grenades.
On February 28, 1993, law enforcement agencies besieged the Mount Carmel Center ranch, the property owned by Koresh and his religious cult. Before the siege, the US government issued a machine gun search warrant against Koresh.
David Koresh from Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)Koresh was born to Bonnie Haldeman, a teenage mother, and Bobby Wayne Howell. As a child, Koresh was sexually abused, which caused him to drop out of middle school and “seek out people who could help open the Bible,” Hancock said. Through a friend, Koresh joined the Branch Davidians, a religious group based in Waco since the 1930’s.
On Mount Carmel, Koresh is said to have seduced the group’s leader, Lois Roden, who was 50 years his senior. When Roden died, a battle ensued between Roden’s son George and Koresh for group leadership. Koresh was subsequently charged with attempted murder after he and a group of his supporters got into a shootout with George at the compound.
“A jury actually hung on whether she should be convicted, so there was no retrial,” Hancock explained. Koresh then took over the Branch Davidians.
David Koresh from Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)In the late 1980s, Koresh instituted his teachings called the New Light, which enabled him to dissolve the marriages of all his followers and claim multiple wives for himself. Koresh’s first wife was 14-year-old Rachel Jones, the teenage daughter of a longtime Branch Davidian.
Koresh is also believed to have had sex with children, some as young as 10 years old. Girls aged 10 to 13 would speak enthusiastically about being one of Koresh’s wives in the future.
“People think that a man having sex with a bunch of underage girls is a crime,” said Kathy Schroeder, a Branch Davidian. “And according to conventional wisdom, that could very well be true. However, these were not underage girls, because you come of age at 12. So all of these girls were adults… in our belief system.”
Bob Ricks from Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)Forty-six days after the initial siege, Koresh said he and the remaining Branch Davidians would finally surrender after Koresh finished writing his religious manuscript. This wasn’t the first time Koresh had made such a promise. But despite their doubts, many law enforcement officials were hoping the standoff would finally come to an end this time.
When Koresh failed to keep his promise, law enforcement planned their next steps in the siege. The FBI also approached Janet Wood Reno, who had just been sworn in as Attorney General, for permission to use tear gas.
“I don’t think anyone manipulated Janet Reno into making a decision,” said Bob Ricks, former Oklahoma City FBI special counsel. “I think she was given the facts about David Koresh, what he had done in the past, and was horrified that a grown man would have had sex with underage children.”
Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)On April 19, 1993, law enforcement took extreme measures to infiltrate the Mount Carmel Center. They planted tear gas inside the building and ordered Koresh and the surviving Branch Davidians inside the compound to surrender. Tanks also rammed the building before shots were fired from inside.
In a shocking turn of events, the building caught fire, causing some people to jump out of the windows and roof. It’s still unclear who started the fire – the FBI claimed it was the Branch Davidians, via video evidence, but the latter claimed otherwise.
“All of a sudden, a burst of gunfire goes right between our heads,” said Chris Whitcomb, a former member of the FBI’s hostage rescue team. “Someone in this building stayed behind a sniper rifle to the bitter end as it burned to the ground, and their last act on earth was to try to shoot me in the head. That is devotion.”
Only nine members of the cult survived the 51-day siege. Heather Jones was the last child to leave Mount Carmel alive. In all, four federal agents and 82 Branch Davidians, including 28 children, died in Waco.
Jim Cavanaugh from Waco: American Apocalypse (Photo courtesy of Netflix)“We tried everything but we couldn’t overcome the influence he had on their minds,” said Jim Cavanaugh, an ATF special agent, of Koresh’s influence over his followers. “You couldn’t convince them to come out because that would be a rejection of the person they believed was…God.”
On the last day of the siege, Koresh died from a gunshot wound as Mount Carmel burst into flames.
“I think about Waco every day. Every day for 30 years,” said ATF Special Agent Bill Buford. “To Koresh, you are the most worthless individual on this earth, or you were that you would do this to humans. And I hope you rot in hell, burn in hell. Because you deserve it.”
Waco: American Apocalypse is currently available to stream on Netflix. Watch a trailer about it via YouTube below: