He, much like the authorities, found it odd that everything Daniel touched turned to ash eventually. I dont think [cults] are common, McGrath said. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 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. Then they deported him to Mexico. But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder. Famous celebrities from Wichita include actress Kristie Alley, Don Johnson, and Hattie McDaniel, who was the first African American to win an Oscar for her role in Gone With the Wind. More than 900 people died at Jonestown. Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, was sentenced to life in prison for murder and the rape of children in his cult, known as the Angel's Landing commune. Insurance salesman Bill Hatton confirmed Daniel Perez collected $2 million from the death of Patricia Hughes alone. Emily was 10-years-old at the time. It was three months into K.L. It was after K.L. You can move on and life can be good after a storm.. This "angel," however, wasactually namedDaniel Perez, and was found guilty in February 2015 of fraud, child exploitation, rape and first-degree murder. The Wichita Eagle noted that the Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry showed Perez raped girls ranging in age from 8 to 16. Market data provided by Factset. . I guess he appeared innocent or as someone who cared too much. He asked Emily if she would like to be there when it happened. After guests arrived, the venue burst into flames. By the 1970s, the group had communes around the country and outposts overseas. (Photo courtesy of Oxygen. Cults have made headlines around the world for many years and continue to fascinate in documentaries and popular podcasts. Trish, age 26, was pronounced dead with her cause of death being accidental drowning. While police do not believe that there was any foul play associated with Carlson's death, seven members of the group were arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse and two counts of child abuse. Authorities also noted numerous high-end vehicles on the property, despite the community's apparent lack of financial resources. Emily was 10-years-old at the time. However, Daniel Perez was not dead. He died in a freak accident at the autobody shop where he worked in March 2006. In the beginning, things were all fine and dandy. He had become depressed and was talking to Perez more often, Sara told Oxygen. Lafferty claimed he committed the killing after a revelation from God. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The two would have a child, Angelica in December 2004. In 2001, there was a plane crash that killed a group member, her boyfriend, and her 12-year-old daughter. Daniel Perez didnt stay in Corpus Christi long and by the summer of 1996, he had moved to North Dakota. Let's start with one you might not have heard about. The Russian doomsday cult was founded by Pyotr Kuznetsov. Investigators initially believed she drowned while trying to rescue her 2-year-old daughter from a swimming pool. The tally includes two Utah men who have died in the last month. He had met the group through Brian whom he had worked construction with. Here, women prepare a communal meal in a Children of God mess hall in 1971. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections Daniel Perez was convicted of 20 counts of sexual abuse of children, with his victims ranging in age from 8 to 16, according to the sex offender registry in Kansas. Castro told a friend, Phillip Young, that he didnt think that Brian would be returning to the group. 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. 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. Soon after, the compound erupted in a massive blaze. However, her mother seemed to be enthralled with the self-proclaimed angel and believed he had their best interests in mind. Was he clairvoyant? K.L. As for his crimes in Texas that he had pleaded guilty to, but admits he never served any time for. 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. She eventually began dating a man named Daniel McGrath. The movement still has followers in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. 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. If theres one message McGrath hopes viewers will get from experience is that cults can find ways to entrap people without them even realizing it. Castro/Venegas was taken into custody that day. My mom had a journal and she had written how she felt she needed to protect Lou -- or Daniel, McGrath reflected. When the police arrived there, they saw many luxury cards, most valued above $40,000. On his way to his sentencing, he had been abducted by four uniformed men who beat him and left him for dead. 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. She's seen here leaving the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after sentencing. ), FORGOTTEN WEST MEMPHIS THREE DOC AIMS TO GIVE VICTIMS OF NOTORIOUS CRIME 'THEIR VOICES BACK, HOST SAYS. At the time, there were. The first seven, including leader Shoko Asahara, were hangedin early July 2018, and the remaining members were executed later that month. Perez, now 62, is behind bars at the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to theKansas Sex Offender Registry. DETECTIVE RECALLS MEETING TRUCK STOP KILLER BRUCE MENDENHALL IN DEADLY RECALL: THERES EVIL OUT THERE. He wasnt sure if he was dumped in Texas or Mexico. She was also the first African American to attend the Oscars. The girl said she actually heard a splash and a scream and then saw Perez wet and out of breath. Castro had gone into a restaurant to have a meal with someone and when he left Detective Goodwyn collected Castros water glass and silverware. She also said she was the reincarnation of both Jesus Christ and Marilyn Monroe. He had become depressed and was talking to Perez more often, one of the survivors, Sara, told Oxygen. 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. At that point in time, both of them resided at Angel's Landing, a 20-acre property in rural Kansas. It was extremely scary, she said. There, he would murder at least one of his followers and repeatedly rape children on his commune. Daniel Perez testified in his defense along with three other witnesses. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. After three months the small group moved back to Wichita, Kansas where they lived in some townhomes while looking for permanent housing. Five drug smugglers were arrested in connection with the murders. Hernandez might need to play every day for Boston, and Fenway Park remains a soft landing. Hughes death was initially ruled accidental. Perez was found guilty in February 2015 of fraud, child exploitation, rape and first-degree murder. On April 19, federal agents launched tear gas to try to force people out. This came to fruition in June 2003 when Patricia Hughes, who lived on the property, died. Both sisters want to help other people who are facing similar manipulations and abuse at the hands of others. Also on the properties were barn-like structures that housed the groups various vehicles and Castros large model airplane collection. In August 2003, Trishs death benefit was paid out to her husband Brian. He was able to look at bank balances for the majority of the group members. 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. Prosecutors said at his trial that he aimed to use life insurance proceeds from the deaths of his followers to live a lavish lifestyle. Over the years, Perez collected millions of dollars in life insurance policies from members who died. Jennifer would die in a car accident when she ran into a fully loaded hauling truck and was killed instantly. At first, Angels landing was like a kids dream More on #Dateline tonight at 9/8c with @Dateline_Dennis. Several former members have alleged they were sexually assaulted and beaten as children. Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature. He went by many names, but the people close to him knew him as one of three angels that possessed special powers. 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. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. He also claimed he could predict when someone would die. Datelines Angels and Demons episode discusses their trials and tribulations, and their lives after losing their mother in the commune. 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. According to the reports, eye witness statements reported that there was no way Jennifer didnt see she was heading straight into the oncoming truck. By 1978, the population there had swelled to about 900. She initially pleaded not guilty. Daniel Perez, AKA Lou Castro. Soon after, new more expensive vehicles showed up on the driveway. 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. Castro immediately took an interest in the young girl and she posed provocatively in a swimsuit as he took pictures. 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. Two weeks after their conversation, Castro told Emily that it was time. Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, was sentenced to life in prison for murder and the rape of children in his cult, known as the Angel's Landing commune. Mona also met a man named Jim and the couple soon became engaged. The group believed that the apocalypse would occur on Dec. 31, 1999, and to avoid damnation, members had to follow the Ten Commandments very strictly. 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. About 5 years later, the group isolated themselves from their friends, family and the public, and relied on the internet to recruit new members. They believed him. ", The Messed Up Truth About Cult Leader Daniel Perez. Earlier this year, commune members Sara and 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. His sex offender registry indicates he began abusing children in 2001, and the abuse spanned more than a decade, ending in 2015. Pictured from left, Charles Manson followers Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. Perez was charged with 28 felonies. With those certificated, Trish was paid the death benefits. It is near Valley Center and Kechi. Thirteen hikers have fallen and died from Angels Landing, or the trail to it, since 2000, according to records compiled by FOX 13. Only Castro, Trish, Emily, Sarah, and Nicole were at Angels Landing that day. Perez was charged with multiple criminal counts, including first-degree murder. 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