All were visiting Jonestown on a fact-finding mission to investigate reports of abuses of members. Jones then orchestrated a ritual of mass murder and suicide at the group's nearby agricultural commune, ordering followers to drink cyanide-laced grape punch. That same year, Congressman Ryan read a newspaper article about a constituent of his named Sam Houston, whose son had been a member of Jim Jones Peoples Temple and, in 1976, died under suspicious circumstances after having a phone conversation in which he confessed to wanting to leave the group. Several cemeteries refused to take them until the Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California, stepped forward in 1979 and accepted 409 bodies. It was just a matter of time. By that time, it was obvious that some of his disciples intended to leave. Laytons first trial ended in a hung jury in 1981, with 11 of the 12 jurors voting to acquit him. But allegations of wrongdoing mounted, and Jones moved the settlement to Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. He called Layton the ultimate victim of Jim Jones.. [8], In 2019, he made a video with Vanity Fair where he analyzed fictional robberies from films such as The Italian Job and Heat. Mr. Layton's children said his one wish in his later years was that his son, Larry, could be freed. Layton was 17 when her already converted brother, Larry, introduced her races," hundreds of followers working to feed the hungry, house the and Jones responded by telling them that if any actions were taken to remove John, the entire Jonestown population would commit suicide. After the churchs initial development, it began to be based more and more on social and humanitarian efforts. 20 Years Later, Jonestown Survivor Confronts Horrors - SFGATE It was the final stop for a group that for nearly 10 years had fascinated and, in the end, horrified the Bay Area. Dissent was unthinkable. Clearing away those cobwebs meant writing a book -- it's called "Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple." blew open," she says. Never one to accept second-hand information, he decided to embark on a fact-findingand potentially life-savingtrip. Jones died of a gunshot wound to the head. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. [21] Lawton was arrested by the FBI on December 2, 1996, in Florida and charged with the Fairless Hills armed robbery. and [29][13] The program is four hours long. Ryan invited members of the press and a few of the Concerned Relatives to join him. Born in Crete, Indiana, in 1931, Jim Jones grew up an outcast and underdog, and was fixated on being recognized as someone greater. He. Watch movie trailers, order food and drinks online, find luxury seating, and see showtimes of feature films and movies currently playing near you at Megaplex Theatres. With the camp surrounded by his armed guards, he told his followers to give the medicinegrape FlavorAid and Kool-Aid laced with cyanide and tranquilizersto the children and the elderly first. Larry Howard Layton, 80, of Green Valley, AZ passed away December 10, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. Ryan did not look or behave like your typical politician. Returning to the pavilion area, I sought out other anxious-looking members. The next day, preparing to leave with about 20 defectors, Ryan's party His wife, Lisa, his daughter, Deborah, and another son, Larry, all became disciples of the Rev. Police investigating homicide at northwest Austin apartment complex Monday night, DPS searching for driver responsible for killing motorcyclist, fleeing scene, Storm chances return Thursday; some could be strong, Slow debris clean-up in Little Walnut Creek leads to flooded homes during rainstorms. Infants cannot commit suicide. After he passed legislation improving prison conditions, the inmates showed their gratitude by giving him a chess set they had sculpted from toothpaste and toilet paper. He spoke often of apocalypseJones chose Redwood Valley because he believed it was one of a few places in the country that could survive a nuclear holocaustyet insisted the Peoples Temple would exist as a sort of heaven on Earth, with himself in the role of God. Instead he proposed a better use of law enforcement resources would be to "help inmates with drug addiction. Larry Layton Obituary (1962 - 2017) | Johnstown, Pennsylvania - Echovita November 18, 1978 Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones (left) shakes hands with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (right) after being sworn in to serve on the San Francisco Housing Authority, Nov. 24, 1977. Leo Ryan assured me that there was nothing to worry about. SAN FRANCISCO Larry Layton was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for his role in conspiring to murder Rep. Leo Ryan in Guyana in 1978. Behind the wheel of an airplane, I waited for the shooting to stop and said my Act of Contrition, praying for forgiveness and waiting for the lights to go out. Jones, who founded his church in Indiana and moved here in 1970, relocated to Guyana, a former British colony in South America, in 1977 after critical press accounts about his politically prominent sect. The base has handled mass casualties of both military personnel and civilians from wars, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the NASA Challenger and Columbia space shuttle missions. Everybody bolted in different directions. Layton, the cult's X-ray technician and a former conscientious objector, allegedly posed as a false defector from Jones and left the Jonestown commune the day of the mass-suicide. All of those children. Water is sufficient for hydration unless you are participating in an activity that lasts longer than one hour. Rep. Leo Ryan, who was working with San Francisco area residents worried Mr.. Her book "Seductive Poison" will be in bookstores in November. [11] He then began robbing jewelry stores along the Atlantic Coast,[3] using his contacts within the Gambino crime family to fence the stolen merchandise. Frostburg man arrested in recent firearm incident Larry Layton was the only person prosecuted for any of the events in and around Jonestown. The killings occurred shortly before more than 900 followers of Jones died in a mass suicide at Jonestown, a settlement founded by Jones in the remote Guyanese jungle of South America. Horrible Photos From the 1978 Jonestown Massacre, the Worst - Vintag Jones ran the Peoples Temple in San Francisco in the early 1970s. They reported the car's license plate, which linked the car to Lawton. [13], In May 1994, three males robbed a jewelry store in Daytona Beach, Florida, netting $500,000 (nearly $950,000 in 2022)[14] worth of gold and diamonds. It did not sit well with me. Reassured that they were on their way, we parked ourselves at a few picnic tables in the far corner of the pavilion area. [26] He was incarcerated in many prisons during his sentence, which included Jesup in Georgia, Riker's Island in New York, Edgefield in South Carolina, and Yazoo City in Mississippi. [32] By 2010, Lawton had shipped 10,000 DVDs across the country. Most of them were sent back home," said funeral director William Torbert Sr., 79. Nearly 30 years later, her mother long dead in a rotting jungle outpost in Guyana, her brother doing life in a federal prison and her father so broken that he weeps at the mention of anything connected with Jones-, town, Deborah Layton has, as she put it the other day, "decided it was time to come out of the cobwebbed attic.". [30][33] He was the first ex-con to ever become an honorary police officer. Young and unanchored, Layton was charmed as Jones fixed his penetrating Horoscope for Monday, 5/01/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, Major SF retail store slated to permanently close, Warriors' biggest hater made a cowardly Game 7 'bet', Draymond Green rips Domantas Sabonis: 'Lost a lot of respect', More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, Esalen Institute sued over alleged use of video with the N-word, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7. In a cabin with about six women from the Temple, I took a top bunk, sweating as a downpour opened up outside. "It was a warm day and all of a sudden a breeze came up and the back door Roper estimates that if the Kool-Aid Man were brought up to the scale represented in the iconic ads, he would measure about 6 feet tall, have a dry weight of almost 6,000 pounds (11,000 pounds when filled with Kool-Aid), and his glass frame would measure 3.6 inches thick. Then daughter Lauren started asking questions. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Answering wasn't easy -- "How do you tell a child that hundreds of children Traumatizing family rifts erupted on the spot, with mothers and fathers engaged in literal tug-of-wars over their children. In May 1978, she was sent by Jones to Georgetown to chaperone some Temple children on a cultural exchange. "All the survivors in touch with me are traumatized because that door had been closed," said Jonestown survivor Laura Johnston Kohl, now a retired teacher from San Diego. Sure enough, I could tell he had. jungle. Perhaps death is better than this.". ", "I thought, what a waste. U.S. District Judge Robert F. Peckham recommended that parole authorities consider releasing Layton in five years. In all, Layton was convicted of four charges--conspiracy and aiding and abetting in the shootings of Ryan and Dwyer. Larry Lawton is the only ex-con in the US to be sworn in as an Honorary Police Officer and the only ex-con to be recognized on the Floor of the United States Congress for helping Young People . . [8][12] At one point, he purchased an Italian pizza restaurant in North Lauderdale, Florida, which he later burned down as part of an insurance fraud. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Larry Layton (Johnstown, Pennsylvania), who passed away on December 21, 2017 at the age of 55. He is serving a life sentence in the federal prison at Lompoc. He was met with mostly beaming declarations At the end of the evening, Rep. Ryan walked onstage and thanked the group. Whatever impelled me to send in the card changed the course of my life. Excerpt from UNDAUNTED: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back by Jackie Speier, reprinted under a license arrangement originating with Amazon Publishing. Jones greeted us at the compound. The Prosecutions of Larry Layton - Alternative - Jonestown The Jonestown remains were found at the former Minus Funeral Home after the property's current owner, a bank, called, according to Dover police and public records. fake healings. By that time, darker elements had seeped into Jones sermons. As a trusted financial lieutenant for cult leader Jim Jones, she kept secrets I would be in the first group; Congressman Ryan insisted that he stay behind to make certain that every person who wanted to leave made it to Port Kaituma safely. That same day, precipitated by the shootings, over 900 members of the People's Temple Cult led by Reverend Jim Jones died in Jonestown, Guyana of mass murder and suicide. In 1954, he was named director of research at the Navy's munitions factory in Indian Head, Md., where he designed missile fuels. ", Looking back on it 20 years later, she says, "I put everything in denial and locked it down. [41], In 2017, he appeared in a middle school in Havelock, North Carolina to explain his prison experiences. [15][18], In 1996, there was a robbery of a jeweler in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. Chief among my concerns was how cozy Jones appeared to be with members of the embassy: How could any Jonestown resident feel safe reporting an injustice to a U.S. official who is arm in arm with Jim Jones in every image? United Press International. However, Layton was acquitted of the lesser charges and the prosecution announced it would not try him on the murder counts, carrying a mandatory sentence of death by hanging. Others, who presumably refused to drink the Kool-Aida flippant, misguided phrase I very much wish could be scrubbed from our lexiconwere injected with cyanide and other poisons. by [25] He received an additional sentence in 2002 for giving false witness. Larry Lawton. The morning after our arrival, Congressman Ryan, Jim Schollaert and I attended a closed-door briefing by Ambassador John Burke and his staff at the U.S. Embassy. DOVER, Del. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Their accounts led to an expos in New West Magazine planned for publication in summer 1977. murder-suicide that shocked the world 20 years ago this month. I hope tonight is the last one. I would never have left Jonestown with Congressman Ryan. Back in the compound, Jones was choreographing [2] The book is published in Italy, France, Australia, Germany, Thailand and United Kingdom. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? Once, Debbie continued, Jones woke up the camp in the early hours of the morning. Laytons mother, also a Peoples Temple member, died of cancer in Jonestown two weeks before the massacre. Larry Layton, who posed as a defector, was captured after badly wounding two people inside a plane trying to take off. After that trip, I remember telling myself that never again would I witness such violence at such close range. Twenty years after Jonestown, a survivor looks back. afraid. Layton was originally charged in Guyana with the attempted murder of three defectors from the Peoples Temple. Anyone running afoul of Jonestowns security detail was put in a labor camp and forced to clear jungle. about Sam was far from the only person concerned about Jones malicious influence over a loved one. Later that night, Jones had another suicide exercise. [42][13], Lawton has made many media appearances. family members in the cult. He would hang a picture of my mom in his office and look at it in an effort to immunize himself to the feeling of loss, to challenge himself so he would get over it. It was utter pandemonium. To the volatile flight home. became chairman in 1976. On Thursday, officials revealed that not all had been brought to a final resting place. [23][34], The superintendent of student services at Brevard Public Schools declined to use the program and questioned its effectiveness: "[w]hile the program is well-organized and well-intentioned, it does not follow the scientific evidence-based research guidelines". But he was acquitted, partly because witnesses would not return there from the United States. Five bullets had ripped through me, devastating the right side of my body. Reportedly the court lifted restraints upon his travel after realizing they were not going to get paid. I am taking solace in knowing that Larry Layton is going to pay back society for having assassinated the first congressman ever in this country, said Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), who had accompanied Ryan on the trip as an aide. NBC news correspondent Don Harris was part of our delegation, and was well versed on the accusations against Jones. The lessons of Jonestown could help us prevent terrorism and mass NEW YORK -- Larry Layton, a member of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple cult, flew to New York Friday night to face arraignment for the killing of Rep. Leo Ryan in the Guyanese jungles two years ago. Congressman Ryan assured me that there was nothing to worry about. At the airport, Temple members who found out she was fleeing implored her not to leave. But at the time, none of that occurred to me; I was thrilled to be working for a candidate I believed inone who always treated me with respect. Those who refused were shot; children were injected with poison. Larry Layton is a scapegoat for everyone connected with the Peoples Temple mass deaths eight years ago and had no part . Peoples Temple was successful in recruiting new members because they always provided what the community needed, a case of supply and demand. He and four others were killed. Offenders sweltered in "The Box," a 6-by-4-foot Robert Bryan, who took over the case after Laytons conviction, said he hopes to win a new trial for Layton.
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