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05/12/93
Top Koresh aides died near him, authorities say
By Lee Hancock / The Dallas Morning News
Branch Davidian lieutenant Steve Schneider died near his cult leader David Koresh, and like Mr. Koresh, suffered an apparent gunshot wound in the head, authorities said Tuesday.
The charred torsos of Mr. Schneider and cult lawyer Wayne Martin, whose cause of death has not been determined, were found near Mr. Koresh's remains, and both bodies had gold Star of David necklaces around their necks, said McLennan County Justice of the Peace Cindy Evans.
The release of the identities of 12 more cultists came the same day that a senior U.S. Treasury Department official met in Houston and Dallas with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents to discuss his department's review of the ill-fated Feb. 28 raid on the Branch Davidian compound.
Ted Royster, special agent in charge of the Dallas ATF office, said his agents met about an hour with Assistant Treasury Secretary Ronald Noble, who oversees ATF and the department's other law enforcement agencies.
Agent Royster said agents have been concerned that the Treasury Department has not visibly supported their agency since the raid, which left four ATF agents dead and 16 wounded. The raid began a standoff that came to a fiery end April 19 after FBI agents began spraying tear gas into the cult's compound.
Agent Royster said he raised concerns about Treasury's support of the agency when he and other ATF field commanders met with Mr. Noble in Washington last week. Mr. Noble "indicated that there was support, but it wasn't being publicized,' he said.
Seventy-eight bodies have been recovered from the compound since the fire. Five were cult members believed killed in the Feb. 28 raid. Those include Winston Blake, 28, of Britain, and Peter James Hipsman, 28, whose identities were released Tuesday.
With the additional gunshot wounds revealed Tuesday, at least eight, and possibly 11 of the 16 victims publicly identified had gunshots wounds. Authorities said last week that they had evidence that at least 15 cult members sustained gunshot wounds.
One of those was Mr. Schneider, who died of inhalation of smoke and carbon monoxide with a possible traumatic head injury believed to have been caused by a gunshot blast, said Justice of the Peace John Cabaniss..
Mr. Schneider's body was found in the same room where authorities discovered the charred torso of Mr. Koresh-a kitchen area known as the cult's communication room, said Judge Evans.
Within 10 or 15 feet, Judge Evans said, authorities discovered the body of Mr. Martin, a Harvard-educated lawyer who accompanied Mr. Schneider in direct negotiations with an FBI agent and McLennan County Sheriff Jack Harwell during the 51-day siege.
Judge Evans said weapons were discovered "all around' the bodies of Mr. Koresh and his lieutenants, but she said she and other county officials have been asked not to discuss what guns they saw.
She said Mr. Martin and Mr. Schneider and some of the other male followers found in the compound wore tiny dime-size Stars of David.
It is the first indication that male cultists wore the emblems Mr.
Koresh adopted as his own. Several female children released from the compound wore the stars, and former cult members indicated that the emblems were used by Mr. Koresh to signify girls whom he had chosen to be his wives.
"The stars were clearly evident on some of the charred bodies. It was weird. I don't know what it means,' Judge Evans said.
Other victims identified Tuesday included Alrick George Bennett, 35, of Britain; Juliet Santoyo Martinez, 30; Floyd Leon Houtman, 61;
Susan Marjorie Benta, 41, of Britain; Doris Adina Fagan, 60, of Britain; Kathrine Alrede, 24, of Canada; Rosemary Morrison, 29, of Britain; and Mary Jean E. Borst, 49.
Ms. Aldred, Ms. Morrison, Ms. Martinez and Mr. Bennett were found inside the bunker.
The causes of death were pending for Ms. Martinez, Mr. Houtman, Mr.
Martin and Ms. Benta, officials said.
Although about 17 children also were believed to have died in the fired, authorities said they probably will be more difficult to identify.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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