The Sinful Messiah

By Mark England and Darlene Mccormick

Waco Tribune-Herald, Feb 27, 1993
This series was cached from the Waco Tribune-Herald website when it was republished in 2018 as a retrospective.

"The Sinful Messiah" was a seven-part serial exposè published by the Waco Tribune-Herald starting February 27, 1993, the day before the raid on Mt. Carmel.  The accusations against the sect and their leader, David Koresh, did much to pacify public protest of the attack and murder of the Branch Davidians. Click to enlarge.

On Saturday [February 27, 1993], the Waco Tribune-Herald published the first story of an indepth series exposing the Branch Davidians and their leader, Vernon Howell.  The series has become part of the unfolding story in Waco.  Managing editor Barbara Elmore said federal authorities asked the newspaper "not to run anything."  But the newspaper, which had been investigating the sect for eight months, decided that it had held the stories long enough.  The head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms task force, asked this week whether the series had triggered the agency's raid on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, said there was no connection.  Here are the stories that made up what was to be a seven-part series.  The articles have been edited to eliminate duplication and redundancy.

Note: Even while admitting that "David Koresh" was the man's legal name, the Waco Tribune-Herald called him "Vernon Howell" or "Howell" throughout, as did the government reports.  That insistance on an error is puzzling: If the Tribune-Herald and the government cannot be truthful in a detail so trivial, what is their claim to truth in matters more substantial?
  1. February 27, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part One
    — A long, troubled road led Branch Davidians to Waco
  2. February 28, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Two
    — Religion student Marc Breault is introduced to a bizarre Texas cult
  3. March 1, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Three
    — Howell closely directs the grim daily lives of cult members
  4. March 2, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Four
    — An incident involving Howell, a young girl
  5. March 3, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Five
    — Teaching of the New Light leaves followers thunderstruck
  6. March 4, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Six
    — Some followers start looking for a way out of Howell's control
  7. March 5, 1993: (cached) The Sinful Messiah: Part Seven
    — Howell travels to Australia to reclaim scattered flock; a showdown with Marc Breault


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