With its bell-ringing calls for social justice -- this was in the fractious 1960s and early '70s -- the little-known church near Ukiah catered to the closet revolutionary in Deborah Layton. Loudspeakers Their accounts led to an expos in New West Magazine planned for publication in summer 1977. the mass [41], In 2017, he appeared in a middle school in Havelock, North Carolina to explain his prison experiences. Lisa, Deborah and Larry Layton all went to Jonestown, but in May 1978, Deborah, increasingly disturbed by Jones' paranoid ravings and brutal treatment of his flock, escaped and flew back to the United States. [10][26] While recounting his prison experiences he said: "I saw inmates stabbed and friends die" and "I saw young men raped and pimped out as prostitutes for other inmates. he So many people wanted to defect that we had to call Georgetown to request an extra plane. I spoke with a woman named Edith Parks, the matriarch of three generations of Temple members who wanted out. a life Larry Layton Obituary (1962 - 2017) | Johnstown, Pennsylvania - Echovita On Thursday, officials revealed that not all had been brought to a final resting place. Larry Layton had gotten onto the truck with us, which struck me as a glaring red flaghe was an entrenched member of the hierarchy, one of the true believers. [8] Lawton later said that he used a BB gun during the robbery. As the bodies were identified, the military asked about a half-dozen local funeral homes to help the families make arrangements. But when her own child started asking questions, Layton broke family When people refer to the Jonestown massacre as a mass suicide, I am enraged. of All were visiting Jonestown on a fact-finding mission to investigate reports of abuses of members. well, it wasn't there. The robbers drew what police at the time believed were firearms, and restrained the store owner. 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? It felt like a Mack truck had just sped over me. [8], In 2019, he made a video with Vanity Fair where he analyzed fictional robberies from films such as The Italian Job and Heat. Don hung back for a moment before approaching Congressman Ryan and me at the picnic table and surreptitiously passing along the note. She was entrusted with flights to Europe and Panama to open Temple bank accounts, where Jones stashed the millions he was taking from Temple members who freely gave him their life savings, their homes and just about everything else. But allegations of wrongdoing mounted, and Jones moved the settlement to Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. Most complied, although survivors described some people being shot, injected with poison, or forced to drink the deadly beverage when they tried to resist. GUYANA - NOVEMBER 18: People's Temple follower Larry Layton (C) stands with police following his arrest November 18, 1978 in the shooting of two people on a remote Guyana airstrip. Layton had denounced his sister Debbie for defecting, telling Speier that Jonestown was "an extraordinarily good . Infants cannot commit suicide. Hes a jug, and nothing more. [43] He also hosted a local talk radio show. The approach continued even after hed moved from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. Layton spent approximately 18 years in either the Georgetown Gaol in Guyana or U.S. federal prisons before his release in April 2002. The article dissected Joness rise, revealing his practices of manipulation, public humiliation and fake faith healings, called out the Temples corrupt financial structure, and included ex-members testimonies of sexual assault and brutal beatings by Jones or at his command. Never one to accept second-hand information, he decided to embark on a fact-findingand potentially life-savingtrip. "The people that joined Peoples Temple were really good people. We accompanied Assemblyman Ryan to shopping centers and campaign events to pass out pamphlets and speak with voters. Dwyer, Speier and nine others were wounded. White Night!" seemed to have them for us.". Indescribable pain consumed me, leaving room only for a fleeting thought that I should pretend to be dead. The tumult of the late 60s and early 70s had left masses of people searching for a greater sense of security and purpose. There was a scary side to the Peoples Temple -- beatings of fractious members, Jim Jones, with his omnipresent dark glasses and his sweeping red robe, was the anchor of her newfound life and, like many Temple members, she was mesmerized by him. Layton's sister Debbie's departure from the Peoples Temple and denunciation of Jones in May 1978 led her brother to leave California to join the settlement in Guyana. Frostburg man arrested in recent firearm incident "Whatever journey the ashes took in the U.S. is secondary. In between his trials, he lived under an assumed name in Eureka and, more recently, in San Francisco, where he sold real estate and took computer classes. believed he could best survive the atomic apocalypse he expected. Larry Layton, who had posed as a defector and wounded two people, is serving As I was transferred onto a gurney, I was conscious enough to look up and see a big, gleaming white plane with The United States of America written on the side. Ryan traveled to Guyana after winning his fourth congressional term to investigate reports from cult defectors--including Laytons sister, Debra--that the cult was holding members against their will. Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? In May 1978, she was sent by Jones to Georgetown to chaperone some Temple children on a cultural exchange. A few showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. Larry Layton was convicted in 1986 by a federal jury in San Francisco of conspiring in the 1978 murder of California congressman Leo Ryan and aiding and abetting in the attempted murder of. I Everybody bolted in different directions. 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. The government records below outline many of the details of his arrest, his incarceration, the investigations into his role in the attacks, and his trials. In 1978, I went to Guyana on a fact-finding mission. Layton became a senior insider in Jones' entourage. He genuinely believed that he had some sort of protective shield around him, despite the fact that we werent traveling with any military escort or protection. 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. At least 10 other Americans were wounded in the attack. She managed to contact her sister in Davis, who wired a ticket to Georgetown, where Layton and other Temple members were staying in a house the Temple owned. Inquisitive by nature, he was a proponent of experiential legislating, preferring to go out and experience issues firsthand before he decided what to do. I barely got a wink of sleep. 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. Rep. Ryan and I arranged to meet her. [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. Layton became a senior insider in Jones' entourage. In August 1979, he joined the Coast Guard[9] and took part in the Mariel boatlift. He founded a free health clinic and a drug rehabilitation program, emerging as a political force. After the war, Mr. Layton had a series of government jobs. 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. The Guyanese did not release Layton until now because one of his defense lawyers said his client owed him $37,000 in unpaid bills. It wasnt unusual for Temple members to be awakened at dawn over the loudspeaker and summoned to the pavilion for one of his increasingly unhinged sermons. Laytons lawyer said that made Layton more susceptible to Jones spell. Among them were George Moscone, who the Peoples Temple played a significant role in electing mayor in 1975, and Harvey Milk, the pioneering openly gay city supervisor, who went so far as to write a letter to President Jimmy Carter extolling Joness work and rebutting charges that he was abusive. Sam was certain Jones had something to do with his sons death. I was later told that he had been shot 45 times. Youll see what a wonderful place it is. He took us on a tour highlighting the most favorable aspects of the commune. 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. The discovery reopened wounds. jungle. We worked quickly to locate and speak to the individuals whose families had contacted our office and had been campaigning for their return. But I was one of very few women who held senior staff positions in Congress at the time, and I was concerned that if I gave in to my reluctance and let a male colleague go in my place, Id be setting back women in politics. Jonestown survivor Deborah Layton grew up in a house of secrets. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every . by He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Fox News. because I was too [10], Lawton executed his first robbery when he was 28, an inside job to collect insurance money. His appearance was part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. [38][5][9] In 2013, the Brevard County Jail re-introduced chain gangs as a pilot project with the goal of deterring crime. SAN FRANCISCO . Layton was originally charged in Guyana with the attempted murder of three defectors from the Peoples Temple. homeless and help addicts get clean. [32] By 2010, Lawton had shipped 10,000 DVDs across the country. High 56F. "We would do what they wanted, either cremation or send the bodies back home. It was imminently clear Jonestown was a hierarchical community, with the power structure resembling some sort of plantation: the majority of the Temple members were black, while the leadership was almost exclusively white. The robbers had been there the day before and returned asking about a ring. blew open," she says. Ryan did not look or behave like your typical politician. [29][13] The program is four hours long. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. He preached a social gospel, attracting devotees while promoting a community that did not discriminate or take into account race, background, or previous circumstances. [44] Lawton has a YouTube channel, and he has made videos analyzing heists in movies and video games such as Grand Theft Auto V; he also plays Prison Architect. [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. Escape came in May 1978 when Jones sent Layton to Georgetown as A man followed him and slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand, then disappeared back into the crowd. U.S. District Judge Robert F. Peckham recommended that parole authorities consider releasing Layton in five years.