But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder. TV actress Allison Mack (center) was sentenced on June 30, 2021, to three years for her role in the alleged cult. Investigators in Sedgwick County, Kansas learned that Lou Perez and the Angels Landing commune was tied to six deaths which were ruled accidental. They believed him. She was eight months pregnant. Perez was charged with multiple criminal counts, including first-degree murder. It is just that he serve the maximum sentence., The district attorney, Marc Bennett, agreed, calling Perez a puppet master., READ NEXT: Kidnapping Survivor Abby Hernandez Reveals How She Never Lost Hope, Angels Landing Survivors Open Up About Escaping The Deadly Cult, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Daniel Perez takes the stand in his trial. Where Are Sara and Emily from Dateline's Angels and Demons Now? From that search, investigators discovered 11 firearms, 2 wallets that contained identification for Lou Castro and Joe Venegas along with a social security card and birth certificate for Joe Venegas. Applewhite plus 38 other people between the ages of 26 and 72 died in three groups over three days. Sara McGrath said she was too scared to come forward with her story. On the stand, he said the beating he received in Mexico had caused him to have amnesia for years. In 2008, she would also lose her mother in a freak car crash. 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. [Perez] was telling him, One day youll get your chance to go to the other side,' she said. Sara McGrath with her mother during happier times. Ron Goodwyn, a Wichita Narcotics Detective, had been investigating Lou Castro and his group in 2003; the year Trish died. Tonight on NBCsDateline NBC, correspondent Dennis Murphy looks into the case of Angels Landing and cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers he was a centuries-year-old angel who could see the future, predict their deaths and heal their injuries. Manson instructed followers to kill people because he believed the murders would provoke the race war. The leaders planned a big party at a secluded church. She was their real estate agent from Missouri who moved with her two daughters Emily, age 10, and Sarah. They led to millions of dollars in life insurance payouts. It was three months into K.L. Among the deaths was Hughes husband, Brian, who died in a freak accident at the auto body shop where he worked in March 2006. Perez was, horrifyingly, raping Sara under the guise of fixing her, and the abuse continued on for 7 years. Investigators would later learn Hughes was collecting millions of dollars in life insurance payouts, and that six deaths ruled as accidents were connected to the cult. First, there were the fancy cars most of the vehicles on the property were worth more than $40,000, according to theWichita Eagle. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. By 1978, the population there had swelled to about 900. . Daniel Perez, AKA Lou Castro. The problem was that some of them ended up dying in tragic accidents leaving behind large insurance policies. I think that my situation was very uncommon. 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. They said they would commit suicide if authorities intervened. I was 10 when my childhood was over, one witness said during his sentencing hearing. Things somewhat took a turn for the better when she met her boyfriend Daniel McGrath. In addition to providing Perez with a steady income, his predictions of the deaths helped convince his followers that he was a prophet. All 530 in attendance, including dozens of children, were killed. He collected more than $1 million in life insurance payouts from Hughes death alone. He had become depressed and was talking to Perez more often, one of the survivors, Sara, told Oxygen. He claimed that the women of the group held the money and had the final say in all matters. Their mother believed that he was an angel who could predict peoples death. At his trial, she even said that she was made to tape an 8-year old undressing as well at least twice. The government also had eyes on the group because they believed Koresh was stockpiling weapons. By the 1970s, the group had communes around the country and outposts overseas. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! By 2007, the acts of sexual violence increased with all three girls. Goodwyn began working with federal agents and found the identity Perez was likely about to inhabit next, in Tennessee. Joseph Di Mambro's gun was found during the investigation. "Deadly Cults" airs Sunday, May 3 at 7 p.m. on Oxygen. Then, she saw Perez, wet and out of breath. He convinced his communal. You can survive a traumatic event, she told Fox News. Goodwyn began to do an internet search to find out what he could on Lou Castro. But in the 1990s, authorities in Canada began investigating the group amid accusations of sexual misconduct, and people started to leave. There was nothing I could do, she said, of the nearly seven years of sexual abuse she suffered at Perez's hand. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Leaders even discouraged talking to avoid breaking the Ninth Commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.". In fact, most of his other crimes also took place on Angels Landing. Five drug smugglers were arrested in connection with the murders. The fix her part of his plan was to have sex with her on an ongoing basis. ), TED BUNDYS EX-GIRLFRIEND RECALLS HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SERIAL KILLER IN DOC: I WAS DEVASTATED. By the spring of 2002, the small group had purchased three homes side-by-side in Sedgwick County, Kansas which is outside Valley Center. She, as per the Dateline episode, was a paralegal in South Carolina, with hopes and ambitions of becoming a lawyer. But the big break came when a girl told investigators she was 11 years old when Perez told her to give authorities a made-up story about Hughes demise. In 1994, a man who spoke against the cult was killed in his home, along with his wife and baby. There was an autopsy conducted with the coroner finding that Trish had a blunt force injury to her head, but based upon witness statements of her being seen slipping and hitting her head then drowning her death was ruled accidental. However, by the time Perezs trial rolled around charges had been amended to one count of first-degree premeditated murder; one count of sexual exploitation of a child; eight counts of rape; seven counts of aggravated criminal sodomy; three counts of aggravated sexual assault; and eight counts of making false information. The girl told investigators that she was 11 years old when Perez told her to lie to police, saying Hughes had fallen and drowned in the pool. Emily waited 20 minutes and completed the plan. In his profession unexplained wealth usually meant drugs. There were also multiple houses built on the scene. Angel's Landing: A conviction Kansas Department of Corrections Following his 2015 trial, Perez was convicted of 28 crimes, including first-degree murder, rape, aggravated assault, and sexual. The property is huge and situated in the 9500 block of North Oliver in a rural area of Wichita, Kansas. Angel's Landing is a 20-acre compound in Sedgwick County, Kansas. He was found guilty on all counts on June 19, 2019. A detective sifted through his trash and followed him to a local restaurant in hopes that he could find a fingerprint. In September2008, Sara's mother died in a freak car accident. He even threatened to kill Emily and Sarahs father and K.L. All the vehicles had vanity license plates with Angel 1, Angel 2, and so forth. Daniel Perez Now: Where Is Cult Leader Lou Castro Today in 2022? The couple still lives in Wichita, Kansas. He wrote them a letter saying that he believed there were financial crimes going on as well as lots of abuse, she recalled. s home and arrested him. If you wish to learn more about the location where the members of the cult lived, then keep on reading. The deadly and devastating secrets of this traveling commune will come tumbling out, Friday on #Dateline at 9/8c. age 17. He was able to look at bank balances for the majority of the group members. 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. 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. Within a few months, her life had completely changed. Unfortunately for his followers, there was more to his scheme than that. The 55-year-old is on trial on charges that include first-degree murder, rape, sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated assault, criminal. When the police arrived there, they saw many luxury cards, most valued above $40,000. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. He claims that Trish had found him and had taken him to some people that cared for him until he recovered. Over the years, Perez collected millions of dollars in life insurance policies from members who died. Among his victims was Patricia Hughes, 26. Datelines Angels and Demons episode discusses their trials and tribulations, and their lives after losing their mother in the commune. Cody would stay behind with his father, but K.L. Lou Castro Told His Followers He Was A 1,000-Year-Old Angel. Sara McGrath was brought into Perez's family by her mom, a real estate agent who first helped Lou Castro find the right property when he came to town. Soon after, the compound erupted in a massive blaze. However, after this testimony, they were able to bring him down, and he is currently serving two life sentences and has been charged on 28 counts, including first-degree murder and sexual misconduct with minors. There was something about that Lou Castro guy #Dateline tonight at 9/8c. s name. Both deaths were predicted by Daniel Perez. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. In all, nine people were murderedin several separate attacks. Perez was charged with 28 felonies. Castro told Emily that Trish would be found dead by the pool after she fell and hit her head. It is the 20-acre property where Daniel Perez lived with his followers. The two are closer than ever with each other and their father. Patricia Hughes had a $1.24 million dollar life insurance policy payout from her husband Brian. She said that after the death of a few more members that she was close to made her feel very alone. Lou Castro lived extravagantly inKansas with hiscult-likefamily and was found guilty of rape and the murder of Patricia Hughes. Ron Lafferty's brother, Dan Lafferty, seen here in 2003, is serving a life sentence in connection to the murders. When he died his assets and policies were paid out to various people he had been living with at Angels Landing. The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ was founded by Jim Jones in Indiana in 1955. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. He went on to tell Emily that after Trish passed that she would put Nicole into the pool then pull her out and call 911. Tonight on NBC'sDateline NBC,Dennis Murphy interviews cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers at Angel's Landing that he was a 1,000-year-old angel who could see the future. At that point in time, both of them resided at Angel's Landing, a 20-acre property in rural Kansas. It does not specify what type of job he is working. In 2001, there was a plane crash that killed a group member, her boyfriend, and her 12-year-old daughter. This was about 2 years after Brians death and sure enough, the bank accounts were running low again when Jennifer died leaving behind a million-dollar policy. "Smallville" actress Allison Mack (seen here) was subsequently accused of recruiting "DOS" slaves by convincing women they were joining a female empowerment group that would help them overcome weaknesses. According to the Wichita Eagle, Perez insisted to his followers he was a centuries-old angel who needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive. He was recently arrested for. Casto wasnt single for long as he had met a woman named Mona Griffith who happened to live in the same apartment complex as him at the time. Would love your thoughts, please comment. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. There was a swimming pool and multiple houses on the propertyas well. Investigators would later learn Hughes was collecting millions of dollars in life insurance payouts, and that six deaths ruled as accidents were connected to the cult. This "angel," however, wasactually namedDaniel Perez, and was found guilty in February 2015 of fraud, child exploitation, rape and first-degree murder. At the time, there were. On September 11, 2011, Perez/Castro/Venegas was charged in Sedgwick County District Court in Kansas with one count of first-degree murder for Tricia Hughess death, ten counts of rape, ten counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, three counts of aggravated assault, eleven counts of making false information, and one count of criminal threat. 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