1959–1993
Who Was David Koresh?
David Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect that received national attention during a deadly standoff with federal law enforcement officials near Waco, Texas. Koresh believed himself to be a prophet, and he and his followers stockpiled weapons in anticipation of the apocalypse. On February 28, 1993, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raided the Davidians’ compound, resulting in a 51-day siege that ended when the compound erupted in flames. Koresh was among the dozens found dead after the fire.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: David Koresh
BORN: August 17, 1959
DIED: April 19, 1993
BIRTHPLACE: Houston
LEGAL SPOUSE: Rachel Jones (1984–1993)
CHILDREN: Cyrus, Starr, and others
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo
Early Years
David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell to an unwed teenage mother named Bonnie Clark, on August 17, 1959, in Houston. He did not meet his father until his teenage years, and Clark left him to be raised by his grandparents during his early years. Koresh struggled in school due, in part, to severe dyslexia and poor eyesight. He was placed in special education classes and mocked by his classmates with the nickname “Vernie,” which he despised.
He spent much of his lonely childhood playing musical instruments and studying the Bible, which developed into an obsessive interest for Koresh. By age 12, he had memorized and interpreted the entire New Testament. Koresh became a born-again Christian at a Southern Baptist Church but disagreed with their teachings and joined the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, instead. He was seen as overbearing by other congregants, constantly attempting to convert them to his interpretations of religion.
Koresh was eventually expelled from the church after telling the pastor that God wanted Koresh to take the pastor’s 12-year-old daughter as his wife. Koresh dropped out of Garland High School in his senior year to take a carpentry job. While in his early 20s, he spent a short time in Los Angeles trying to make it as a rock star.
Joining the Branch Davidians
In the early 1980s, Koresh, then still known as Vernon Howell, moved to Waco, Texas, and joined the Branch Davidians, a splinter group from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Lois Roden, the widow of Branch Davidians founder Benjamin Roden, encouraged Koresh to play guitar and sing during the group’s daily bible study sessions at the Mount Carmel Center. In his book The Devil’s Party, Colin Wilson claimed Koresh had an affair with Lois and that Koresh claimed God wanted him to father a child with her, who he said would become the “Chosen One.”
In 1984, Koresh married a 14-year-old Branch Davidian named Rachel Jones, with whom he would have two children: Cyrus and Starr. He had began teaching his own biblical interpretations in lectures called “The Serpent’s Root,” which caused unrest among the group. A leadership dispute began between Koresh and George Roden, Benjamin’s son, who had been expected to take over the sect and clashed with Koresh. The feud reached a boiling point after Roden accused Koresh of setting a fire that destroyed an administration building and press; Koresh claimed the fire was a “judgement of God” upon the sect.
Becoming a Leader by Force
Roden seemed to win the leadership dispute after he and his supporters drove Koresh out of the Mount Carmel Center at gunpoint. Koresh and his followers resided in eastern Texas for a while, living under difficult conditions. He began recruiting other new followers and visited Israel, where he claimed to have a vision revealing he was the modern-day incarnation of the prophet Cyrus, who liberated the Jews from Babylon. In 1987, Koresh and a handful of his devotees returned to Waco, heavily armed.
A gunfight broke out, and Roden was shot but survived the injury. Koresh and his crew were tried for attempted murder, but Koresh received a mistrial, and his followers were acquitted. Roden was later arrested for the 1989 murder of Wayman Dale Adair, whom Roden claimed Koresh had sent to kill him. With Roden out of the way, Koresh was able to reclaim the Mount Carmel Center and become the Branch Davidians’ leader.
In 1990, he legally changed his name from Vernon Howell to David Koresh; his new first name was a reference to King David, while his last name was Cyrus’ biblical name. Koresh’s teachings included the practice of “spiritual weddings,” which enabled him to bed God-chosen female followers of all ages. Koresh was said to have had as many as 20 “wives,” some of whom were under the age of 17 (Texas’ legal age of consent), and to have fathered at least a dozen children with members other than his legal wife.
Waco Siege and Negotiations
As leader of the Branch Davidians, Koresh claimed he had cracked the code of the Seven Seals in the Book of Revelation, which predicted events leading to the Apocalypse. He told his followers that the Lord willed the Davidians to build an “Army of God.” As a result, they started stockpiling weapons. Other Branch Davidians claimed the weapons were not meant for defense but rather were sold at gun shows to generate revenue for the sect.
The stockpiling of weapons caught the attention of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which obtained a search warrant for the Mount Carmel compound. On February 28, 1993, the ATF attempted to raid the Mount Carmel Center and serve its warrants. A four-hour gunfight erupted that killed six of Koresh’s followers and four ATF agents. Koresh himself was shot and injured during the skirmish. Both sides accused the other of having fired the first shots.
Following the shoot-out, the FBI took command and began what would be a 51-day siege of the Mount Carmel Center. Agents communicated with Koresh and other cult members inside by telephone. During the first days of the siege, Koresh released some of the children from the compound in exchange for the FBI playing recorded messages by Koresh on the radio. At one point, Koresh agreed to surrender himself and allow the rest of his followers to exit the compound peacefully, but he later changed his mind, with one of his followers saying “God had told Koresh to wait.”
According to the FBI, Koresh claimed to be Christ during the negotiations, and he repeatedly went on rambling sermons during their phone calls. He also reportedly used the children inside the Mount Carmel Center as a shield against FBI attempts to resolve the standoff. A total of 35 people were released from the compound during the first half of the siege, including 21 children. Conflicts soon arose within the FBI, with some supporting continued negotiations and others advocating for more aggressive action. No other Branch Davidians left the center during the second half of the siege.
Compound Fire and Death
On April 19, 1993, the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a tank and tear gas assault on Mount Carmel. Hours later, fires spread throughout the compound, killing more than six dozen inhabitants. Koresh was among those found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Some speculated that the FBI purposely set the fire, but a special commission later analyzed recordings from FBI microphones that captured Koresh and other Branch Davidians discussing plans to intentionally set the fires themselves.
Legacy and Portrayals
The siege at Waco that ended with Koresh’s death has been an enduring fascination among the American public and for decades has continued to inspire anti-government sentiment among militia movements and far-right organizations. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols said the Waco incident was a motivating factor in their bombing of a federal government building on Oklahoma City on 1995, which killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.
The Waco siege also has been the subject of several books, documentaries, and dramatizations over the years. Tim Daly portrayed Koresh in the made-for-television film In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco (1993). The 2018 television miniseries Waco featured Taylor Kitsch as David Koresh, with a cast that also included Michael Shannon, Andrea Riseborough, Rory Colkin, and Julia Garner. A sequel series called Waco: The Aftermath will premiere on April 14, 2023, on Showtime. Waco: American Apocalypse, a three-part Netflix docuseries, was released on March 22, 2023, marking the 30th anniversary of the deadly siege.
Quotes
- So here we are in the day of the Lord. All the prophets talk about the great and dreadful day of the Lord when God will make inquisition for blood.
- There [are] some things that God has concealed in his written word that are to be brought to do right before the end of time.
- I am more willing to come out when I get my message from my commander.
- If the Bible is true, then I’m Christ. What’s so great about being Christ? A man nailed to the cross. ... You know, being Christ ain’t nothing.
Citation Information
- Article Title: David Koresh Biography
- Author: Biography.com Editors
- Website Name: The Biography.com website
- URL: https://www.biography.com/crime/david-koresh
- Access Date:
- Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
- Last Updated: March 27, 2023
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Colin McEvoy joined the Biography.com staff in 2023, and before that had spent 16 years as a journalist, writer, and communications professional. He is the author of two true crime books: Love Me or Else and Fatal Jealousy. He is also an avid film buff, reader, and lover of great stories.
