Berg also encouraged sex with children. He had met the group through Brian whom he had worked construction with. The couple still lives in Wichita, Kansas. In Goodwyns mind, he believed that Lou Castro had influenced Jennifer to commit suicide. Sara McGrath with her mother during happier times. But there was a catch. Sarah would tell investigators about the abuse she suffered for years from Lou Castro. Columbia Daily Herald reports he was ultimately found guilty on one count of first-degree murder, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, three counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of aggravated sodomy, eight counts of rape, and eight counts of making false statements. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Even after he was sentenced, I was a bit scared., KIM KARDASHIAN DETAILS HER NEW DOC, SAYS SHE'S NOT WORRIED ABOUT JUSTICE REFORM CRITICS, Daniel Perez also went by Lou Castro. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Angel's Landing. ", The Messed Up Truth About Cult Leader Daniel Perez. Earlier this year, commune members Sara McGrath and her sister Emily opened up about what it was like to live in the cult and talked about Lou Perez, who was regularly raping Sara for years under the guise of fixing her. Commune members also report that he told the members that he needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive. In 2008, she would also lose her mother in a freak car crash. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. K.L. His death benefit was paid out to K.L. With this new name investigators were able to see that Joe Venegas had opened a new bank account in Tennessee. Earlier this year, commune members Sara and Emily opened up about what it was like to live in the cult and talked about Lou Perez, who was regularly raping Sara for years under the guise of fixing her. Commune members also report that he told the members that he needed to have sex with young girls to stay alive. Authorities spent nine years investigating Perez. There was something about that Lou Castro guy #Dateline tonight at 9/8c. Daniel Perez is currently incarcerated in Kansas'Lansing Correctional Facility. Daniel Perez was convicted of 20 counts of sexual abuse of children, with victims ranging in age from only 8 years old to 16, according to the Kansas Sex Offender Registry. It is also the place where he drowned Patricia Hughes to collect on her life insurance money. Daniel Perez Now: Where Is Cult Leader Lou Castro Today in 2022? The two would have a child, Angelica in December 2004. Jennifer would die in a car accident when she ran into a fully loaded hauling truck and was killed instantly. Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, was sentenced to life in prison for murder and the rape of children in his cult, known as the Angel's Landing commune. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Castro immediately took an interest in the young girl and she posed provocatively in a swimsuit as he took pictures. Daniel Perez was arrested in 2010 on 28 charges after relocating to Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/JBtWCvFObn. They said they would commit suicide if authorities intervened. . In 2004, the couple began living together and they eventually married. Among those was Hughes husband, Brian. He allegedly collected over $1 million in insurance payouts following her death. InFebruary2015,he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 80 years in prison. It was extremely scary, she said. In 2004, Brian, Jennifer, K.L., and another woman, Megan Harbert had taken life insurance policies out on their lives. He left the care of his daughter to Hutson, who died in a traffic accident in 2008. They were living an extravagant lifestyle with lots of material possession at their disposal. He told the members he was an angel who was hundreds of years old and needed to have sex with children, or he would die. While other 13-year-olds were getting boyfriends and holding hands, I was holding onto my secret and losing the people I loved one by one. He was finally . Sheela fled to Switzerland, where she served time for her crimes, and later opened nursing homes. Jennifer soon bought the adjoining ten acres and built two homes on it. Powered by. She eventually began dating a man named Daniel McGrath. [Perez] was telling him, One day youll get your chance to go to the other side,' she said. His charges included rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and murder. He was imprisoned until his death in 2017. "Deadly Cults" airs Sunday, May 3 at 7 p.m. on Oxygen. Later Perez would state that he pled guilty to the charges and was given probation. Updated on: June 30, 2021 / 3:56 PM The problem was that some of them ended up dying in tragic accidents leaving behind large insurance policies. She was a wife and mother who lived and died at Angels Landing, The Wichita Eagle reported. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 120 years in prison. Perez is also working a job in prison, according to his prison record. In 2015, Sara told Fox News what it was like to survive a cult, talking specifically about the types of trauma she endured. In court Friday, the 23-year-old woman who is the key witness told jurors that about a week before Hughes died, Perez foretold her death. The group referred to their collective as Angels Landing. The first house came with 10 acres of land was purchased by Trish. Castro then came to Emily and told her to wait until he met up with Sarah at a local car dealership and then call 911. When paramedics arrived they were surprised to see Trish floating in the shallow end of the pool, but believed the story that Emily told that Trish had rushed into the pool to save her daughter, but slipped hitting her head and drowned. Lou Castro lived extravagantly inKansas with hiscult-likefamily and was found guilty of rape and the murder of Patricia Hughes. Mona took out a $750,000 policy on her life naming Lindsey as her beneficiary and Trish as Lindseys caregiver. In 2003, 26-year-old Patricia Hughes, a follower, drowned atthe compound. Emily would tell investigators about Trishs drowning and that would end up being enough to put Castro away. The group didnt stay there long and within a few months moved to Wichita, Kansas. The witness, who was 11 at the time of the crime, was told to wait in an office nearby with Patricia's daughter for 20 minutes . Perez, also known by the name Lou Castro and many other names, convinced his followers he had magical powers. Authorities found the corpses lying in bunk beds, covered by a purple cloths. As 2000 approached, the group prepared for the end. By the time police tracked him down, they found Constanzo and another follower both fatally shot. Some were shot, some were found with bags over their heads and some had been injected with tranquilizers. So now Lou Castro has a connection to four other deaths. 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 investigation continued into March 2011 with authorities interviewing Sarah and Emily on several occasions. When the police arrived there, they saw many luxury cards, most valued above $40,000. It was in South Dakota that Trish met Brian Hughes and they soon started dating and would ultimately marry. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Unfortunately for his followers, there was more to his scheme than that. McGrath admitted she was too scared to tell anyone what had happened to her. The woman, 26-year-old. The case of Kansas cult killer Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, is being explored on Sunday. In the meantime, Castro/Perez/Venegas was sentenced to two years in jail for aggravated identity theft and social security fraud. He is currently being housed at the Lansing Correctional Facility. Thirteen members of the group received death sentences. And more horrors occurred behind closed doors. Datelines Angels and Demons episode discusses their trials and tribulations, and their lives after losing their mother in the commune. 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. Within a few months, her life had completely changed. Insurance salesman Bill Hatton confirmed Daniel Perez collected $2 million from the death of Patricia Hughes alone. He also forced Emilys older sister, Sarah into the same sexual perversions. If it werent for them and my husband, I wouldnt have been able to do it.. In this photo, one of their bodies is carried out of a hotel room in Southern California. In 2007, about 30 members of the group holed up in a cave in Russia's Penza region. This came to fruition in June 2003 when Patricia Hughes, who lived on the property, died. As reported by Columbia Daily Herald, authorities linked Daniel Perez to a total of six accidental deaths, for which Perez collected an estimated $4.2 million. All rights reserved. Castro told Sarah that he would meet up with her at a local car dealership and to go ahead without him. The couple remained in contact via phone over the next year, but K.L. K.L. Sedgwick County/Kansas Department of Corrections, Angels Landing Commune: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. An investigation, that would end up lasting for 9 years, made the authorities suspicious since he did not have a job but was swimming in luxury items. As reported by Oxygen, Sara did not feel comfortable around Daniel Perez. Mona also met a man named Jim and the couple soon became engaged. Mack was also fined $20,000 and willhave to do 1,000 hours of community service as part of her sentence, CBS New Yorkreported. McGowan has said that when her father learnedBerg was advocating for child-adult sexual relations, he packed up his three daughters and escaped to the U.S. After Berg's death in 1984, the group tried to distance itself from his endorsement of pedophilia. Jones taught a blend of Christianity, socialism and communism, with an emphasis on racial equality. In his profession unexplained wealth usually meant drugs. 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. Lou Castro was a man with a shadowy past who somehow convinceda number ofpeople that he was an angel,could heal the sick and see into the future. He was sentenced to life in prison. The life insurance payout for Hughes death alone exceeded $1 million. He was convicted of first-degree murder, eight counts of rape, eight other sex crimes, eight counts of making false writing and three counts of aggravated assault. The case of Daniel U. Perez is explored on Oxygen's 'Deadly Cults' true-crime docuseries. She was also the first African American to attend the Oscars. 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. What Detective Goodwyn theorized was that instead of dealing drugs to afford their lifestyle Castro had talked people into taking out large life insurance policies and then indoctrinating them into killing themselves. I remember saying, 'Am I fixed now?'. Listen to the story of how one man conned his way to a lifestyle of leisure by convincing others that he alone had the power to bring them back to life. Tonight on NBCsDateline NBC,Dennis Murphy looks into the case of cult leader Daniel Perez, also known as Lou Castro, who told his followers at Angels Landing that he was a 1,000-year-old angel who could see the future and heal their injuries. Perez was charged with multiple criminal counts, including first-degree murder. Market data provided by Factset. Powered by. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. On his way to his sentencing, he had been abducted by four uniformed men who beat him and left him for dead. In August 2006, Sherri Cox and her 8-year-old daughter, C.C. But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder. He did not appear to have any employment records, and they had no proof of his existence before he appeared in Wichita looking to purchase property. In the early 1980s, Rajneesh was having trouble with the Indian government and sent his followers to buy a ranch in Wasco County, Oregon, which they converted into a compound (seen here). Former cult member Sara McGrath, who lived with Angel's Landing leader Daniel Perez, recounts the untimely death of her mother He also would tell her that if she told anyone he would kill her dad. At first, Angels landing was like a kids dream More on #Dateline tonight at 9/8c with @Dateline_Dennis. According to the outlet, six purported accidental deaths over seven years led to millions of dollars in life insurance payouts. She's seen here leaving the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after sentencing. He was recently arrested for. Multiple accounts of abuse and misconduct were carried out on this property, especially against minors. The Times reported that female cult memberswere branded, used as sex slaves, punished by their "masters" and blackmailed. Soon both Detective Goodwyn and Jon Sullivan of the FBI interviewed Daniel about what he had reported. began to visit Castro. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The deadly and devastating secrets of this traveling commune will come tumbling out, Friday on #Dateline at 9/8c. He was sentenced to two terms of life in prison and will not be eligible for parole until 2095. On April 28, 2021, themummified remains of Amy Carlson, the 45-year-old leader of the group Love Has Won, were found in a home in Moffat, Colorado. DETECTIVE RECALLS MEETING TRUCK STOP KILLER BRUCE MENDENHALL IN DEADLY RECALL: THERES EVIL OUT THERE. The Wichita Eagle noted that the Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry showed Perez raped girls ranging in age from 8 to 16. Perez also collected millions of dollars over the years from life insurance policies on his followers who had died. In June 2003, Castro and Trish told Emily that it was Trishs time to go and that Trish had failed to cross over during an earlier accident. Among his victims was Patricia Hughes, 26. His extreme spending didnt seem to stop with just the small group at Angels Landing. As for his crimes in Texas that he had pleaded guilty to, but admits he never served any time for. Judge Joseph Bribiesca ordered that Perez would serve his sentences consecutively, making it so Perez will not be eligible for parole until he is 120 years old. The commune leader is accused of killing Hughes, whose 2003 death was initially believed to be an. Sedgwick County District Judge Joseph Bribiesca on Tuesday. In interviews she granted for "Wild Wild Country," she largely spoke kindly of Rajneesh, who died in 1990. Nettles died of liver cancer in 1985, but Applewhite (seen here) continued to lead the group. When the apocalypse didn't come, leaders proposed a new date: March 17, 2000. They believed him. Both sisters want to help other people who are facing similar manipulations and abuse at the hands of others. Sara McGrath is thankful she has been able to move on with her life after surviving a cult. In fact, most of his other crimes also took place on Angel's Landing. It was in Angels Landing that Emily had moved into the master bedroom with Daniel Perez. Two years after Brian Hughes died, Sara McGrath's mother died in a suspicious car accident. The 2003 drowning death of 26-year-old Patricia Hughes at the group's compound outside of Wichita, Kansas, was originally ruled an accident. Wichita, Kansas is located on the Great Plains and began as a trading post up the Chisholm Trail back in the 1860s. Sara and her younger sister Emily were barely teenagers when their mother, Jennifer Huston, packed their bags up and moved into Angels Landing in Kansas to be a part of Daniel Perezs cult. At his trial, she even said that she was made to tape an 8-year old undressing as well at least twice. / CBS NEWS. As the cult became more doomsday focused, it got more followers, who brought in more money. His useful 2021 return (.250-84-20-60) is still in the reasonable range of outcomes. The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was a breakaway movement from the Roman Catholic Church founded in Uganda in the 1980s. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. with her own life if she didnt in his words, step up.. Trish had also moved into a nearby apartment complex. I was 10 when my childhood was over, one witness said during his sentencing hearing. Perez told commune members that she had slipped and fallen into the pool. 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