who was attorney general when the branch davidian compound

by Mariano Hartmann 9 min read

Attorney General Janet Reno

Who was involved in the Branch Davidian case?

Aug 21, 1992 · Though initially reluctant, Attorney General Janet Reno ended up approving a plan to fire CS gas (a form of tear gas) into the Mount Carmel compound to try and force out the Davidians. Just after...

What happened at the Branch Davidian compound in Texas?

Feb 09, 2010 · On April 18, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno approved a tear-gas assault on the compound, and at approximately 6:00 a.m. on April 19 the Branch Davidians were informed of the imminent attack and...

How did the FBI negotiate the Davidians out of the compound?

Feb 13, 2018 · to serve an arrest and search warrant on the Branch Davidian Compound. Four ATF agents were. killed, 20 agents wounded and an unknown number of Davidians were killed and wounded in the. ... The Briefing Of The Attorney General. After reviewing the facts and personally interviewing Attorney General Janet Reno and.

What is the history of branch davidianism?

Johnston called in the Texas Rangers as an independent investigative body to look into what happened which lead to the deaths of four federal agents, the wounding of 15 more, and the eventual death of eighty Branch Davidian sect members. Attorney General Janet Reno selected Johnston as one of five federal prosecutors who would pursue the case in court.

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Who was the attorney general when Waco happened?

Janet Wood RenoMiami, Florida, U.S. Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of the United States from 1993 until 2001. President Bill Clinton nominated Reno on February 11, 1993, and the Senate confirmed her the following month.

Who was Koresh lawyer?

Attorney Dick DeGuerin represented David Koresh (pictured), and remains critical of how the ATF conducted the raid in Waco. HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Like most, Houston-based attorney Dick DeGuerin first heard of David Koresh through a newscast.Jan 4, 2018

What was Janet Reno known for?

On March 12, 1993, Ms. Reno became the first woman and 78th attorney general. She went on to become the longest serving attorney general in the 20th century.Mar 16, 2021

Why did ATF raid Waco?

At Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas, agents of the U.S. Treasury Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) launch a raid against the Branch Davidian compound as part of an investigation into illegal possession of firearms and explosives by the Christian cult.

Who was Durst attorney?

attorney Dick DeGuerinRobert Durst, seated with attorney Dick DeGuerin, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday without chance of parole for the murder of Susan Berman more than two decades ago.Oct 16, 2021

Who is the most famous lawyer?

Famous Lawyers You Should KnowRobert Shapiro. Robert Shapiro is one of the best-known lawyers in American history. ... Thurgood Marshall. Thurgood Marshall was one of the most famous lawyers in American history. ... Woodrow Wilson. ... Johnnie Cochran. ... William Howard Taft. ... Andrew Jackson. ... Abraham Lincoln. ... Robert Kardashian.More items...

Who was Attorney General under George W Bush?

Alberto GonzalesOfficial portrait, 200580th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 3, 2005 – September 17, 2007PresidentGeorge W. Bush31 more rows

Who was Obama's Attorney General?

Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States from 2009 to 2015. Holder, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama, was the first African American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General.

What happened to Janet Reno?

Janet Reno died at her home in Miami-Dade County, Florida on November 7, 2016, at the age of 78. The cause of her death was complications from Parkinson's disease, which she had battled since 1995.Jan 29, 2018

How did David Koresh became the leader?

In 1990, David Koresh became the leader of the Branch Davidians. He and his followers built an "Army of God" by stockpiling weapons in preparation for the Apocalypse.Jan 29, 2018

Do Branch Davidians still exist?

The Branch Davidians fell from public view after the disastrous raid of their compound, but they still have a presence in Waco, Texas—and around the world. The Branch Davidians fell from public view after the disastrous raid of their compound, but they still have a presence in Waco, Texas—and around the world.Feb 20, 2020

Who is Livingstone Fagan?

Livingstone Fagan is one of a few remaining members of the Mount Carmel community. He met David Koresh while completing a post-graduate degree at a theology seminary west of London. He subsequently visited the Mount Carmel Community in Waco, Texas on several occasions prior to the assault in 1993.

Who was the leader of the Branch Davidians?

DAVID KORESH. On February 28, 1993, some 80 agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raided a religious compound at Mount Carmel, near Waco, Texas, after receiving reports that the Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh, were violating federal firearms regulations. After four ATF agents and six Davidians were ...

When did the Waco siege start?

KORESH AND THE FBI. FIRE ENGULFS WACO COMPOUND. LEGACY OF THE WACO SIEGE. Sources. The Waco Siege began in early 1993, when a government raid on a compound near Waco, Texas, led to a 51-day standoff between federal agents and members of a millennial Christian sect called the Branch Davidians. The siege ended dramatically on April 19, 1993, ...

What did Koresh say about the Waco siege?

In his negotiations with the FBI during the Waco siege, Koresh claimed he was a messianic figure prophesied in the Bible and that God had given him his surname. He threatened violence against those who would attack him and his family, but asserted that the Davidians weren’t planning a mass suicide.

Who was Koresh in the Bible?

KORESH AND THE FBI. In his negotiations with the FBI during the Waco siege, Koresh claimed he was a messianic figure prophesied in the Bible and that God had given him his surname. He threatened violence against those who would attack him and his family, but asserted that the Davidians weren’t planning a mass suicide.

Did Reno take responsibility for the Waco raid?

Reno took responsibility for the botched raid, later admitting there was no evidence of ongoing child abuse within the compound (which had been one of the justifications for ordering the gas attack).

Who was the leader of the Davidians?

Koresh, who possessed an exhaustive knowledge of the Bible, rapidly rose in the hierarchy of the small religious community, eventually entering into a power struggle with the Davidians’ leader, George Roden.

How many Branch Davidians were killed?

Six Branch Davidians were fatally wounded, and several more were injured, including David Koresh, the cult’s founder and leader. After 45 minutes of shooting, the ATF agents withdrew, and a cease-fire was negotiated over the telephone.

What happened at the Waco Siege?

Waco Siege ends; Branch Davidian compound burns. At Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) launches a tear-gas assault on the Branch Davidian compound, ending a tense 51-day standoff between the federal government and an armed religious cult.

When did the Branch Davidian raid happen?

On February 28, 1993 , agents of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) launched a raid against the Branch Davidian compound as part of an investigation into illegal possession of firearms and explosives by the Christian cult.

Where is David Koresh?

David Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell in Houston, Texas , in 1959. In 1981, he joined the Branch Davidians, a sect of the Seventh Day Adventist Church founded in 1934 by a Bulgarian immigrant named Victor Houteff.

How many children did Koresh have?

Koresh took several wives at Mount Carmel and fathered at least 12 children from these women, several of whom were as young as 12 or 13 when they became pregnant. There is also evidence that Koresh may have harshly disciplined some of the 100 or so Branch Davidians living inside the compound, particularly his children.

Where was the Branch Davidian compound?

Flames engulfing the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ending a standoff with federal agents, April 19, 1993. The Branch Davidians were founded by Ben Roden in 1959 as an offshoot of the Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which had been established by Victor Houteff several decades earlier. Houteff’s group eventually moved ...

When did the Waco siege end?

Waco siege, a 51-day standoff between Branch Davidians and federal agents that ended on April 19, 1993, when the religious group’s compound ...

How many people died in the Waco siege?

Waco siege, a 51-day standoff between Branch Davidians and federal agents that ended on April 19, 1993, when the religious group’s compound near Waco, Texas, was destroyed in a fire. Nearly 80 people were killed.

Who was Victor Houteff?

The Branch Davidians are one of several groups that continued the work of Victor Houteff (1885–1955), a Bulgarian emigrant to the United States and Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) layman who in a set of tracts entitled "Shepherd’s Rod" (1929) called for reform of the SDA church.

When did the FBI raid Mount Carmel?

Following the ill-fated ATF raid in February 1993 and subsequent FBI raid and fire two months later that destroyed Mount Carmel, extensive internal investigations were conducted by the ATF and the FBI, followed by public hearings by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

When did Houteff die?

Houteff died in 1955 and was succeeded by his wife, Florence. She not only continued his attempts to discern the signs of the “ endtime ” but also set April 22, 1959, as the date of the dawn of the new messianic age. Beginning in March 1959, hundreds of believers gathered at the Texas centre.

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Overview

Controversies

Roland Ballesteros, one of the agents assigned to the ATF door team that assaulted the front door, told Texas Rangers and Waco police that he thought the first shots came from the ATF dog team assigned to neutralize the Branch Davidians' dogs, but later at the trial, he insisted that the Branch Davidians had shot first. The Branch Davidians claimed that the ATF door team then opened fire at the door, and they returned fire in self-defense. An Austin Chroniclearticle noted, "L…

Background

The Branch Davidians (also known as "The Branch") are a religious group that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Shepherd's Rod (Davidians) following the death of the Shepherd's Rod founder Victor Houteff. Houteff founded the Davidians based on his prophecy of an imminent apocalypse involving the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the defeat of the evil armies of Babylon. As the origi…

Prelude

On February 27, 1993, the Waco Tribune-Herald began publishing "The Sinful Messiah", a series of articles by Mark England and Darlene McCormick, who reported allegations that Koresh had physically abused children in the compound and had committed statutory rape by taking multiple underage brides. Koresh was also said to advocate polygamyfor himself and declared himself married to several female residents of the small community. The paper claimed that Koresh ha…

The Aguilera affidavit

The ATF used an affidavit filed by David Aguilera to obtain the warrant that led to the Waco siege. The official filing date of this affidavit was February 25, 1993. Allegedly, the initial investigation began in June 1992 when a postal worker informed a sheriff of McLennan County that he believed he had been delivering explosives to the ammo and gun store owned and operated by the Branch Davidians. This store, named the "Mag-Bag", had been identified by the said postal worker as sus…

ATF raid

Using the affidavit filed by Aguilera that alleged that the Davidians had violated federal law, the ATF obtained search and arrest warrantsfor Koresh and specific followers on weapons charges, citing the many firearms they had accumulated. The search warrant commanded a search "on or before February 28, 1993", in the daytime between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm. The ATF made a claim that Kores…

FBI siege

ATF agents established contact with Koresh and others inside the compound after they withdrew. The FBI took command soon after as a result of the deaths of federal agents, placing Jeff Jamar, head of the Bureau's San Antonio field office, in charge of the siege as Site Commander. The FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) was headed by HRT Commander Richard Rogers, who had previously been criticized for his actions during the Ruby Ridge incident. As at Ruby Ridge, Roger…

Final assault and burning of Mount Carmel

Newly appointed U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno approved recommendations by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team to mount an assault, after being told that conditions were deteriorating and that children were being abused inside the compound. Reno made the FBI's case to President Clinton. Recalling the April 19, 1985, The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSAL) siege in Arkans…