When the suspects were asked who murdered an American victim, Mark Kilroy, they named Adolfo de Jesus Constanzo, 26, the leader of the cult, and Sara Aldrete, a student at Texas Southmost College, known as "the witch.". Before Raniere's arrest, in 2017, a New York Times expos accused NXIVM of fronting a cult called "DOS" or "The Vow." She said that living on the property with her family and the other members of the commune was fine at first. 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. Emily was 10-years-old at the time. Daniel Perez Now: Where Is Cult Leader Lou Castro Today in 2022? Following his 2015 trial, Perez was convicted of 28 crimes, including first-degree murder, rape, aggravated assault, and sexual exploitation of a child, among others. Friday on #Dateline at 9/8c pic.twitter.com/GCQ8EC18Cg, Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) August 5, 2020. He went by many names, but the people close to him knew him as one of three angels that possessed special powers. Investigators found 48 bodies inside. During her childhood, her family lived in Italy with other members of the group. It is the 20-acre property where Daniel Perez lived with his followers. It was after K.L. The 35-year-old has come forward to share her harrowing experience on Oxygens newest docuseries titled Deadly Cults, which recounts the horrific homicide cases involving cult leaders who executed manipulative control to sway unsuspecting followers. It is the 20-acre property where Daniel Perez lived with his followers. Angel's Landing. There was a swimming pool and multiple houses on the propertyas well. He is currently being housed at the Lansing Correctional Facility. [Perez] was now known for two things: Money no one could explain and the death of Patricia Hughes, Goodwyn told producers. While in South Dakota, Castro, Trish, and Mona had met with an insurance salesman. Perez, also known by the name Lou Castro and many other names, convinced his followers he had magical powers. s mother. He is required to register for life even though he is serving a life sentence for his crimes. According to the outlet, six purported accidental deaths over seven years led to millions of dollars in life insurance payouts. The group believed that Earth was about to be wiped clean and the only chance to survive was to leave it. Afterward, she called her sister Sarah who was at the car dealership with Castro crying telling her that Trish fell in the pool. Years later Sarah thought that Brian may have taken his own life mostly due to him never getting over Trishs death and Castors teachings on death and crossing over. Kuznetsov (pictured here with followers) reportedly attempted suicide when his doomsday prophecy didn't come true. He claimed that he was not home the day Trish Hughes drowned and he had no part in her death. Lafferty was sent to Utah's death row; he died there in November 2019. Koresh kept "spiritual wives," some of whom were underage. Authorities said Perez fled to Tennessee to avoid questioning about his followers' suspicious deaths. By 1978, the population there had swelled to about 900. And the FBI contacted them back.. Castro told Emily that Trish would be found dead by the pool after she fell and hit her head. It was extremely scary, she said. In September2008, Sara's mother died in a freak car accident. There was nothing I could do, she said, of the nearly seven years of sexual abuse she suffered at Perez's hand. Around that time, some members warned American media of mass suicide rehearsals at Jonestown. In the beginning, things were all fine and dandy. In September 2008, Detective Goodwyn was notified that Jennifer Hutson was killed in a car accident. Daniel Perez, whose alias is Lou Castro, is the self-proclaimed 'seer' that foresaw Patricia dying. Sara McGrath is thankful she has been able to move on with her life after surviving a cult. The Angels Landing cult was not housed in just one place. moved to Lees Summit, Missouri. Goodwyn found a disturbing pattern of expensive life insurance policies being taken out on people in Perez's circle, then cashed in by members. The hope was that they would get a fingerprint and finally find out who Lou Castro was. However, there was little information linking Perez to the deaths. There was nothing I could do, she said. According to Oxygen, police first began to be suspicious of Perez in 2003 when he was living with a small group of people on a 20-acre property called Angels Landing. Two years later a local family of four, the Wagners, are arrested and charged with the crimes. 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. First, there were the fancy cars most of the vehicles on the property were worth more than $40,000, according to theWichita Eagle. The various group members would tell the jury about the control that Perez/Castro had over the group. 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. 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 Angels Landing commune. He allegedly collected over $1 million in insurance payouts following her death. Angel's Landing is a 20-acre compound in Sedgwick County, Kansas. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. When she went to court to testify against her abuser, Sara was terrified. This came to fruition in June 2003 when Patricia Hughes, who lived on the property, died. He preached a "religious-less religion" that embraced sexual liberation. Hughes death was ruled accidentalat first. Castro told Emily to take Nicole into a nearby pool house and not come out. The windows and doors had been boarded up to bar escape. In 1995, members carried out a sarin nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system, possibly in an attempt to bring about the apocalypse, and possibly to keep authorities from shutting down the group. In fact, most of his other crimes also took place on Angels Landing. The episode ofDateline,titled Angels & Demons, features interviews with Daniel Perez, commune members Sara and Emily as well as with Detective Ron Goodwyn and more. One such episode, 'Angels and Demons,' presented the heinous crimes committed by self-proclaimed psychic Daniel Perez, whose known alias is Lou Castro (amongst others.) The two would have a child, Angelica in December 2004. There was nothing I could do, she said I remember saying, Am I fixed now?'. Aldrete and the other follower were arrested on the spot. Soon both Detective Goodwyn and Jon Sullivan of the FBI interviewed Daniel about what he had reported. In this photo, the body of one of the victims, actress Sharon Tate, is taken from her house in California in 1969. did not know where Perez was living. Later, Jones had his followers kill themselves by drinking a cyanide-laced drink. On April21, 2010, authorities arrested Perez at his new home in Tennessee. In 2009, McGraths now-husband contacted the FBI. The story of the rural Kansas compound, its survivors and Daniel Perez is being told on a new episode of Dateline, which originally aired on NBC Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9/8C. On April 21, 2010, a search warrant was executed for Venegass Tennessee residence. 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. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Emilys sister, Sarah did not move with the group as she was living on her own outside of Angels Landing. When they looked at bank surveillance tapes they could see him on film and knew they had him committing bank fraud. In interviews she granted for "Wild Wild Country," she largely spoke kindly of Rajneesh, who died in 1990. Debuting in 1992, it has discussed many cases that have left the audience shocked at the violence and atrocities. The Manson Family was a commune and cult created by Charles Manson in California in the 1960s. 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 Cult Leader Lou Castro Was Sentenced to Life in Prison, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. In Goodwyns mind with the group of homes being referred to as Angels Landing and all the cars vanity plates with the angel designation he thought he might be dealing with a cult. I wasnt sure that I was going to be able to do it. On the stand, he denied having any sort of magical powers and contended the sex was always consensual. Insurance salesman Bill Hatton confirmed Daniel Perez collected $2 million from the death of Patricia Hughes alone. If you wish to learn more about the location where the members of the cult lived, then keep on reading. Updated on: June 30, 2021 / 3:56 PM Ron Lafferty was convicted of murdering his brother's wife and her toddler in 1984. Daniel Perez sits in a Sedgwick County courtroom during the first day of his murder trial on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 in Wichita, Kan. Perez, 55, is charged with first-degree premeditated. One of the survivors, Sara, told Oxygen Perez raped her repeatedly, saying he was fixing her. Noor Malhotra August 7, 2020 Sara and her younger sister Emily were barely teenagers when their mother, Jennifer Huston, packed their bags up and moved into Angel's Landing in Kansas to be a part of Daniel Perez's cult. At first, Angels landing was like a kids dream More on #Dateline tonight at 9/8c with @Dateline_Dennis. 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. She's seen here leaving the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, after sentencing. Investigators in Sedgwick County, Kansas learned that Lou Perez and the Angels Landing commune was tied to six deaths which were ruled accidental. Jennifer soon bought the adjoining ten acres and built two homes on it. His sex offender registry indicates he began abusing children in 2001, and the abuse spanned more than a decade, ending in 2015. An addition to the small group was Jennifer Hutson. Daniel Perez had been living there when he met Trish Gomez. After the fire, police found hundreds of other bodies in compounds across Uganda. Daniel Perez claimed to be some sort of angel. But when police received new witness testimony, they arrested Perez on suspicion of murder. Daniel Perez, purported seer and leader of a former compound known as Angels Landing, will spend the rest of his life in prison. After that Castro started to get nervous telling Sarah that they were trying to get him. Lou took off to look at houses in Tennessee. 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. The investigation into Daniel Perez centered around what investigators called his unexplained wealth, according to The Wichita Eagle. But there was a catch. He had convinced the group that he needed someone "pure" to share his bed as he was a "seer" and needed a young female virgin to take care of him or he would die. Angel's Landing Cult Mar 6 2022 Length: 1 hr and 1 min Podcast Listen for free View show details Summary Lou Castro (aka Daniel Perez, master manipulator) was a man who seemed to have this ability to draw families to him and convince them of the seemingly impossible. The two along with Monas 14-year-old daughter Lindsey and son Cody moved in together. One day he and another detective showed up at Angels Landing with glossy photographs of made-up suspects. She was eight months pregnant. Once recovered he moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. In fact, he would also consistently manipulate her into doing his bidding, as is evident with her involuntary participation in Patricias murder. In Columbia, he tried to pass himself off as Joe Venegas, an alias he used to open the bank account after using the name Lou Castro and living on a 20-acre spread in Kansas known as "Angel's. Goodwyn called it the most bizarre story he'd everheard butsaid Perez's conviction was probably the most amazing feeling in my law enforcement career.. Perez told commune members that she had slipped and fallen into the pool. Emily then heard a shriek from Trish and a splash. The outlet noted that the Kansas Bureau of Investigations sex offender registry showed Perezs victims range in age from 8 to 16. However, her mother seemed to be enthralled with the self-proclaimed angel and believed he had their best interests in mind. After guests arrived, the venue burst into flames. They would later find three more. The Associated Press contributed to this report. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher), OWNERS OF LATE CHILD STAR JUDITH BARSIS HOME SAY THEY FELT A DARK PRESENCE IN MURDER HOUSE FLIP'. Castro/Venegas was taken into custody that day. Perez, now 62, is behind bars at the Lansing Correctional Facility, according to theKansas Sex Offender Registry. The commune leader is accused of killing Hughes, whose 2003 death was initially believed to be an. There he met a 15-year-old girl, K.L., who believed that Perez was much younger than his actual age and the pair soon began a sexual relationship. | Heavy.com, Watch Dateline: Secrets Uncovered Episode: Angels and Demons NBC.com. Castro was always present when these policies were taken out and had directed who would be taking policies, how much the policies would be for, and who would be named the beneficiaries. In August 2003, Trishs death benefit was paid out to her husband Brian. The "accidents" caught the attention of local authorities. Police identified the arrested members as Ryan Kramer, Christopher Royer, Sarah Rudolph, Karin Raymond, Jason Castillo, John Robertson and Obdulia Franco. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! She told police she was 11 years old when Perez told her to lie to them, saying Hughes had fallen and drowned in the pool. Ron Lafferty's brother, Dan Lafferty, seen here in 2003, is serving a life sentence in connection to the murders. The group moved from state to state, making it difficult to track Lou Castro and his crimes. Tragically, Brian was killed in what would be ruled an accident in South Dakota. Kramer and Raymond were released from jail on personal recognizance bonds, with more hearings scheduled for later this month. Charges would be eventually filed against Perez for the rapes, but the case was dismissed when Perez was found dead in Mexico. With the help of the district attorney and his assistant, I was able to do it. Before Trishs death, the group owned two Corvettes and several SUVs. In this photo, bodies are placed on Army trucks after the mass suicide. While working on the real estate transaction Jennifer had spent a lot of time with Castro and soon their friendship developed into something more. 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. When looking into the man who was calling himself Lou Castro, they couldnt find a paper trail or anything about his background. Perez, who will be sentenced March 24, is facing imprisonment for possibly the rest of his life. Then, in 1995, a Solar Temple building in the Swiss Alps was found burned down with 16 bodies inside. No one was killed, but at least 700 people were poisoned in an effort to influence a local election. Later Perez would state that he pled guilty to the charges and was given probation. Castro had gotten the girls and others to believe that he was over a hundred years old and his body was often inhabited by one of three angels Arthur, Daniel, and Amber, who was the angel of death. Their mother believed that he was an angel who could predict peoples death. Sheela fled to Switzerland, where she served time for her crimes, and later opened nursing homes. Patricia Hughes had a $1.24 million dollar life insurance policy payout from her husband Brian. All rights reserved. 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. His sex offender registry indicates he began abusing children in 2001, and the abuse spanned more than a decade, ending in 2015. [Perez] was telling him, One day youll get your chance to go to the other side,' she said. It was on March 2, 2006, that Brian left Angels Landing to visit South Dakota. As the twos relationship deepened Sarah shared with Daniel about all of the group members deaths along with the group expectation that they serve Castro, but most importantly that the group was supported financially by the life insurance payouts they had received over the years. Trish would tell others that when he was young Castro had died and when he came back he had these powers. WhenMcGrath realized some of what was going on in his girlfriend's makeshift family, he sent an email to the FBI through their websitein 2010. According to the outlet, there was one count of first-degree murder, eight counts of rape, seven counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, three counts of aggravated assault, one count of sexual exploitation of a child and eight counts of making false information. That is when he came across an obituary for Mona, Jim, and Lindsey that had Lou Castros name attached to it. 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. 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. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Kuznetsov, who was not with them, had told them to wait there for the end of the world, which he thought was coming in 2008. The man had a clandestine past and had evaded law enforcement on multiple occasions before, and it was no wonder that suspicious activity would take place in the house. The show features interviews with former followers, law enforcement officials, experts, family members as well as friends closest to the victims. Warning: Some images in this gallery are graphic in nature. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Koresh's followers took over the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, also known as Mount Carmel. The outlet shared that in 2015 Perez was handed two life sentences, plus 406 months with no possibility of parole for 80 years. It's unclear how many members the group still has. It was in Angel's Landing that Emily had moved into the master bedroom with Daniel Perez. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He left the care of his daughter to Hutson, who died in a traffic accident in 2008. According to both Emily and Sarah, Trish was like a second mother to them. He was able to look at bank balances for the majority of the group members.