The Waco Cult Leader Who Convinced 76 People to Die for Him

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]In 1993, a man who called himself the lamb of God convinced 76 people to die for him. David Caresh wasn't born a prophet. He was Vernon Howell, a dyslexic high school dropout from Texas.

[00:00:12]But inside the branch devidian compound in Waco, he became something else entirely. He claimed to be Jesus Christ.

[00:00:19]He took multiple wives, some as young as 12. He stockpiled enough weapons to arm a small militia. When federal agents came to investigate, Caresh's followers opened fire. What followed was 51 days of psychological warfare. FBI agents blasted sounds of dying rabbits and Tibetan chants at maximum volume. Kesh rambled for hours on the phone about biblical prophecies. Then on April 19th, everything went wrong. Tear gas canisters smashed through the compound walls. Within minutes, flames erupted everywhere. 76 people burned alive. 25 were children. Survivors later revealed the horrifying truth about life inside.

[00:00:59]The beatings, the starvation, the 8-hour sermons, and the disturbing final recordings of what really happened when the compound became their tomb.