He was cracking. Layton was arrested shortly after the killings by Guyanese authorities and signed a confession taking responsibility for the airstrip deaths--a confession that his lawyers maintained was coerced. Peoples Temple was successful in recruiting new members because they always provided what the community needed, a case of supply and demand. GUYANA - NOVEMBER 18: People's Temple follower Larry Layton (C) stands with police following his arrest November 18, 1978 in the shooting of two people on a remote Guyana airstrip. In the two years since, Jones and most of his followers had left the Bay Area and moved to Jones commune deep in the jungle of Guyana. Dwyer, Speier and nine others were wounded. His appearance was part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Jonestown survivor Deborah Layton grew up in a house of secrets. grandmother Layton thought had died of a heart attack in Hamburg actually Jones became active in local politics, giving money, running food programs and busing Temple members to attend rallies and get out the vote for his favored candidates. about Robert Bryan, who took over the case after Laytons conviction, said he hopes to win a new trial for Layton. I In all, Layton was convicted of four charges--conspiracy and aiding and abetting in the shootings of Ryan and Dwyer. In Congress, he joined a March 1978 Greenpeace mission to investigate the slaughter of baby seals in Newfoundland, Canada. "I was driving across the bridge," she says when asked why, after all these years, she wanted to revisit the horrors of Jonestown. Among them were Sams teenaged granddaughters. She got a job in investment banking, married, had a child, divorced. "He didn't feel good about it," his son, Thomas Layton, an anthropology professor at San Jose State University, said yesterday. Police investigating homicide at northwest Austin apartment complex Monday night, DPS searching for driver responsible for killing motorcyclist, fleeing scene, Storm chances return Thursday; some could be strong, Slow debris clean-up in Little Walnut Creek leads to flooded homes during rainstorms. Five months later, on the night of November 18, 1978, Jones sent a gang of gunmen to an airstrip in Port Kaituma, where Representative Leo Ryan of San Mateo and a fact-finding party that had visited Jonestown were preparing to leave. Don put it in his pocket and took a few more steps before carefully unfolding it. I couldnt immediately identify the deafening sound that filled the air. He had completed his mission and was trying to take off from an airstrip six miles from the jungle compound of Jonestown when a trailer filled with eight armed Jones devotees pulled onto the runway and began firing. ordered 912 of his followers to drink cyanide-poisoned punch in the Guyana Sam was far from the only person concerned about Jones malicious influence over a loved one. The killings occurred shortly before more than 900 followers of Jones died in a mass suicide at Jonestown, a settlement founded by Jones in the remote Guyanese jungle of South America. Mr.. But Layton, saying he wishes he could ease the pain. Hurrying out of bed, Layton would race toward Jones "in my mud-caked boots, past the tin-roofed cabins, past the wooden outdoor showers where we're allowed our two-minute wash at the end of our 11-hour days in the field." After being airlifted to a U.S. military base in Puerto Rico, he was sent onward on to a hospital in Santa Rosa, California, where his father and brothersall of them armedprotected him from the "angels" he believed the late Jones would send to finally finish him. Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones (left) shakes hands with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone (right) after being sworn in to serve on the San Francisco Housing Authority, Nov. 24, 1977. All I could think was I am not going to make Grandma live through my funeral. homeless and help addicts get clean. SAN FRANCISCO Larry Layton was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for his role in conspiring to murder Rep. Leo Ryan in Guyana in 1978. [25] He received an additional sentence in 2002 for giving false witness. blew open," she says. Her book "Seductive Poison" will be in bookstores in November. him -- and later from him as she plotted her escape months before he Many of the bodies were decomposed and could not be identified. People's Temple follower Larry Layton, center stands with police following his arrest Nov. 18, 1978 in the shooting of two people on a remote Guyana airstrip. He told you precisely what was on his mind, no matter who you were or whether or not you wanted to hear it. In the months leading up to the trip, my boss, Congressman Leo Ryan, had been contacted by worried constituents whose loved ones were members of a San Francisco-based religious group called the Peoples Temple, which had fled to South America for the promise of a utopian commune led by their preacher, Jim Jones. It wasnt unusual for Temple members to be awakened at dawn over the loudspeaker and summoned to the pavilion for one of his increasingly unhinged sermons. [15][18], In 1996, there was a robbery of a jeweler in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. into mass suicide. Then the adults. At the compound, Don wandered off to smoke a cigarette. In August 1979, he joined the Coast Guard[9] and took part in the Mariel boatlift. It paints a convincing picture of what it was like to spend seven years in the notorious cult, only to escape a few months before the tragedy that gave Jonestown its infamous place in history as the site of the largest mass suicide in modern times. The fact is, those who died in Jonestown were real people, with families, friends, and loved ones. While on the phone listening to the allegations that would soon be made public, Jones scribbled a note to his aides: We leave tonight.. ", She blithely ignored the warning signs -- the fake "cancer healings" and the increasingly hostile confrontations, when Jones would scream at members of his flock for faintly perceived faults or have them paddled harshly with the "board of education.". We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. He also gave the former Peoples Temple follower credit for spending a year and 49 days in jail while his trial was pending--thereby reducing the potential sentence by that amount of time. It was impossible to cope with the pain. I was even unaffected by the rice weevils and other strange bugs we ingested daily.". But allegations of wrongdoing mounted, and Jones moved the settlement to Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. Last week, though, the ashes of nine victims were found neatly packaged and clearly marked, with the names of the deceased and place of their death included on accompanying death certificates, the Delaware Division of Forensic Science said Thursday. The Jonestown remains were found at the former Minus Funeral Home after the property's current owner, a bank, called, according to Dover police and public records. [6][11] In 2010, Lawton filmed the pilot and sizzle reel for Lawton's Law, a reality show based on his work with at-risk youth. Hundreds of followers moved. Northern California As I was lying seven miles away waiting for medical help, Sam Houstons granddaughters, Patricia and Judy, 14 and 15, were murdered, along with their mother, dozens of other would-be defectors and the rest of the Peoples Temple. security guards. | Amazon. For seven weeks, believed he could best survive the atomic apocalypse he expected. Once, Debbie continued, Jones woke up the camp in the early hours of the morning. But Layton, saying he wishes he could ease the pain of survivors of the Jonestown massacre, could be freed within five years. DOVER, Del. [28] Often he appears discussing crimes in the media as an expert on robberies. I have no idea how much time passed until I turned my head and opened my eyes. We saw an impressive community with dozens of pathways, cabins, a medical center, a little school, and a large pavilion where the members congregated regularly. It made no sense that he would be trying to leave Jonestown. What is one recurring theme in A Rose for Emily story? Mr. Layton is survived by two sons, Thomas and Larry (Laurence John Layton); two daughters, Deborah Layton and Annalisa Layton Valentine, both of Piedmont, and three grandchildren. Misbehaving children were It was an implausible ending for the fiery preacher, who had curried favor among the fashionable elite of the Democratic Party. When cameras were rolling, he spoke of how he loved them and how there would always be a place for thembut those declarations would be followed by thinly veiled mutters about treason and liars. To the tarmac. A growing body of constituents known as the Concerned Relatives wrote Congressman Ryan with increasing alarm about their daughters or sons who had accompanied the charismatic demagogue to Guyana. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. fake healings. (1.8-by-1.2-meter) underground enclosure. Guyana charged Layton as an accomplice in all five airstrip murders, but tried him first for the attempted murder of two Temple defectors. U.S. District Judge Robert F. Peckham recommended that parole authorities consider releasing Layton in five years. The news at the time and the history lessons to follow usually fail to mention that a number of Peoples Temple members were shot, several of whom were in the field between the pavilion and the jungle, clearly trying to escape the massacre. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Larry Layton was convicted in 1986 by a federal jury in San Francisco of conspiring in the 1978 murder of California congressman Leo Ryan and aiding and abetting in the attempted murder of Richard Dwyer, a U.S. diplomat wounded in the attack. [29][13] The program is four hours long. ", "I thought, what a waste. "All the survivors in touch with me are traumatized because that door had been closed," said Jonestown survivor Laura Johnston Kohl, now a retired teacher from San Diego. Chief among my concerns was how cozy Jones appeared to be with members of the embassy: How could any Jonestown resident feel safe reporting an injustice to a U.S. official who is arm in arm with Jim Jones in every image? Escape came in May 1978 when Jones sent Layton to Georgetown as Jim Jones orchestrated the mass murder-suicide of Peoples Temple cult members on November 18, 1978. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. (AP) -- Thirty-five years ago, funeral directors in Delaware struggled to quickly bury and cremate the remains of more than 900 people who died in a suicide-murder in Jonestown, Guyana, many of them Peoples Temple followers who drank cyanide-laced punch. By that time, darker elements had seeped into Jones sermons. [37], Lawton is an advocate for prisoners and their rights, and comments on the justice system. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Five bullets had ripped through me, devastating the right side of my body. [30] The Lake St. Louis police chief praised Larry's message about the consequences of going to prison and said it is not a scared straight program, noting that Lawton said "fear doesn't have a lasting impact. He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a . Although he had no formal training as a minister and no affiliation with any organized religion, his high-octane enthusiasm and open-armed policy attracted a diverse range of followers. In a cabin with about six women from the Temple, I took a top bunk, sweating as a downpour opened up outside. She got on the plane, leaving her mother behind. to Jones at the first Peoples Temple in far Northern California, where Lawton was critical of the move, saying that "[c]hain gangs send a bad message about [the US]." Layton's mother, Lisa, had died of cancer 10 days before the mass suicide. Layton, 41, is the only former Peoples Temple member who was tried in the United States in connection with the slaughter on Nov. 18, 1978. I knew him well enough to understand what would happen next. Don hung back for a moment before approaching Congressman Ryan and me at the picnic table and surreptitiously passing along the note. It was. Kool-Aid mixed with water is not the same as plain water or a beverage such as Gatorade or Powerade. Infants cannot commit suicide. [26] He was incarcerated in many prisons during his sentence, which included Jesup in Georgia, Riker's Island in New York, Edgefield in South Carolina, and Yazoo City in Mississippi. Laytons first trial ended in a hung jury in 1981, with 11 of the 12 jurors voting to acquit him. We didnt want a group to present a canned response or any individual to look to others for their answers. It was a mass murder. Later that night, Jones had another suicide exercise. The approach continued even after hed moved from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. ', "O.J. 1970, and she was on summer vacation from the British boarding school Besides, when had a congressman ever been assassinated on foreign soil while on a congressional delegation trip? If Layton waives his right to a hearing to establish his identity, he will be sent on to San Francisco to face the charges there. of She left with her 8-month-old daughter before the massacre. There was no movement, but I thought the others might also be playing dead. Back in the compound, Jones was choreographing I felt my stomach knot. Leo Ryan wanted answers. seemed to have them for us.". Youll see what a wonderful place it is. He took us on a tour highlighting the most favorable aspects of the commune. How to plan a weekend getaway to Mount Shasta, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Generator vs power station: Which one is right for you? Long-term consumption may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. Besides, when had a congressman ever been assassinated on foreign soil while on a congressional delegation trip? That was the last moment I remember with any real clarity before I surrendered my body to the medical staff. In the fall of 1978, Ryan decided to visit Guyana to find out what was happening to the more than 900 members of Jonestown, many of whom were his constituents from the San Francisco area who'd. [8][9] The 367-page book covers his early life, his string of crimes, and his post-release career. only one I Former Jonestown cult member Larry Layton was convicted of conspiracy today in the killing of California Rep. Layton Guilty of Role in '78 Ryan Murder - Los Angeles Times Behind his dim glasses, Jones preached love and equality while manipulating his followerstaking their property and having them sign over their paychecks and Social Security. Mr. Layton's children said his one wish in his later years was that his son, Larry, could be freed. Then, as a group of men dug the truck out of the mud, we heard a loud commotion from the pavilion. The hundreds of elderly were told that if they attempted escape, they would be left to die prolonged deaths alone in the depths of the jungle. I did not recover my old self; bullets render that impossible. Congressman Ryan and I were among the first shift of the delegation to climb in for the excruciatingly slow six-mile drive to the commune. [10] He was sentenced for racketeering and robbery and spent 11 years in prison before being released in 2007. announcing her mother was Jewish. How did the Peoples Temple recruit members? Left-right: Jim Schollaert, Jackie Speier and Congressman Leo Ryan. Politically, there was nothing to gainand everything to loseby taking on Jones, and there was no telling what hed do if confronted and challenged. Nearly 30 years later, her mother long dead in a rotting jungle outpost in Guyana, her brother doing life in a federal prison and her father so broken that he weeps at the mention of anything connected with Jones-, town, Deborah Layton has, as she put it the other day, "decided it was time to come out of the cobwebbed attic.". ", 20 Years Later, Jonestown Survivor Confronts Horrors, LAYTON01/B/20OCT98/MN/SLF ---Deborah Layton is a survivor of Jonestown. [10] Afterwards, another jewelry store in Lower Bucks County became suspicious of a person they believed was casing the place for a future robbery. the doorbell in a frenzy of bright stripes and squiggles. "The people that joined Peoples Temple were really good people. I had read the articles and listened to hours of testimony. Ryan wanted to investigate. He is serving a life sentence in the federal prison at Lompoc. The next year, his church relocated to Redwood Valley, a small community in northern California. Repeatedly, the defectors mentioned forced participation in mass-suicide rehearsals known as the White Night trials.. None of the Temple members showed any interest in receiving correspondence from home. His first encounter with organized crime was through his father, a metal worker who delivered bribes to the New York mafia. After the war, Mr. Layton had a series of government jobs. I couldnt bear the vision of her sitting in front of my casket. Lawton gained notoriety for committing a string of jewelry store robberies along the Atlantic Seaboard prior to his arrest in 1996. Jim Jones with a group of children living at Jonestown, circa 1978. Where is Larry Layton today? I was kicked. [43] He also hosted a local talk radio show. Jones Although he was indicted in San Francisco, arraignment was scheduled for New York because that is where he first landed on his return to the United States from Guyana, where he has been jailed for the past two years. robes, Jones, known as Father to his flock, soon became a San Francisco The remaining victims were cremated or buried in family cemeteries over the period of several months following the massacre. But listening to one after the other after the other say the same choreographed thing made me uneasy. In San Francisco, his church was lauded for its social programs, and Jones efforts to feed the poor and fight segregation found receptive ears with progressive politicians. A bone shot out of my right arm, and a huge hunk of flesh had been blown off my thigh. In all, 913 died. He knew that Jones had considerable political clout, with close ties to Democratic leaders in San Francisco, Sacramento, and even with the State Department. I hope tonight is the last one.