2018 marks the 25-year anniversary of a 51-day siege that ended in tragedy, following a shootout between the U.S. government and members of a sect called the Branch Davidians. The gunfire exchange lasted for well over an hour, killing four U.S. agents and six Branch Davidians, and wounding their leader Vernon Howell, also known as David Koresh. Yet this violence was just the beginning of an ordeal that would culminate in an inferno later to become known as the Waco Massacre. CW: references to manipulative behaviours, suicide, murder, and physical abuse and sexual assault, including of minors. Please consider whether this is suitable for you and those around you who may be listening too. Research sources listed on each episode page at www.ltaspod.com. Image of Mount Carmel Center on episode webpage header by Lorie Shaull. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at www.iasp.info. Links: The Sinful Messiah — The Waco Tribune-Herald's 7-part investigative series, 1993.The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation — by Dick J. Reavis, Syracuse University Press, 1998Breaking through the myths surrounding the 1993 Branch Davidian raid — by Lee Hancock, Dallas News, 27 February 2018Armageddon in Waco: Critical Perspectives on the Branch Davidian Conflict — by Stuart A. Wright, University of Chicago Press, 1995Who was David Koresh? — by Ashley Fantz, CNN, 14 April 2011Four Years After the Flames of Waco, a Film Keeps the Doubts Smoldering — by Sam Howe Verhovek, The New York Times, 19 August 1997Branch Davidian children's drawings foretold deadly Waco fire, psychiatrist says — by Spencer Wilking, ABC News, 4 January 2018Who was David Koresh: Ex-followers describe life inside apocalyptic religious sect involved in 1993 Waco siege — by Muriel Pearson, Spencer Wilking & Lauren Effron, ABC News, 2 January 2018The children of Waco — ABC News documentary, 17 April 2003Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas, goes up in flames — ABC News television coverage, 19 April 1993Prophecy of doom — Graeme Craddock, as told to Konrad Marshall, The Sydney Morning Herald, 8 June 2013WACO DOCUMENTARY REWRITES THE RECORD — 1998 Spring Issue, Intelligence Report, 15 June 1998Indicting The Feds For the Siege At Waco — by Stephen Holden, The New York Times, 13 June 1997WACO: THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT — film review by Roger Ebert, 19 September 1997Sacred And Profane – How not to negotiate with believers. — by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker, 31 March 2014Truth and Lies: Waco — ABC News Special, 4 January 2018The Shadow of Waco — RetroReport, The New York Times, 12 July 2015Memories of Waco Siege Continue to Fuel Far-Right Groups — Retro Report by Clyde Haberman, 12 July 2015The Siege at Waco — Crimes of the Century, CNN, 25 August 2013Two Decades Later, Some Branch Davidians Still Believe — by John Burnett, Weekend Edition Saturday, NPR, 20 April 2013BIOGRAPHY: David Koresh — Frontline, PBSThe Devil's Party: A History Of Charlatan Messiahs — by Colin Wilson, Random House, 2011The Messiah of Waco — by Barbara Kantrowitz, Newsweek, 14 March 1993Warning of Violence Was Unheeded After Cult Leader's Gun Battle in '87 — by Adam Nossiter, The New York Times, 10 March 1993Cult planned sham marriages for members: Former wife says Howell forced her to ‘wed’ member so he could stay in U.S. — by Marc R.