He was cracking. encampment about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the Guyana capital of The moment Layton and her mother, Lisa, arrived at Jonestown, a jungle I did not recover my old self; bullets render that impossible. Five bullets hit me from point-blank range, piercing my right arm, leg, and back. same time, it's because of those secrets that I think my mother and my "But 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. | AP. to Jones at the first Peoples Temple in far Northern California, where Layton faces murder conspiracy charges in the November 1978 shootings at a Guyana airstrip in which Rep. Leo Ryan, three newsmen and a temple defector were killed and several . She was 16 before she found out she was Jewish, 24 before she learned her In 1954, he was named director of research at the Navy's munitions factory in Indian Head, Md., where he designed missile fuels. Somehow, through the encroaching darkness of my final thoughts, I saw my 87-year-old Grandma Emma. Ryan and I asked one or two Temple members at a time to come talk to us. "He was so depressed that he was not able to conduct research," Thomas Layton said. [19][20] One bullet narrowly missed Lawton, but struck his brother. Northern California grandmother had committed suicide. Research has shown that the artificial dyes in Kool-Aid may cause hyperactivity in your child. Dwyer, who was wounded in the attack, has retired from the Foreign Service. The Guyanese did not release Layton until now because one of his defense lawyers said his client owed him $37,000 in unpaid bills. Over 900 people, including 304 children, killed themselves by drinking from a vat of grape-flavored drink laced with cyanide. Then daughter Lauren started asking questions. passage; Larry had been told years earlier. Ryan and four other Americans were shot to death at an airstrip as they prepared to leave Jonestown. [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. Back in the compound, Jones was choreographing Don put it in his pocket and took a few more steps before carefully unfolding it. The discovery reopened wounds. Layton spent approximately 18 years in either the Georgetown Gaol in Guyana or U.S. federal prisons before his release in April 2002. Peckham said he was particularly struck by pleas for leniency from four jurors, two prosecution witnesses and survivors of an attack by Layton at an airstrip outside the Guyanese encampment of Jonestown. Jones had ordered the ambush out of fear that Ryan would expose the cult. Former Peoples Temple member Larry John Layton was convicted Monday of conspiring to kill a U.S. congressman and a diplomat in a 1978 jungle ambush that led to a mass murder . Larry Layton, a former member of the People's Temple cult, is to be released on $250,000 bail pending an appeal of his conviction last December for aiding and abetting the murder of. 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. him -- and later from him as she plotted her escape months before he Jones died from a bullet to the brain. Larry Layton is a scapegoat for everyone connected with the Peoples Temple mass deaths eight years ago and had no part . | California Historical Society. Lawrence Robert Lawton (born October 3, 1961) is an American ex-convict, author, paralegal, motivational speaker, and YouTuber. All of those children. Laytons mother, also a Peoples Temple member, died of cancer in Jonestown two weeks before the massacre. SAN FRANCISCO . The night before, our delegation watched Jones followers perform a show at their compound. GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jan. 2 (AP) A Guyanese magistrate ruled today that Larry Layton, a member of the People's Temple, must stand trial in the slaying of Representative Leo J. Ryan. Vernon Gosney and Monica Bagby, it read. When people refer to the Jonestown massacre as a mass suicide, I am enraged. When people refer to the Jonestown massacre as a mass suicide, I am enraged. Layton became a senior insider in Jones' entourage. Join me, he assured his followers, and youll get health care, education and a family that would never mistreat you. Larry was released from Guyana into the custody of U.S. marshals, who escorted him to San Francisco. Witnesses offer conflicting accounts, Mars Voltas lead singer broke with Scientology and reunited with the band. Larry Layton was the only person prosecuted for any of the events in and around Jonestown. My recovery continuedthough that very word is not an accurate description of the aftermath of being shot. 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. Peoples Temple follower Larry Layton, center, stands with police following his arrest in the shooting of two people, including California Congressman Leo Ryan, on a remote Guyana airstrip, Nov. 18 . They None of those red flags made the congressman reconsider. I am taking solace in knowing that Larry Layton is going to pay back society for having assassinated the first congressman ever in this country, said Assemblywoman Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), who had accompanied Ryan on the trip as an aide. was ambushed Her mother and brother stayed behind. View the profiles of professionals named "Larry Layton" on LinkedIn. Few heeded. [7] In grades one through six, Lawton served as an altar boy at St. Francis de Chantal in The Bronx,[8] where he was sexually abused by a Catholic priest. "Whatever journey the ashes took in the U.S. is secondary. "[27] Another time he said: "I had my arms pinned down, and I was beaten and peed on by the guards. But listening to one after the other after the other say the same choreographed thing made me uneasy. The outfits were a ridiculous gimmick, and the role was clearly objectifying. Layton, expressionless for most of the hearing and dressed casually in a light blue sweater, said he extended his most sincere regrets to the families of the victims. He founded a free health clinic and a drug rehabilitation program, emerging as a political force. Layton was also quoted in a sentencing report to Peckham as saying that a cultist close to Jones had asked that he stop Ryan from leaving and gave him a gun. He said that some of the recipients could be innocent. He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a . Ever on the alert for malcontents, Jones would order recalcitrant Temple members -- those who questioned his authority -- into "The Box," a stifling underground cubicle the size of a coffin. A few showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. On Nov. 18, 1978, on a remote jungle airstrip, gunmen from the group ambushed and killed U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan of California, three newsmen and a defector from the group. [8][9] The 367-page book covers his early life, his string of crimes, and his post-release career. [35][36] It also hosts an annual bowling tournament. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, about a dozen men leapt from the tractor, leveled their automatic weapons, and fast approached. It looked staged. One of the defectors wed interviewed claimed that Jones dyed them black. High 56F. 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. Her brother, Larry, later became the only person ever charged in connection with the airstrip massacre and, after two trials, was convicted in 1986 of conspiring to murder Ryan. She had an extremely anxious demeanor, and we moved quickly as we went to her cabin to pack. When did the Jonestown massacre occur? Others were buried in a mass grave in California. It was imminently clear Jonestown was a hierarchical community, with the power structure resembling some sort of plantation: the majority of the Temple members were black, while the leadership was almost exclusively white. With Ryan dead, Jones concluded that the United States would retaliate, so he exhorted his followers to kill themselves by drinking cyanide-laced punch. It was utter pandemonium. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Larry Layton to pay them a last tribute. [15] The robbers took $480,000 ($910,600.81 in 2022)[17] worth of gold and diamonds making it the biggest robbery in the city's history. He was freed by Guyanese authorities Friday and arrived in New York City Friday night in the custody of U.S. marshals. "He kept holding on," Deborah Layton said, "holding on with the hope that some day Larry might be released from prison.". ", (The night before the trip in December 1977, another secret: The During World War II, he did research on cancer and the healing of wounds at Johns Hopkins University's School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore. After that trip, I remember telling myself that never again would I witness such violence at such close range. Jones, who founded his church in Indiana and moved here in 1970, relocated to Guyana, a former British colony in South America, in 1977 after critical press accounts about his politically prominent sect. ordered 912 of his followers to drink cyanide-poisoned punch in the Guyana 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. Peoples Temple gunman Larry Layton would not testify on his own behalf and opposed an insanity plea . She was entrusted with flights to Europe and Panama to open Temple bank accounts, where Jones stashed the millions he was taking from Temple. No names were released publicly because relatives hadn't been notified. [25] He received an additional sentence in 2002 for giving false witness. 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Jackie Speier is a congresswoman representing Californias 14th congressional district, which includes San Francisco and the peninsula.Excerpt from UNDAUNTED: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back by Jackie Speier, reprinted under a license arrangement originating with Amazon Publishing. In the early 1950s, he was chief of Chemical Warfare at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Jim Jones, with his omnipresent dark glasses and his sweeping red robe, was the anchor of her newfound life and, like many Temple members, she was mesmerized by him. I did not feel confident this was a good idea. believed he could best survive the atomic apocalypse he expected. 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? [1][2], In 2007, he started the Reality Check Program to help educate at-risk youths on the consequences of breaking the law. Syringes surround one of the vats used to mix up the position drink used in the mass murder at Jonestown. well, it wasn't there. I had read the articles and listened to hours of testimony. Larry Layton, who posed as a defector, was captured after badly wounding two people inside a plane trying to take off. ". His wife, Lisa, his daughter, Deborah, and another son, Larry, all became disciples of the Rev. Children had their own special punishment, Layton writes. Twelve hours had passed as I lay, teetering on deaths precipice when a light turned on inside me: The simple fact that I knew I was dying was proof that I was, indeed, still alive. 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. Jones ran the Peoples Temple in San Francisco in the early 1970s. ", Crimes for which children went to the well included "stealing food from the kitchen, expressing homesickness, failing a socialism exam, or even natural childish rebelliousness.". The article dissected Joness rise, revealing his practices of manipulation, public humiliation and fake faith healings, called out the Temples corrupt financial structure, and included ex-members testimonies of sexual assault and brutal beatings by Jones or at his command. Youll see what a wonderful place it is. He took us on a tour highlighting the most favorable aspects of the commune. That same year, Congressman Ryan read a newspaper article about a constituent of his named Sam Houston, whose son had been a member of Jim Jones Peoples Temple and, in 1976, died under suspicious circumstances after having a phone conversation in which he confessed to wanting to leave the group. In fact, I would have been on that truck, with a rifle. In 2009 the Rockledge Florida police used the DVDs as part of a community policing project with the money to buy the DVDs procured through asset forfeiture. Before the New West issue hit the stands, Jones and hundreds of his followers had left San Francisco for Jonestown, their promised land in Guyana. In the summer of 1977, after an expose of Peoples Temple in New West magazine, Jones and his followers fled to Guyana. He said Layton was insane at the time and was drugged by Jones with a mood-enhancing stimulant. Layton was already aboard one of the two planes, posing as a defector. Larry now lives in Northern California. 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. . [10], Lawton executed his first robbery when he was 28, an inside job to collect insurance money. she couldn't write. [44] Lawton has a YouTube channel, and he has made videos analyzing heists in movies and video games such as Grand Theft Auto V; he also plays Prison Architect. ", Looking back on it 20 years later, she says, "I put everything in denial and locked it down. "He didn't feel good about it," his son, Thomas Layton, an anthropology professor at San Jose State University, said yesterday. Then a tractor-trailer from the People's Temple arrived, and its occupants opened fire on the entire group, including both planes. Find showtimes and movie tickets near you at Megaplex Theatres. It was the final stop for a group that for nearly 10 years had fascinated and, in the end, horrified the Bay Area. White Night!" Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. Most were poisoned, some forcibly. 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. We listened as she offered a detailed and disturbing account of her experience. (It was the 60s.) robes, Jones, known as Father to his flock, soon became a San Francisco Rep. Ryan and I arranged to meet her. spiritual. where her worried parents had sent her to curb adolescent rebellion. Laytons lawyer said that made Layton more susceptible to Jones spell. 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 Only one man, Temple member Larry Layton, was tried in the United States for his involvement in the November 18 events. He was not paroled from an American prison until 2002. She left with her 8-month-old daughter before the massacre. DOVER, Del. Again, Larry was held in jail while he awaited trial. Layton, the cult's X-ray technician and a former conscientious objector, allegedly posed as a false defector from Jones and left the Jonestown commune the day of the mass-suicide. He was met with mostly beaming declarations [10] In 2012, Lawton self-published Gangster Redemption, an autobiography co-written with Peter Golenbock. Sam was far from the only person concerned about Jones malicious influence over a loved one. can really trust," or by the knowledge that failure meant punishment, physical Larry Layton was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for his role in conspiring to murder Rep. Leo Ryan in Guyana in 1978. 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. "[10], While in prison in 2003, Lawton was sent to solitary confinement for 27 days as punishment. Most of them were sent back home," said funeral director William Torbert Sr., 79. "I understand what these well-meaning secrets were for," Layton says. March 5, 1999 Laurence Laird Layton, a distinguished scientist whose later life was devastated by his family's involvement with the Peoples Temple cult, died Wednesday in his Emeryville home. [22] Fingerprint evidence connected Lawton to the October 1994 Palm Bay heist, and he was charged with that crime as well. The next day, preparing to leave with about 20 defectors, Ryan's party Her life appears to be light-years from Peoples Temple. A man followed him and slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand, then disappeared back into the crowd. Meanwhile, ex-devotees of the Peoples Temple began sharing stories about Jones darker side. How did the Peoples Temple recruit members? He is serving a life sentence in the federal prison at Lompoc. This was not a mass suicide. dangled head-first into the well late at night, Layton writes. L.A. Times Archives. Layton was 17 when her already converted brother, Larry, introduced her With the dark glasses he wore indoors and out, his glossy black hair and [29][13] The program is four hours long. "It's just so sad, for me as a survivor," said Yulanda Williams, 58, now a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department. I dont have any money to donate, but Id like to volunteer. Each cup of Kool-Aid has 20 grams of sugar, or to be precise, the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar. . [3], Lawton was offered a three-year sentence in exchange for disclosing his accomplices but did not take the deal. I would never have left Jonestown with Congressman Ryan. It was nothing of the kind. | AP/San Francisco Examiner. We accompanied Assemblyman Ryan to shopping centers and campaign events to pass out pamphlets and speak with voters. Ten days later, on November 18, Jones and 912 of his followers committed mass suicide. Among them were George Moscone, who the Peoples Temple played a significant role in electing mayor in 1975, and Harvey Milk, the pioneering openly gay city supervisor, who went so far as to write a letter to President Jimmy Carter extolling Joness work and rebutting charges that he was abusive. As one of his top aides, I accompanied the delegation, venturing out on the ice floes where the clubbing took place. After over twenty years in prison, Larry Layton was released on parole in 2002, largely due to the testimony of Vernon Gosney, one of the few survivors of the massacre, and the Federal Chief Judge, Robert F. Peckham. Whatever impelled me to send in the card changed the course of my life. In between his trials, he lived under an assumed name in Eureka and, more recently, in San Francisco, where he sold real estate and took computer classes. | AP. contentment. Onboard, every bump we hit shot an arrow of pain through my body. Jones then orchestrated a ritual of mass murder and suicide at the group's nearby agricultural commune, ordering followers to drink cyanide-laced grape punch. Though driven by the kind of underlying insecurity that so often fuels tyrants, Jones appeared to offer hope, redemption, and an idealistic new life. Her startling introduction to life there quickly allowed Layton to see the cracks in the facade. at the With the camp surrounded by his armed guards, he told his followers to give the medicinegrape FlavorAid and Kool-Aid laced with cyanide and tranquilizersto the children and the elderly first. 1998-11-02 04:00:00 PDT CALIFORNIA -- For a young woman of 17, flinging herself on the world after the cloistered atmosphere of an English boarding school, Peoples Temple seemed daring and exciting. Twenty years after Jonestown, a survivor looks back. Ryan wanted to investigate. They also found 24 other containers of marked, identified remains, and five containers of remains they could not immediately identify, said Kimberly Chandler, spokeswoman for the Delaware Division of Forensic Science. [32] By 2010, Lawton had shipped 10,000 DVDs across the country. [10] While in prison, Lawton earned a paralegal qualification and became a gang mediator. "They were looking for something larger than themselves to be involved She looks away for a moment, then brightens and starts to talk about a visit she made to Jonestown only a few months ago, accompanied by a crew from the Arts & Entertainment network, which is making a documentary on Peoples Temple. Although he called it a very grave crime, Peckham said Layton has shown great remorse, and his actions in 1978 reflected how the cult leader, the Rev. Jonestown massacre In Jonestown Only one man, Temple member Larry Layton, was tried in the United States for his involvement in the November 18 events. Young and unanchored, Layton was charmed as Jones fixed his penetrating
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