By Robert Lindsey Special to The New York Times. Layton said the temple started out as a civil rights movement and he compared Jones to Martin Luther King Jr., but 'obviously things turned out differently,' he said. The cover of a Jonestown promotional booklet from 1978. Larry Layton, who posed as a defector, was captured after badly wounding two people inside a plane trying to take off. His family, too, had had great wealth. She mentioned a Bay Area couple, the Stoens, who had defected and were fighting for the return of their young son, John. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "And I thought, if I get hit by a truck, my epitaph will be, 'Jonestown survivor dies on Bay Bridge.' I was an orphan and my grandfather didn't let me forget it; he wanted me to work hard; he didn't want to ruin me with praise; I was supposed to be humble. A second jury convicted Larry, although four jurors took what the trial judge called an unprecedented step of asking for leniency in Larrys sentencing. After spending 18 years in Guyana jails and U.S. federal prisons, Larry Layton, the only man convicted on criminal charges arising from the events of November 18, 1978, was released in April 2002. Mr. Layton cried as his attorney described conditions at Jonestown and said that many prosecution witnesses must feel guilty for leaving loved ones behind to die. Breathing heavily, I pulled myself to my feet, stumbled to the planes baggage compartment and took shelter. 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. I noticed an elderly woman stuffing pieces of bacon into her pockets; the ample spread was just another showpiece. | AP. He is serving a life sentence in the federal prison at Lompoc. [43] He also hosted a local talk radio show. Judge Peckham also set April 21 for a hearing on a motion for a new trial filed by Mr. Layton's new defense attorney, Robert R. Bryan. By his own admission, Layton came of age in Berkeley, Calif., during the turmoil of student protests and the Vietnam war. [7] He became known as one of America's biggest jewel thieves and made the FBI's most wanted list in 1996. But, as interviews last week with family members and friends revealed, the Laytons slowly disintegrated under the pressures of family conflict, the disillusionment that gripped much of America during the 1960's, drug use, and the soothing, simplistic appeal of Mr. Jones. If there is such a thing as a spirit or essence of people . Should they have any doubt of his intentions, they could look to the vibrant community of believers who echoed his sentiments and treated his words as gospel. Last year, Mrs. Layton became ill, and the diagnosis was what she feared most cancer. [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. Mrs. Layton got a large share of the proceeds, as well as money from the sale of stock they had owned Jointly; this also was given to the cult. Life in Jonestown became a drab and exhausting routine of dawn-to-dusk labor in the fields, replete with swarms of voracious mosquitoes that even went after the toughened soles of people's feet. That was the last moment I remember with any real clarity before I surrendered my body to the medical staff. He said the accusation probably been inspired by Mr. Jones as part of a systematic effort to break up families in the church. I was kicked. He is bewildered at how it all happened, groping for an explanation of what he called a Greek tragedy.. Congressman Ryans body was probably 15 feet away. Later on, I decided I had to show them. Many hours before the plane came, somehow, word filtered in that after Jones had released his death squad to the airstrip, he had led more than 900 of his flock into his White Night of death. Subsequently, she arranged to leave the settlement on an errand for Mr. Jones and left Guyana on May 13. '', ''In a sense,'' he said, ''it would be easy to transfer the responsibility of Jones and put it on Larry Layton.'' He spoke often of apocalypseJones chose Redwood Valley because he believed it was one of a few places in the country that could survive a nuclear holocaustyet insisted the Peoples Temple would exist as a sort of heaven on Earth, with himself in the role of God. I dove beneath the plane, hiding behind the wheel as bullets thumped against the metal above me. The book describes the events that occurred in Jonestown, Guyana, where over 900 people lost their lives as the result of mass forced suicide, which constituted the largest loss of American civilian life (other than due to natural disasters or during the course of violence with Native Americans) in United States history until the events of Mr. Blakey survived the killings and suicides at Jonestown; he was on a boat owned by the commune at the time of the deaths. A man followed him and slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand, then disappeared back into the crowd. Larry, after graduating from Berkeley High School, enrolled at the University of California at Davis and soon was living with Carolyn Moore, a student whose father was a Protestant minister in Davis. Under the Federal parole system, a person sentenced to life in prison is not normally considered for parole until 10 years have been served. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Fox News. [10] In 2012, Lawton self-published Gangster Redemption, an autobiography co-written with Peter Golenbock. Mr. Jones also apparently widened the rift between Larry Layton and his father. Later that night, Jones had another suicide exercise. She carne back from that meeting in a state of shock, as if she had seen a ghost, her husband recalled. 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. And then I realized that confirming one tiny detail could mean that the worst of the testimonies were true. Mr. Jones's cult included, at ohe time or another, six members of the Layton family. The tumult of the late 60s and early 70s had left masses of people searching for a greater sense of security and purpose. After a few weeks, Layton grew "accustomed to the unusual smells in the food and drink. One of the defectors wed interviewed claimed that Jones dyed them black. Mr. Jones, they said, could cure cancer. Mrs. Layton's daughter, Deborah, joined the cult five years ago. [10], Lawton executed his first robbery when he was 28, an inside job to collect insurance money. Besides, when had a congressman ever been assassinated on foreign soil while on a congressional delegation trip? [22] Fingerprint evidence connected Lawton to the October 1994 Palm Bay heist, and he was charged with that crime as well. After that trip, I remember telling myself that never again would I witness such violence at such close range. Jones himself sat onstage in a throne beneath a sign that read: Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The members sang and danced and, by every appearance, were happy. Closing the Book on Case. I couldnt immediately identify the deafening sound that filled the air. The defense rested its case without presenting witnesses. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 1978 CULT FIGURE GETS LIFE TERM IN CONGRESSMAN'S JUNGLE SLAYING, https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/04/us/1978-cult-figure-gets-life-term-in-congressman-s-jungle-slaying.html. [25], Law enforcement officials and judges have supported the program. [13], In May 1994, three males robbed a jewelry store in Daytona Beach, Florida, netting $500,000 (nearly $950,000 in 2022)[14] worth of gold and diamonds. "The reason I did well," Layton says now, "is that I'm a little soldier and I follow orders so well.". As I shook his hand, I looked at his sideburns. I was almost one of them. But it was the testimony of Vern Gosney, one of Larrys shooting victims at the Port Kaituma airstrip, who traveled from Hawaii for the sole purpose of attending the hearing and who delivered the most impassioned plea for Larrys release, that apparently made the difference. Anyone can read what you share. Mr. Jones, Deborah said, callously gave Mrs. Layton that news. Ten years later the road came to a dead end in the jungles of Guyana. From what Ive seen, he said, there are a lot of people here who think this is the best thing that happened in their whole life. He was interrupted by manically enthusiastic cheering. She said that she knew that to do so would endanger her mother and brother because Mr. Jones kept dissident members in line by holding relatives hostage. Larry Layton wiki ionformation include family relationships: spouse or partner (wife or husband); siblings; childen/kids; parents life. In the weeks leading up to the White House decision on the petition, a number of former congressmen and religious leaders including Rev. But I was one of very few women who held senior staff positions in Congress at the time, and I was concerned that if I gave in to my reluctance and let a male colleague go in my place, Id be setting back women in politics. ''Look at the poor diet, the loss of weight, the physical exhaustion, the desperation, the lingering illness and death of his mother and the fear of punishment and humiliation,'' he said. He was then returned to the United States and charged under a Federal statute against assassinating members of Congress and internationally protected people. ref: Sparkle Lee Larry Layton 40-36 Tony Lundy 40-36 Lindsey Page 40-35 2020-01-10: Alicia Napoleon Espinosa: L-UD. I would be in the first group; Congressman Ryan insisted that he stay behind to make certain that every person who wanted to leave made it to Port Kaituma safely. Anyone can read what you share. On the plane to Guyana, Nov. 18, 1978. the attorney said. Meanwhile, ex-devotees of the Peoples Temple began sharing stories about Jones darker side. [42][13], Lawton has made many media appearances. Her startling introduction to life there quickly allowed Layton to see the cracks in the facade. Dont know why youre here, but were happy to have you, Jones said. He was born in the mountains of West Virginia, between White Sulphur Springs and Charleston, to a. Excerpt from UNDAUNTED: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back by Jackie Speier, reprinted under a license arrangement originating with Amazon Publishing. In Ukiah, Layton's free will was already beginning to slip away, according to his lawyers. ''I submit they were presented to inflame you, to arouse your passions, to prejudice you. Last May, while serving Mr. Jones as a trusted aide, she escaped from Jonestown and tried in vain to alert the world that he was preparing for a mass suicide in order to establish a place for himself in history. But, she said, I had to tell somebody what was happening in Jonestown. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.-based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones.Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in . John Ford. And he assigned two of his staff members to come along: Jim Schollaert and me. Hours later at the Jonestown emcampment, Jones led the death rite of himself and his followers. With Joness wild gaze on us, I tape-recorded affidavits of their wishes to return to the United States. Original release. His suggestion that I would learn far more from first-hand experience was in step with the way he approached politics. The parole examiner said he was deeply troubled that Larry had remained in prison for so long well in excess of the five years recommended by the sentencing judge and noted Larrys exemplary behavior while in federal custody. Mr. Layton believes that his wife gave Mr. Jones at least $250,000 and possibly more; he said she had some secret accounts of her own that apparently contained money from her father. As I took down their names, I looked over at Don Harris, who was interviewing Jones. In 1970, as chairman of a committee overseeing prison reform, he assumed a pseudonym and had himself booked, strip-searched and incarcerated for 10 days at Folsom State Prison, revealing his.