Infamous Cults: The Life and Crimes of Cult Leaders and Their Followers: Infamous Crimes, #1

By Daniela Airlie

Come with me and learn about the world's most ill-famed and chilling cults, their leaders, and their followers.

 

The strange and sinister stories of lesser-known cults will have you asking what triggers the cult followers' unwavering loyalty to their often cruel leaders. You may know the story of the Manson Family, whose followers committed senseless acts of violence (including the tragic murder of actress Sharon Tate). But, many cult crimes occurred before and after Charles Manson and his followers hit newspaper headlines, and Infamous Cults covers them.

 

I'll tell the story of a horrific spate of gruesome ritualistic killings that occurred in Matamoros, a Mexican border town, in the mid-80s. These macabre murders were carried out by a cult called Narcosatanicos, a drug smuggling gang who believed their ceremonial sacrifices would make them untouchable. It's a genuinely gory saga that has inspired horror films based on the story.

 

You'll learn about the story of a cult leader from Nebraska who encouraged down-on-their-luck farmers to join his commune. Little did his followers know just how sadistic their leader was.

 

Then there's the story of The Ant Hill Kids, a cult founded on preparing for the world's end. The leader, a power-hungry man fueled by violence and a need for control, would drag his followers into a hellish nightmare. How many would make it out alive?

 

This anthology of six selected biographies of cult leaders and their followers offers a shocking insight into the madness, manipulation, and murder surrounding them. I also ponder the answer to the question, why do people join cults?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniela Airlie
• Release date: Oct 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223185260

Book preview

The right of Daniela Airlie as the publisher and owner of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without the publisher's prior written consent. This book is for entertainment and informational purposes only.

Although research from various sources has gone into this book, neither the author nor publisher will be held responsible for any inaccuracies. To the best of the knowledge of the author, all information within this publication is factually correct and derived from researching these cases thoroughly. The author may offer speculation and/or opinion about the cases covered throughout this book.

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Introduction

Cults are a fascinating subcategory of true crime, perhaps because their stories seem so unbelievable or too far-fetched to be true. From the outside looking in, it can be difficult to fathom how someone - no matter how charismatic or manipulative they may be - is able to collect a flock of loyal followers who will offer up their basic freedoms to join them.

Not only can these cult leaders seem to get hordes of people to believe their every word, but all too often, they abuse this power in the worst ways. Violence, depravity, sexual abuse, and death often ensue, making the very idea of cults (and their respective leaders) too intriguing to ignore.

So, what’s so special about cult leaders that make people cast aside their comfortable existence to start a new, suppressed life where their actions and beliefs are restricted?

It’s not always the fear of violence. Charles Manson was barely 5 foot 2 - hardly an overbearing presence. He was daunting nonetheless. It’s always not money - some of the cults and the followers I’ll detail in this book lived very primitive existences. It’s not always the promise of a happy life, and it’s not the allure of love and affection.

While all of the cult leaders in this publication are very different and unique from one another, most of them had one thing in common - their enigmatic charisma. This gave them a manipulative ability to lure in those who sought out belonging, no matter the price they had to pay for it. For all intents and purposes, cult leaders are people’s people - until they’re not.

If you’re familiar with my books, you’ll know I prefer to cover lesser-known crime cases. This theme remains in the Infamous Crimes series, where I’ll detail six relatively unheard stories of cults and their leaders, documenting their lives and crimes, before ending this book by trying to answer the question: why do people join cults?

Roch Theriault: The Ant Hill Kids

The tale of Roch Thériault is as shocking as it is terrifying. Even if this case were a work of fiction - which sadly it’s not - we’d probably deem it too farfetched to be a believable story.

Roch spearheaded a cult of individuals who he beat, tortured, and abused under the guise of being their prophet. Still, nobody felt able to stand up to the wicked man, enabling him to get away with some genuinely sickening crimes, many of which involved innocent children.

It’s worth noting that much, or just about all, of Roch’s violence was reserved for women, infants, and men much weaker than him. This case details these vile crimes, but before I cover the case of The Ant Hill Kids, let me tell you more about their leader.

Born in Québec in 1947, Roch Thériault’s childhood bears no answers to why he’d grow up to be a power-driven, woman-despising killer. He was one of seven children of Hyacinthe and Pierrette and had a normal upbringing in the city of Thetford Mines. Roch was intelligent, a keen learner, and loved playing in the outdoors.

Although he’d later describe his father as physically abusive, this claim remains dubious. Not only because everyone around Roch at that time couldn’t corroborate his story but also because Roch would later retract these claims. Still, during young adulthood, it seems Roch found that making outlandish claims and complaining brought him attention, something he basked in.

The more you delve into his upbringing, the more you see that Roch’s childhood was run of the mill. In fact, it could have been described as boring. He had routine, stability, and lived in an area where there was very little to do apart from making your own fun.

This boredom, coupled with Roch’s need for people to give him attention, caused him to become what you may describe as a serial complainer.

At the age of 20, Roch wed his sweetheart, Francine Grenier, a young woman from a nearby town. After their nuptials, the newly married couple headed to Montréal, where marital monotony took hold. Francine got pregnant quickly, giving birth to Roch Jr, followed by little François.

Roch had been dealing with stomach ulcers for some time, and in the late 60s, he decided he had to seek medical help. He was told they’d need to be removed surgically, which was completed successfully. However, the aftermath of the operation took its toll on Roch. He was in extreme discomfort and struggled to digest his food properly. He took his frustrations out on his young family, his irritable stomach making him an easily irritated man.

After a few years in Montréal, Roch decided it was time for the family to return to Thetford Mines. A keen woodworker, Roch was using his skills to earn extra money. Still, the boredom of life in Thetford Mines and the indifference he felt toward married life saw Roch seek excitement elsewhere, namely in the form of booze and other women.

Under the guise of selling some of his wood sculptures, Roch would take off on weekends to Québec City to engage in extramarital affairs. Perhaps he did sell an item or two while on his travels, but for the most part, these trips were to meet women, something he found easy. Balding, big-bearded, and what you could describe as generic-looking, it was Roch’s charm that drew women toward him, not his looks.

With him neglecting work in favor of women, it’s no surprise that Roch’s finances weren’t in a good place. Eventually, he lost the family home, by which point Francine decided she’d had enough and left him. Roch made his way to another woman he’d been seeing, a young lady named Gisèle, and began a fully-fledged relationship with her.

Shortly thereafter, perhaps seeking more meaning from life, Roch stumbled upon the Seventh Day Adventist Church and decided to devote his time and energy to their message. He began reading the Old Testament and found he resonated with how masculinity was represented in the book. Roch took his new religious interest one step further by becoming borderline obsessed with the idea of the apocalypse. In particular, the idea of violent retribution fascinated him.

He also managed to make money from his newfound religion by selling bibles. With his natural charisma and passion for religion, Roch found this was a lucrative way to make money. As well as his door-to-door sales day job, Roch also ran workshops for those battling addiction. These workshops proved to be a great way to recruit individuals to consider joining the Adventist Church.

In his work helping free people of their addictions, he quickly recruited a following of women. These women's backgrounds were different, but they all had similar traits. Not least of all, they were all vulnerable individuals seeking help for their addictions when they met Roch. They were all young. They all hung off Roch’s every word.

The small brood consisted of Solange Boilard, Chantal Labrie, Francine Laflamme, Nicole