Layton spent approximately 18 years in either the Georgetown Gaol in Guyana or U.S. federal prisons before his release in April 2002. Bodies lay crumpled on the tarmac around me. It was [15] The robbers had dropped off jewelry for repairs, and later returned to rob the store. Where is Larry Layton today? His wife, Lisa, his daughter, Deborah, and another son, Larry, all became disciples of the Rev. He told you precisely what was on his mind, no matter who you were or whether or not you wanted to hear it. Clearing away those cobwebs meant writing a book -- it's called "Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples Temple." View the profiles of professionals named "Larry Layton" on LinkedIn. As I scanned the hundreds of smiling faces, I never could have fathomed that within 24 hours, virtually every one of them would be dead. Most complied, although survivors described some people being shot, injected with poison, or forced to drink the deadly beverage when they tried to resist. It turned out to be a sort of family Traumatizing family rifts erupted on the spot, with mothers and fathers engaged in literal tug-of-wars over their children. Raised as a Quaker -- and, in turn, raising his own family in the Quaker faith -- Mr. Layton was continually tormented by the dichotomy between his professional pursuits, which focused on technical warfare, and his faith, which preached peace and nonviolence. It was the final stop for a group that for nearly 10 years had fascinated and, in the end, horrified the Bay Area. Again, Larry was held in jail while he awaited trial. Larry Layton and Peoples Temple: - Jonestown Suddenly, my body was crushed by a blow to my side. A few Temple members stood in front of a rusty dump truck waiting to shuttle us to the compound. 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. One of three family members who joined the cult, he was convicted Dec. 1 of conspiring with Jones to murder Ryan, a crusading San Mateo Democrat, and of conspiring in the attack on Richard C. Dwyer, then deputy chief of the U.S. mission in Guyana. because I was too When the time of their supposed deaths came and went with everybody still alive, Jones announced it had just been a drill to test their loyalty. chaperone of a youth group. and Congressman Ryan assured me that there was nothing to worry about. This was not a mass suicide. Laytons first trial ended in a hung jury in 1981, with 11 of the 12 jurors voting to acquit him. It was an implausible ending for the fiery preacher, who had curried favor among the fashionable elite of the Democratic Party. [41], In 2017, he appeared in a middle school in Havelock, North Carolina to explain his prison experiences. Jim Jones orchestrated the mass murder-suicide of Peoples Temple cult members on November 18, 1978. Before going to print, the editor of the magazine, who held some esteem for Jones, felt compelled to call him and read aloud the article before it went to press. ". well, it wasn't there. I was almost one of them. Over the next decade, Jones moved his congregation and changed its name several times before settling on Peoples Temple around 1964. I couldnt immediately identify the deafening sound that filled the air. My ribs were broken. I dove beneath the plane, hiding behind the wheel as bullets thumped against the metal above me. I'm so desperately tired. | AP. Jones had a penchant for suddenly getting on the compound loudspeaker long after everyone had gone to bed and shouting, "White Night! 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. White Night!" a life [26] Lawton does not hold a degree in child psychology or criminology. I A family memorial service will be conducted at a later date. 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. Laytons mother, also a Peoples Temple member, died of cancer in Jonestown two weeks before the massacre. Layton Guilty of Role in '78 Ryan Murder - Los Angeles Times In August 1979, he joined the Coast Guard[9] and took part in the Mariel boatlift. Kool-Aid is high in sugar or contains artificial sweetener and has little to no nutritional value. The government records below outline many of the details of his arrest, his incarceration, the investigations into his role in the attacks, and his trials. 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. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every . tradition. In 1977, after a magazine expose, Jones and his followers fled to Jonestown, a compound carved out of the remote jungles of Guyana. They were naive," Layton said in a recent interview in her He was cracking. The conspiracy to murder Ryan carried a mandatory life sentence, though federal law makes him eligible for parole in 10 years. There was a scary side to the Peoples Temple -- beatings of fractious members, His first encounter with organized crime was through his father, a metal worker who delivered bribes to the New York mafia. 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. In 1954, he was named director of research at the Navy's munitions factory in Indian Head, Md., where he designed missile fuels. They all joined Peoples Temple, and Larry and Deborah Layton quickly became two of Jones's closest confidants. That was the last moment I remember with any real clarity before I surrendered my body to the medical staff. As I took down their names, I looked over at Don Harris, who was interviewing Jones. Anyone running afoul of Jonestowns security detail was put in a labor camp and forced to clear jungle. Jones ran the Peoples Temple in San Francisco in the early 1970s. To the volatile flight home. A former Quaker and a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war, Layton also faces three other counts in the indictment: conspiracy to kill Ryan, conspiracy to kill Richard Dwyer, deputy chief of the United States mission in Guyana, and the attempted murder of Dwyer. [44][45], "Police hunt clues in Cannes jewelry heist; ex-jewel thief says it was a pro job", "Florida sheriff reintroduces chain gang", "Ex-jewel thief says of Kim K's purloined baubles: 'They're gone. [8], In 2019, he made a video with Vanity Fair where he analyzed fictional robberies from films such as The Italian Job and Heat. Murder Trial Ordered for Suspect in Ryan Slaying But the moment I looked down at my own body is locked in my mind. Long-term consumption may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. At the airport, Temple members who found out she was fleeing implored her not to leave. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. Ryan decided that we would wait until the morning and suggested we keep a low profile until then. 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. Laurence Laird Layton - SFGATE brother and I With the dark glasses he wore indoors and out, his glossy black hair and 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. Layton was reportedly found at the scene in possession of the revolver with four rounds in the cylinder and one shell . Five bullets had ripped through me, devastating the right side of my body. "He was so depressed that he was not able to conduct research," Thomas Layton said. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Larry Layton to pay them a last tribute. The Prosecutions of Larry Layton - Alternative - Jonestown She mentioned a Bay Area couple, the Stoens, who had defected and were fighting for the return of their young son, John. 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. He was met with mostly beaming declarations Lisa Layton, already ill with cancer, died in early November 1978. "And I thought, if I get hit by a truck, my epitaph will be, 'Jonestown survivor dies on Bay Bridge.' Politically, there was nothing to gainand everything to loseby taking on Jones, and there was no telling what hed do if confronted and challenged. At the end of the evening, Rep. Ryan walked onstage and thanked the group. All of those children. 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. Few heeded. Larry Lawton - Wikipedia 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. Only one man, Temple member Larry Layton, was tried in the United States for his involvement in the November 18 events. Larry Layton Obituary. contentment. Congressman Ryans body was probably 15 feet away. They Ryan and I asked one or two Temple members at a time to come talk to us. His following grew, and Jones became the leader of one of the first mixed-race churches in Indiana. were innocent. It was a mass murder. The cremated remains of nine Jonestown victims were discovered in a decrepit, now-shuttered funeral home in Dover, officials said. (CHRONICLE PHOTO BY SUSANNA FROHMAN), Horoscope for Monday, 5/01/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Dubs fans picking apart video of possible Poole-Draymond incident, Destructive landslide closes historic California institution, Major SF retail store slated to permanently close, Warriors' biggest hater made a cowardly Game 7 'bet', Draymond Green rips Domantas Sabonis: 'Lost a lot of respect', More rain, 'unseasonably chilly' temperatures coming to Bay Area, Esalen Institute sued over alleged use of video with the N-word, Shock, fear as 2 killings in 3 days rock quiet Davis, Bay Area mom influencer found guilty of lying about kidnapping, Bay Area preschool teacher suspected of dumping body along road, 49ers out in full force at Warriors-Kings Game 7. Jim Jones with a group of children living at Jonestown, circa 1978. [3][4] He has acted as a spokesman for prisoners and prisoner issues,[5] been a vocal advocate for prison reform, and made appearances in the media as an expert on robberies. 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. All were visiting Jonestown on a fact-finding mission to investigate reports of abuses of members. The base has handled mass casualties of both military personnel and civilians from wars, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the NASA Challenger and Columbia space shuttle missions. Officers & convicted felon give 'real talk' to Havelock Middle School students", "Real-Life Jewel Thief Breaks Down Inaccuracies of GTA 5's Jewelry Heist Mission", "Was ein Ex-Hftling zu "Prison Architect" zu sagen hat", Former Jewel Thief Reviews Famous Heist Movies, From Oceans Eleven to Heat, Posey Presents Reality Check Community Champion Award to Thomas Reed of Rockledge, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Lawton&oldid=1151413947, This page was last edited on 23 April 2023, at 22:22. 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. [27] Lawton says he regrets his time spent in prison, because he missed out on seeing his children grow up; his grandmother died, and his father became afflicted with Alzheimer's disease while he was inside. What is one recurring theme in A Rose for Emily story? SAN FRANCISCO . 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. He was born June 30, 1940 in Long Branch NJ to William and Edna (Keller) Layton. SAN FRANCISCO -- Former People's Temple member Larry Layton, freed from jail Thursday for the first time since the cult's 1978 mass murder-suicide ritual in Guyana, will be retried on. Funeral directors say it is not uncommon for family members to never retrieve cremated remains. Larry Howard Layton, 80, of Green Valley, AZ passed away December 10, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. It was utter pandemonium. races," hundreds of followers working to feed the hungry, house the The approach continued even after hed moved from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. Enter Larry Layton, who worked at the Jonestown hospital as an X-ray technician. We split up, as Jones had arranged. "[2] He was critical of Brevard County stopping letters to inmates in 2013. I noticed an elderly woman stuffing pieces of bacon into her pockets; the ample spread was just another showpiece. When did the Jonestown massacre occur? . While on the phone listening to the allegations that would soon be made public, Jones scribbled a note to his aides: We leave tonight.. Dead vines hung from the building's white plaster walls, and cracked windows were repaired with blue tape. After a few weeks, Layton grew "accustomed to the unusual smells in the food and drink. After two trials, he was convicted in 1986 of conspiring to murder San Mateo Representative Leo Ryan. There she contacted her sister and U.S. consulate officials. By the early 1970s, however, Mr. Layton's personal life changed in ways he had hardly thought possible. Peoples Temple gunman Larry Layton would not testify on his own behalf and opposed an insanity plea . Debbie said the couple had gone to court to try to compel the Guyanese government to intervene; Rev. One of the defectors wed interviewed claimed that Jones dyed them black. The discovery reopened wounds. U.S. Atty. [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. Find showtimes and movie tickets near you at Megaplex Theatres. Id come to Guyana as a congressional aide on a fact-finding mission. All I could think was I am not going to make Grandma live through my funeral. and To go back to the gunshots. After that trip, I remember telling myself that never again would I witness such violence at such close range. "Every week we're ordered to drink some liquid," she writes, culling her memories of the "old tapes (of Jonestown recollections that) are running in my head. [10] Afterwards, another jewelry store in Lower Bucks County became suspicious of a person they believed was casing the place for a future robbery. Larry Lawton - YouTube He was found guilty of conspiracy and aiding and abetting in the murder of Ryan and the attempted murder of U.S. embassy official Richard Dwyer and was sentenced to life in prison, though he was released in 2002. [31] The DVDs contained condensed versions of Lawton's program and were 67 minutes long. Jones had ordered the ambush out of fear that Ryan would expose the cult. He later became a world expert in the field of human allergies. 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. He was jailed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. At least 10 other Americans were wounded in the attack. Layton was 17 when her already converted brother, Larry, introduced her to Jones at the first Peoples Temple in far Northern California, where he believed he could best survive the atomic apocalypse he expected. I have no idea how much time passed until I turned my head and opened my eyes. Then a tractor-trailer from the People's Temple arrived, and its occupants opened fire on the entire group, including both planes. Somehow, through the encroaching darkness of my final thoughts, I saw my 87-year-old Grandma Emma. same time, it's because of those secrets that I think my mother and my [11] He then began robbing jewelry stores along the Atlantic Coast,[3] using his contacts within the Gambino crime family to fence the stolen merchandise. (The night before she'd left for the school, her father had stunned her Within a year, a few Jonestown defectors had managed to return to the Bay Areamost notably, Debbie Layton Blakey, whod been Jones trusted aide and worked as the Temples financial secretary. IamA Jonestown survivor/whistle blower. I was a trusted aide - Reddit [39] Other issues he is concerned with include prison conditions as well as post-release debt loads and their influence on unemployed ex-convicts. Larry Layton, a passenger posing as a defector, started shooting. 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. 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. 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. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Fox News. "[33] Lawton and the police chief later appeared before United States Congress in recognition of the program. A year later, I applied to college, and he wrote me a letter of recommendation. Mr.. Members of the press and the Concerned Relatives waited behind on the airstrip until the truck could come back for a second load. [22] Fingerprint evidence connected Lawton to the October 1994 Palm Bay heist, and he was charged with that crime as well. 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. Jones Ive shared my Guyana story countless times, but its still a challenge to go back and relive those days. It was. At the compound, Don wandered off to smoke a cigarette. Jones was found shot through the head. 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. Most of them were sent back home," said funeral director William Torbert Sr., 79. passage; Larry had been told years earlier. NBC news correspondent Don Harris was part of our delegation, and was well versed on the accusations against Jones. Indescribable pain consumed me, leaving room only for a fleeting thought that I should pretend to be dead. Infants cannot commit suicide. He is. encampment about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the Guyana capital of The robbers drew what police at the time believed were firearms, and restrained the store owner. The building showed few signs of its former use, although a floral design was etched in glass panes at the entrance. "It was a warm day and all of a sudden a breeze came up and the back door Charismatic and tall with salt-and-pepper hair, he commanded a room. 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. But this particular morning, Jones told his followers that they had to kill themselves to keep from being tortured by mercenaries who were preparing an ambush. sweeping Please help us get out of Jonestown. Soon after, Don was approached by another member, who claimed that many Temple members desperately wanted to leave but were too terrified to come forward. sat there. [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. He. Rep. Leo Ryan, who was working with San Francisco area residents worried Then, she wrote "Seductive Poison," her account of events leading up to Their accounts led to an expos in New West Magazine planned for publication in summer 1977. [43] He also hosted a local talk radio show. "I felt we were doing something that had meaning. | AP. of Jones died from a bullet to the brain. Deep inside me, I still have the demons of shame and guilt.". | AP. He knew that Jones had considerable political clout, with close ties to Democratic leaders in San Francisco, Sacramento, and even with the State Department. the mass 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. Twenty years after Jonestown, a survivor looks back I spoke with a woman named Edith Parks, the matriarch of three generations of Temple members who wanted out. jungle. Individually, their insistence would have been hard to question. As a trusted financial lieutenant for cult leader Jim Jones, she kept secrets A self-anointed minister, as a young man he started proselytizing outside a storefront church in Indianapolis, and by 1955, had formed the Wings of Deliverance church. Twenty years ago this month, Jones and 912 of his followers committed mass suicide at the jungle compound. The dilapidated former funeral home in Dover had a padlock on the double front doors. [25] He received an additional sentence in 2002 for giving false witness. Then, as a group of men dug the truck out of the mud, we heard a loud commotion from the pavilion. ", "I thought, what a waste. [7] Lawton attended Intermediate IS 192 and Lehman High School, but did not graduate. She managed to contact her sister in Davis, who wired a ticket to Georgetown, where Layton and other Temple members were staying in a house the Temple owned. Vernon Gosney and Monica Bagby, it read. Misbehaving children were She got on the plane, leaving her mother behind. ', "O.J. I would never have left Jonestown with Congressman Ryan. Moments later, Congressman Ryan emerged from a throng of people with a torn and bloodied shirt. announcing her mother was Jewish. Reassured that they were on their way, we parked ourselves at a few picnic tables in the far corner of the pavilion area. Nearly 300 children were administered the poison with no comprehension of what it meant, including a number of infants in the arms of their parents. Northern California Jackie Speier manages a smile as she is wheeled on a stretcher at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Nov. 20, 1978. Then daughter Lauren started asking questions. Join me, he assured his followers, and youll get health care, education and a family that would never mistreat you. 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. Deborah Layton is now 45, lives in an elegant house in Piedmont and takes her 12-year-old daughter to play in soccer games. Fans rip Georgia 'culture' after Jamaal Jarrett's racist comment Some were cremated. [35][36] It also hosts an annual bowling tournament. As I shook his hand, I looked at his sideburns. [10] He also founded the Reality Check program which aims to show teens the consequences of a criminal life. only one I On the plane to Guyana, Nov. 18, 1978. Over 900 people, including 304 children, killed themselves by drinking from a vat of grape-flavored drink laced with cyanide. Monica confirmed that she wanted to leave. However, Layton was acquitted of the lesser charges and the prosecution announced it would not try him on the murder counts, carrying a mandatory sentence of death by hanging. Within minutes, Ryan and four others were shot dead. Increasing numbers of people approached us. Sure enough, I could tell he had. We accompanied Assemblyman Ryan to shopping centers and campaign events to pass out pamphlets and speak with voters. Its hard to know when it became obvious that he was dead, or when I realized that others werent pretending. robes, Jones, known as Father to his flock, soon became a San Francisco She left with her 8-month-old daughter before the massacre. Jones, who demanded that his flock call him Father, was one of the most politically powerful people in San Francisco, wined and dined by such luminaries as Rosalynn Carter, Assemblyman Willie Brown, Mayor George Moscone and Lieutenant Governor Mervyn Dymally. [7] He became known as one of America's biggest jewel thieves and made the FBI's most wanted list in 1996. By that time, it was obvious that some of his disciples intended to leave. Layton Sentenced to Life in Ryan's Death - Los Angeles Times How did the Peoples Temple recruit members? Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. [18], Lawton is believed to have hit around 20 to 25 jewelry stores,[11] stealing a self-estimated total of around $1518 million worth of high-value items, including watches, diamonds, and other gems. Of the more than 900 members of Joness congregation who had moved there, nearly a third were children. ", 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.". He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a motivational speaker, life coach, and author. . We worked quickly to locate and speak to the individuals whose families had contacted our office and had been campaigning for their return. led by U.S. Personal Reflections - Alternative Considerations of Jonestown Dissent was unthinkable. The "Greeting Committee" promptly confiscated all their clothes and belongings and, most important, their passports. The lessons of Jonestown could help us prevent terrorism and mass "He didn't feel good about it," his son, Thomas Layton, an anthropology professor at San Jose State University, said yesterday. "I understand what these well-meaning secrets were for," Layton says. Megaplex Theatres "Whatever journey the ashes took in the U.S. is secondary. 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. Layton had denounced his sister Debbie for defecting, telling Speier that Jonestown was "an extraordinarily good . He had on a big yellow poncho, and his eyes were set in a sullen glare. NEW YORK -- Larry Layton, a member of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple cult, flew to New York Friday night to face arraignment for the killing of Rep. Leo Ryan in the Guyanese jungles two years ago. The Kool-Aid Man is merely a jug a sentient jug whose morning routine is filling himself with water and then pouring some Kool-Aid powder into his head, so he can then crash through walls and provide sugary goodness to the neighborhood kids. at the airstrip. In the early 1950s, he was chief of Chemical Warfare at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Surviving Jonestown - POLITICO Magazine
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