[10] While in prison, Lawton earned a paralegal qualification and became a gang mediator. Inquisitive by nature, he was a proponent of experiential legislating, preferring to go out and experience issues firsthand before he decided what to do. 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. She had an extremely anxious demeanor, and we moved quickly as we went to her cabin to pack. The Kool-Aid Man is a huge anthropomorphic pitcher filled with some red substance which may be either Kool-Aid itself, blood, or something else entirely. As soon as it became clear that we would be bringing more than one or two defectors home with us, the communal faade cracked. Laytons first trial ended in a hung jury in 1981, with 11 of the 12 jurors voting to acquit him. was ambushed "I felt we were doing something that had meaning. Jones had a penchant for suddenly getting on the compound loudspeaker long after everyone had gone to bed and shouting, "White Night! Example video title will go here for this video. Jonestown FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation Her mother's cancer pain medications were taken away. Ryan invited members of the press and a few of the Concerned Relatives to join him. ", (The night before the trip in December 1977, another secret: The [26] He was incarcerated in many prisons during his sentence, which included Jesup in Georgia, Riker's Island in New York, Edgefield in South Carolina, and Yazoo City in Mississippi. Layton, 41, is the only former Peoples Temple member who was tried in the United States in connection with the slaughter on Nov. 18, 1978. Larry Layton, a member of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple - UPI 'How Did This Happen, and How Did I Not See It Coming?' [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. "I was ready to be overwhelmed by emotion," she says, "but when we got into the area, it just wasn't there. The building showed few signs of its former use, although a floral design was etched in glass panes at the entrance. Layton is accused of firing only at Jonestown defectors, while the actual killing of Ryan, another defector and three San Francisco newsmen was allegedly carried out by other Temple members. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of the Peoples Temple cult. Most of them were sent back home," said funeral director William Torbert Sr., 79. Ryan wanted to investigate. jungle. Her startling introduction to life there quickly allowed Layton to see the cracks in the facade. Jim Jones orchestrated the mass murder-suicide of Peoples Temple cult members on November 18, 1978. 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. Larry Lawton is the only ex-con in the US to be sworn in as an Honorary Police Officer and the only ex-con to be recognized on the Floor of the United States Congress for helping Young People . 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. See also Jim Jones for He knew that Jones had considerable political clout, with close ties to Democratic leaders in San Francisco, Sacramento, and even with the State Department. [6], Lawton was born in North Hempstead, New York on October 3, 1961. Besides, when had a congressman ever been assassinated on foreign soil while on a congressional delegation trip? She got a job in investment banking, married, had a child, divorced. Nearly 30 years later, her mother long dead in a rotting jungle outpost in Guyana, her brother doing life in a federal prison and her father so broken that he weeps at the mention of anything connected with Jones-, town, Deborah Layton has, as she put it the other day, "decided it was time to come out of the cobwebbed attic.". As I was lying seven miles away waiting for medical help, Sam Houstons granddaughters, Patricia and Judy, 14 and 15, were murdered, along with their mother, dozens of other would-be defectors and the rest of the Peoples Temple. At 16, Im not sure I understood what a state assemblyman did, but when my parents received a solicitation from Leo Ryans reelection campaign in 1966, I mailed back a note: Im in high school. A few showers this morning with mostly cloudy conditions during the afternoon hours. The cremated remains of nine Jonestown victims were discovered in a decrepit, now-shuttered funeral home in Dover, officials said. Where is Larry Layton today? Today. were sort of pushed onto the path of looking for answers -- and that Jim If there is such a thing as a spirit or essence of people . Jonestown survivor Deborah Layton grew up in a house of secrets. 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. Dead vines hung from the building's white plaster walls, and cracked windows were repaired with blue tape. UNDAUNTED: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back, write a letter to President Jimmy Carter extolling Joness work, California's road to recovery runs through D.C. Republicans, Why New Jerseys ventilator guidelines may favor younger, whiter patients, Rhode Island ends specific restrictions on New Yorkers by making them national. During my freshman year at UC Davis, when I told him about my major, he offered encouragement: If you really want to learn about political science, you should come and intern in my office. I did, and over the years, worked my way up from volunteer to intern to staffer to senior aide, just as he climbed from the state Assembly to the U.S. Congress. He treasured it. 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. In the summer of 1977, after an expose of Peoples Temple in New West magazine, Jones and his followers fled to Guyana. I just Most complied, although survivors described some people being shot, injected with poison, or forced to drink the deadly beverage when they tried to resist. And then I realized that confirming one tiny detail could mean that the worst of the testimonies were true. To the tarmac. I noticed an elderly woman stuffing pieces of bacon into her pockets; the ample spread was just another showpiece. He is serving a life sentence in the federal prison at Lompoc. A few Temple members stood in front of a rusty dump truck waiting to shuttle us to the compound. Her mother and brother stayed behind. "You consistently wind up finding yourself trying to heal but having your wounds opened up again when new information is given," she said. Jackie Speier manages a smile as she is wheeled on a stretcher at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Nov. 20, 1978. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Larry Layton (Johnstown, Pennsylvania), who passed away on December 21, 2017 at the age of 55. [10] He was sentenced for racketeering and robbery and spent 11 years in prison before being released in 2007. Ryan decided that we would wait until the morning and suggested we keep a low profile until then. 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. I couldnt bear the vision of her sitting in front of my casket. Hurrying out of bed, Layton would race toward Jones "in my mud-caked boots, past the tin-roofed cabins, past the wooden outdoor showers where we're allowed our two-minute wash at the end of our 11-hour days in the field." [10], Lawton also founded the Reality Check Foundation, which is a 501(C)(3) charity that includes a mentoring program, and an annual golf outing. Some were cremated. Loudspeakers [10] High school students can use the time spent in the program towards the 75 hours of community service required for the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. [6][11] In 2010, Lawton filmed the pilot and sizzle reel for Lawton's Law, a reality show based on his work with at-risk youth. After he passed legislation improving prison conditions, the inmates showed their gratitude by giving him a chess set they had sculpted from toothpaste and toilet paper. [40] Lawton has also shown concern over the prevalence of fentanyl-laced heroin, noting that in the past dealers had tried to sell pure heroin without any additives. Returning to the pavilion area, I sought out other anxious-looking members. 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 . and Then a tractor-trailer from the People's Temple arrived, and its occupants opened fire on the entire group, including both planes. Glenn Youngkin rules out presidential campaign while in California, 7 bodies found during search for missing Oklahoma teens, US to lift most federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates next week, Multiple fatalities on Illinois highway during a blinding windstorm. Water is sufficient for hydration unless you are participating in an activity that lasts longer than one hour. Although he had no formal training as a minister and no affiliation with any organized religion, his high-octane enthusiasm and open-armed policy attracted a diverse range of followers. I was almost one of them. Peoples Temple Defectors Feared Layton, Witness Testifies family members in the cult. It was utter pandemonium. [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. Layton, 35, was scheduled for arraignment today before Magistrate John Caden in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on charges of killing Ryan, D-Calif., who was gunned down on Nov. 18, 1978 by Peoples Temple members who wanted to block his investigation of their cult. Jones had ordered the ambush out of fear that Ryan would expose the cult. I I only wish there was something I could do to ease the pain, he said, fighting to keep his voice from breaking. To the stretchers. Nobody joined thinking their lives would be taken.". In all, Layton was convicted of four charges--conspiracy and aiding and abetting in the shootings of Ryan and Dwyer. Don put it in his pocket and took a few more steps before carefully unfolding it. I wanted to leave my daughter a legacy that wasn't that simple.". [29][13] The program is four hours long. Larry was released from Guyana into the custody of U.S. marshals, who escorted him to San Francisco. Laytons lawyer said that made Layton more susceptible to Jones spell. Congressman Ryan assured me that there was nothing to worry about. Those who refused were shot; children were injected with poison. [7] He became known as one of America's biggest jewel thieves and made the FBI's most wanted list in 1996. As one of his top aides, I accompanied the delegation, venturing out on the ice floes where the clubbing took place. He had on a big yellow poncho, and his eyes were set in a sullen glare. As I was transferred onto a gurney, I was conscious enough to look up and see a big, gleaming white plane with The United States of America written on the side. In San Francisco, his church was lauded for its social programs, and Jones efforts to feed the poor and fight segregation found receptive ears with progressive politicians. afraid. 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. Almost 22 hours after the ambush, I heard the groan of a planes enginefinally our escape had arrived. November 18, 1978 When did the Jonestown massacre occur? We didnt want a group to present a canned response or any individual to look to others for their answers. Layton, Jones Had Sexual Relationship, Lawyer Says 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 night before she'd left for the school, her father had stunned her He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a . The Guyanese did not release Layton until now because one of his defense lawyers said his client owed him $37,000 in unpaid bills. [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. There was no movement, but I thought the others might also be playing dead. In the early 1950s, he was chief of Chemical Warfare at the Army's Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. Layton was reportedly found at the scene in possession of the revolver with four rounds in the cylinder and one shell . [30][33] He was the first ex-con to ever become an honorary police officer. In all, 913 died. His wife, Lisa, his daughter, Deborah, and another son, Larry, all became disciples of the Rev. [39] Other issues he is concerned with include prison conditions as well as post-release debt loads and their influence on unemployed ex-convicts. Five bullets hit me from point-blank range, piercing my right arm, leg, and back. If convicted, Layton could receive a mandatory life sentence for Ryan's killing, up to 20 years for the attempted killing of Dwyer, and up to life on each of the two conspiracy counts. When people refer to the Jonestown massacre as a mass suicide, I am enraged. Several cemeteries refused to take them until the Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, California, stepped forward in 1979 and accepted 409 bodies. But allegations of wrongdoing mounted, and Jones moved the settlement to Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, about a dozen men leapt from the tractor, leveled their automatic weapons, and fast approached. (AP) -- Thirty-five years ago, funeral directors in Delaware struggled to quickly bury and cremate the remains of more than 900 people who died in a suicide-murder in Jonestown, Guyana, many of them Peoples Temple followers who drank cyanide-laced punch. But listening to one after the other after the other say the same choreographed thing made me uneasy. It was 1970, and she was on summer vacation from the British boarding school of Along the way, she exorcised the family ghosts. [41], In 2017, he appeared in a middle school in Havelock, North Carolina to explain his prison experiences. "He was so depressed that he was not able to conduct research," Thomas Layton said. announcing her mother was Jewish. They all swore that Jonestown was the one and only place they could ever consider home. But I refused to spend the rest of my life as a victim of Guyanathere were too many of them. Indescribable pain consumed me, leaving room only for a fleeting thought that I should pretend to be dead. [28] Often he appears discussing crimes in the media as an expert on robberies. In 1978, I went to Guyana on a fact-finding mission. by 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. [10] Afterwards, another jewelry store in Lower Bucks County became suspicious of a person they believed was casing the place for a future robbery. Jury Finds Layton Guilty in '78 Jonestown Murders Larry Layton, a passenger posing as a defector, started shooting. "He didn't feel good about it," his son, Thomas Layton, an anthropology professor at San Jose State University, said yesterday. All of those children. Id come to Guyana as a congressional aide on a fact-finding mission. Offenders sweltered in "The Box," a 6-by-4-foot The suit was later dismissed. 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. Ryan joined us for the trekone of roughly two dozen of us crammed in the bed of the truck, with dozens of would-be defectors left behind, belongings packed, waiting to escape. There are 40+ professionals named "Larry Layton", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Williams spent a decade with the Peoples Temple, including three months in Jonestown, named after the group's founder, Jim Jones. In 1965, after riots shook Watts, an African-American neighborhood in Los Angeles, Ryan briefly took a job there as a substitute teacher while serving in the state Assembly, and used the experience to shape education policy. 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. The conspiracy to murder Ryan carried a mandatory life sentence, though federal law makes him eligible for parole in 10 years. 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. I was later told that he had been shot 45 times. Jones died from a bullet to the brain. Her life appears to be light-years from Peoples Temple. He was jailed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. she couldn't write. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Christian Broadcasting Network, and Fox News. By that time, darker elements had seeped into Jones sermons. Yes, Kool-Aid is bad for you. 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. Simpson skips media with early release", "Schatzkammer Dresden: "Super-GAU" im Grnen Gewlbe | DW | 26.11.2019", "Ex-jewel robber seeks redemption through mentoring", "Ex-con gives teenagers dose of prison realities", "Man plant einen Juwelenraub quasi von hinten", "Ex-Con Larry Lawton Finds Redemption in Rescuing At-Risk Youths", "Former prisoner DAREs Havelock students to make good choice", "$500,000 in 1994 2022 | Inflation Calculator", "Cops: Heist might be tied to robbery in Daytona", "Daytona police seek pair who looted jewelry store", "$480,000 in 1994 2022 | Inflation Calculator", "Jeweler helps police nab suspect in Fla", "Pearls of Wisdom: Ex-jewel thief imparts the perils of prison to the next generation", "An ex-con on how intelligence and street smarts equal a successful prison escape", "Reality Check participants get added incentive", "Larry Lawton, America's Most Notorious Jewel Thief, Just Wants To Masturbate In Prison In Peace", "Ex-Diamond Thief: Here's How $200M Heist Went Down", "Ex-con Larry Lawton to become an honorary police officer", "Cops try convict's DVD to deter teen crime", "Ex-con to receive honorary police officer title", "Young golfers, mentors join in Reality Check", "Making a difference in the lives of Youth", "Witness tampering alleged at Casey Anthony trial", "Ex-offenders face big debt challenges after prison", "Torres: Pain pills gone, heroin makes strong comeback", "D.A.R.E. He spent 12 years in prison, and once released, began a career as a motivational speaker, life coach, and author. Deborah Layton is now 45, lives in an elegant house in Piedmont and takes her 12-year-old daughter to play in soccer games. DOVER, Del. Jim Jones with a group of children living at Jonestown, circa 1978. Personal Reflections. Everybody bolted in different directions. The outfits were a ridiculous gimmick, and the role was clearly objectifying. "All the hair on my arm and my neck came up. 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. Then, she wrote "Seductive Poison," her account of events leading up to . (1.8-by-1.2-meter) underground enclosure. [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. 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. Seductive Poison - Wikipedia Each cup of Kool-Aid has 20 grams of sugar, or to be precise, the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar. She mentioned a Bay Area couple, the Stoens, who had defected and were fighting for the return of their young son, John. Surviving the Heart of Darkness / Twenty years later, Jackie - SFGATE He called Layton the ultimate victim of Jim Jones.. With Ryan dead, Jones concluded that the United States would retaliate, so he exhorted his followers to kill themselves by drinking cyanide-laced punch. were innocent. grotesque dance of death. [42][13], Lawton has made many media appearances. 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. one last, Few heeded. 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. "We would do what they wanted, either cremation or send the bodies back home. But when her own child started asking questions, Layton broke family same time, it's because of those secrets that I think my mother and my Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? Megaplex Theatres Lawton gained notoriety for committing a string of jewelry store robberies along the Atlantic Seaboard prior to his arrest in 1996. And he assigned two of his staff members to come along: Jim Schollaert and me. Increasing numbers of people approached us. We split up, as Jones had arranged. tradition. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. about Ryan and I asked one or two Temple members at a time to come talk to us. [23][24] Lawton later said he was the biggest jewel thief of the 1980s and 90s operating within the United States of America. "I understand what these well-meaning secrets were for," Layton says. [10][26] While recounting his prison experiences he said: "I saw inmates stabbed and friends die" and "I saw young men raped and pimped out as prostitutes for other inmates. Layton Made Scapegoat, Defense Argues - Los Angeles Times SAN FRANCISCO . Of the more than 900 members of Joness congregation who had moved there, nearly a third were children. ordered 912 of his followers to drink cyanide-poisoned punch in the Guyana 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. The dilapidated former funeral home in Dover had a padlock on the double front doors. [2] The book is published in Italy, France, Australia, Germany, Thailand and United Kingdom. encampment about 250 miles (400 kilometers) from the Guyana capital of At Port Kaituma, while I ushered the defectors onto a plane, a large red tractor-trailer rumbled onto the airstrip. 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. races," hundreds of followers working to feed the hungry, house the 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. Reassured that they were on their way, we parked ourselves at a few picnic tables in the far corner of the pavilion area. [10], Lawton executed his first robbery when he was 28, an inside job to collect insurance money. He said that some of the recipients could be innocent. security guards. Traumatizing family rifts erupted on the spot, with mothers and fathers engaged in literal tug-of-wars over their children. [1][2], In 2007, he started the Reality Check Program to help educate at-risk youths on the consequences of breaking the law. After Jonestown, Layton retreated to secrets again -- "I was so ashamed. "They would be taken to the Jonestown well in the dark of night, hung upside down by a rope around their ankles, and dunked into the water again and again while someone hidden inside the well grabbed at them to scare them. With its bell-ringing calls for social justice -- this was in the fractious 1960s and early '70s -- the little-known church near Ukiah catered to the closet revolutionary in Deborah Layton. [32] By 2010, Lawton had shipped 10,000 DVDs across the country. She got on the plane, leaving her mother behind. 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 . But the moment I looked down at my own body is locked in my mind. It paints a convincing picture of what it was like to spend seven years in the notorious cult, only to escape a few months before the tragedy that gave Jonestown its infamous place in history as the site of the largest mass suicide in modern times.