File:David_koresh.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
David Koresh
Sign in to saveAmerican religious sect leader of Branch Davidians (1959-1993)
Film & TV
Houston, Texas, USA
David Koresh, born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the American cult leader of the Branch Davidians sect, believing himself to be its final prophet.
Known for
- Waco: American Apocalypse — Self (Archival Footage/Voice)2023
- Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults — Self (archive footage)2020
- Truth and Lies: Waco2018
- Waco Inferno: The Untold Story — Self (archive footage) (archive sound)2018
- Inside the Criminal Mind — Self (archive footage)2018
- Oklahoma City — Self (archive footage)2017
- Forensic Justice — Self (archive footage)2016
- The Secret Rulers of the World — Self (archive footage)2001
- Killer Cults - Blinded By The Light1998
- Waco: The Rules of Engagement — Self - Branch Davidian Leader (archive footage) (uncredited)1997
via TMDB
Key facts
- Born
- Vernon Wayne Howell , ( 1959-08-17 ) August 17, 1959, Houston , Texas, U.S.
- Died
- April 19, 1993 (1993-04-19) (aged 33), Mount Carmel Center , McLennan County , Texas, U.S.
- Cause of death
- Gunshot wound to the head or burns sustained in the Waco siege
- Body discovered
- Mount Carmel Center , McLennan County, Texas, U.S.
- Resting place
- Tyler Memorial Park Cemetery, Tyler, Texas, 32°21′23″N 95°22′03″W / 32.35640°N 95.36750°W / 32.35640; -95.36750 ( Memorial Park Cemetery )
- Occupations
- Leader of the Branch Davidians cult, musician
- Spouse
- Rachel Jones
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Wayne
- Family name
- Howell
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Houston
- Place of death
- Mount Carmel Center
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Religion
- Branch Davidians
- Image
- David koresh.jpg
- Significant event
- Waco Siege
Show 10 more facts
- date of birth
- 1959-08-17
- date of death
- 1993-04-19
- birth name
- Vernon Wayne Howell
- cause of death
- gunshot wound
- medical condition
- dyslexia
- manner of death
- homicide
- Commons category
- David Koresh
- described by source
- UbuWeb
- pseudonym
- David Koresh
- name in native language
- David Koresh
via Wikidata · CC0
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
David Koresh (/kəˈrɛʃ/; born Vernon Wayne Howell; August 17, 1959 – April 19, 1993) was an American cult leader and preacher who played a central role in the Waco siege of 1993. As the head of the Branch Davidians, a religious sect, Koresh claimed to be its final prophet. His apocalyptic Biblical teachings, including interpretations of the Book of Revelation and the Seven Seals, attracted various followers.
Coming from a dysfunctional background, Koresh was a member and later a leader of the Branch Davidians, a movement originally led by Benjamin Roden, based at the Mount Carmel Center outside Waco, Texas. There, Koresh competed for dominance with another leader, Benjamin Roden's son George, until Koresh and his followers took over Mount Carmel in 1987. In the early 1990s, he became subject to allegations about polygamy and child sexual abuse by former Branch Davidian associates.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “David Koresh” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.