David Koresh
Actor

David Koresh Net Worth

David Koresh was a US cult leader born Vernon Howell in West Texas. His mother was only 14 when he was born. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade and was kicked out of his SDA church for 'ranting and raving'. He went to Hollywood to pursue his dreams of becoming a rock star, but failed. He then went to Mt. Carmel religious commune outside Waco, Texas in 1983 and began to preach. He claimed to be an angel sent by God and wanted to combine rock and roll with religion. He was expelled from Mt. Vernon and went on an aimless trek until he stopped at Palestine, Texas. He eventually took over Mt. Carmel and set up a harem of many wives, some as young as 10 years old. He changed his name to David Koresh and became an absolute dictator. He built an arsenal of 11 tons of firepower and the FBI became concerned. On Sunday, February 28, 1993 they launched a command raid on the Ranch. The siege lasted 51 days and ended with a fire in the ranch. When the FBI broke in they found David Koresh and 75 followers dead, including 25 children, 12 of which were his own.
David Koresh is a member of Actor

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actor
Birth Day August 17, 1959
Birth Place  Houston, Texas, United States
Age 61 YEARS OLD
Died On April 19, 1993(1993-04-19) (aged 33)\nMount Carmel Center\nMcLennan County, Texas, U.S.
Birth Sign Virgo
Cause of death Gunshot wound to the head
Body discovered Branch Davidian ranch McLennan County, Texas, U.S.
Resting place Memorial Park Cemetery 32°21′23″N 95°22′03″W / 32.35640°N 95.36750°W / 32.35640; -95.36750 (Memorial Park Cemetery)
Residence Elk, Texas, U.S.
Occupation Singer, Guitarist, Religious leader of Branch Davidians
Known for 1983 "the Son of God, the Lamb" prophecy November 3, 1987 shootout with George Roden for jurisdiction of Mount Carmel Center Branch Davidian leadership 1988–1993 Apocalypticism, millenarianism, polygamy February 28, 1993–April 19, 1993 51-day confrontation and stand-off with ATF and FBI
Spouse(s) Rachel Jones
Children Cyrus Howell Star Howell Bobbie Lane Howell and 12 others
Parent(s) Bobby Wayne Howell Bonnie Sue Clark

💰 Net worth: $100K - $1M

Biography/Timeline

1959

Koresh was born Vernon Wayne Howell on August 17, 1959 in Houston, Texas, to a 14-year-old single mother, Bonnie Sue Clark (1944–2009) and father Bobby Wayne Howell (1939–2008). Before Koresh was born, his father met another teenage girl and abandoned Bonnie Sue. Koresh never met his father, and his mother began cohabiting with a violent alcoholic.

1963

In 1963, Koresh's mother left her boyfriend and placed her 4-year-old son in the care of his maternal grandmother, Earline Clark. His mother returned when he was seven, after her marriage to a carpenter named Roy Haldeman. Haldeman and Clark had a son together named Roger, who was born in 1966.

1982

In 1982, he moved to Waco, Texas, where he joined the Branch Davidians, not to be confused with the original Davidian Seventh-day Adventist group. A man named Ben Roden originated the Branch group. Roden had studied under Victor Houteff but upon the death of Houteff in 1955, he formed his own group with new teachings that were not connected with the original Davidians. Koresh played guitar and sang in church services at Mount Carmel Center. His band played a few times at clubs in Waco, and former members (such as David Thibodeau) have written that he recruited them through music. Koresh also tried to pursue his own record company but he was not successful due to lack of funds and support.

1983

In 1983, Koresh began claiming the gift of prophecy. It is speculated by David Thibodeau in his 1999 book, A Place Called Waco, that he had a sexual relationship with Lois Roden, the prophetess and leader of the sect, who was then 65 years old, eventually claiming that God had chosen him to father a child with her, who would be the Chosen One. In 1983, Lois Roden allowed Koresh to begin teaching his own message, called "The Serpent's Root," which caused controversy in the group. Lois Roden's son George Roden intended to be the group's next leader and considered Koresh an interloper.

1985

In 1985, Koresh and around 25 followers set up camp at Palestine, Texas, 90 miles (140 km) from Waco, where they lived under rough conditions in buses and tents for the next two years, during which time Koresh undertook recruitment of new followers in California, the United Kingdom, Israel and Australia. That same year Koresh traveled to Israel where he claimed he had a vision that he was the modern day Cyrus.

1986

After being exiled to the Palestine camp, Koresh and his followers eked out a primitive existence. When Lois Roden died in 1986, the exiled Branch Davidians wondered if they would ever be able to return to Mount Carmel Center. But despite the displacement, "Koresh now enjoyed the loyalty of the majority of the [Branch Davidian] community". By late 1987, George Roden's support was in steep decline. To regain it, he challenged Koresh to a contest to raise the dead, going so far as to exhume a corpse to demonstrate his spiritual supremacy. Koresh went to authorities to file charges against Roden for illegally exhuming a corpse, but was told he would have to show proof (such as a photograph of the corpse).

1989

In 1989, Roden murdered Wayman Dale Adair with an axe blow to the skull after Adair stated his belief that he (Adair) was the true messiah. Roden was convicted of murder and imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital at Big Spring, Texas. Since Roden owed thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes on Mount Carmel Center, Koresh and his followers were able to raise the money and reclaim the property.

1990

Vernon Howell filed a petition in California State Superior Court in Pomona on May 15, 1990, to legally change his name "for publicity and Business purposes" to David Koresh. On August 28, 1990, Judge Robert Martinez granted the petition.

1992

A six-month investigation of child abuse allegations by the Texas Child Protection Services in 1992 failed to turn up any evidence, possibly because the Branch Davidians concealed the spiritual marriage of Koresh to Michelle Jones, assigning a surrogate husband (David Thibodeau) to the girl for the sake of appearances.

1993

The siege of Mount Carmel Center ended 51 days later on April 19, 1993, when U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno approved recommendations of FBI officials to proceed with a final advance in which the Branch Davidians were to be removed from their building by force. In an attempt to flush Koresh from the stronghold, the FBI resorted to pumping CS gas from a M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle with battering ram into the compound.

1994

Koresh is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Tyler, Texas in the "Last Supper" section. Several of David Koresh's albums were released, including Voice Of Fire in 1994. In 2004, Koresh's 1968 Camaro, which had been damaged during the raid, sold for $37,000 at auction.

1995

Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols cited The Mount Carmel Center raid as motivation for the Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995—timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the Waco assault.

2009

On January 23, 2009, Koresh's mother, Bonnie Clark Haldeman, was stabbed to death in Chandler, Texas; her sister, Beverly Clark, was charged with murder.

2018

Koresh was one of the sources of inspiration used to create the fictional cult leader Joseph Seed in the 2018 action-adventure video game Far Cry 5.

Some David Koresh images

About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.