Koresh, page 48
Withorn, Sheriff, 148
Wood, Kimba, 286
World Trade Center bombing, 248, 325
World War II, 243, 245, 249
Xanax, 144
Yom Kippur, 197, 395
Photo Section
Vernon Howell as a young boy, trying to look angelic for his school picture.
Courtesy of Hollie Helrigel
Roy Haldeman, Bonnie, Roger, and Vernon in March 1971 when Vernon was eleven.
Courtesy of Hollie Helrigel
Young Vernon staring down the photographer during a Texas summer.
Courtesy of Hollie Helrigel
A muscled Vernon during a visit to Sandy’s family.
Courtesy of photo’s copyright owner
A pamphlet for George Roden’s 1976 presidential campaign.
Lois Roden in her later years when Vernon discovered the Branch Davidians.
Vernon Howell’s mugshot after his 1987 confrontation with George Roden.
An artist’s recreation of the Branch Davidian flag, designed by David Koresh.
A business card for David’s band, Messiah.
Courtesy of David Bunds
One of the flyers sent to Branch Davidians during David’s rise.
Courtesy of Texas State University
Steve Schneider, Marc Breault, Elizabeth Baranyai, and Judy Schneider at Marc and Elizabeth’s wedding.
Courtesy of Elizabeth Baranyai/Getty Images
The Branch Davidian compound before the ATF raid. The construction materials in the yard show that the Davidians were still working on and reinforcing the large building and its grounds.
FBI photo
The four ATF agents killed during the raid on the Branch Davidian compound: Conway LeBleu, Todd McKeehan, Robert Williams, and Steven Willis.
ATF photo
The FBI negotiator Byron Sage.
Courtesy of Byron Sage
The lead FBI negotiator, Gary Noesner.
Courtesy of Gary Noesner
One of the banners hung out by the Branch Davidians during the fifty-one-day siege. Two years following the Rodney King incident, many of the followers saw themselves as victims of a similarly unjustified assault by law enforcement.
Courtesy of Texas State University
The compound from the viewpoint of an FBI sharpshooter.
Courtesy of Texas State University
Timothy McVeigh selling bumper stickers and protesting the government’s actions during his visit to Waco.
Courtesy of Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum
The Waco Tribune-Herald was nominated for a Pulitzer for its coverage of Koresh’s misdeeds, but it was also subject to the misinformation that sometimes emerged from the compound, as shown with this story.
Courtesy of the Waco Tribune-Herald
The fire at the Branch Davidian compound, fanned by high winds, moments after it started.
FBI photo
About the Author
STEPHAN TALTY is the New York Times bestselling author of The Black Hand, The Good Assassin, Agent Garbo, and A Captain’s Duty with Richard Phillips. His books have been made into two films, the Oscar-winning Captain Phillips and Only the Brave. He’s written for publications including The New York Times Magazine, GQ, and Playboy. He lives outside New York City with his family.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Stephan Talty
NONFICTION
The Good Assassin
Saving Bravo
The Black Hand
Agent Garbo
Escape from the Land of Snows
The Illustrious Dead
Empire of Blue Water
Mulatto America
FICTION
Hangman
Black Irish
Copyright
KORESH. Copyright © 2023 by Stephan Talty. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Mark R. Robinson
Cover photograph (top) via Associated Press
Cover photograph (bottom) © Tim Roberts / AFP / Getty Images
All photos courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition APRIL 2023 ISBN: 978-0-358-57624-2
Version 02242023
Print ISBN: 978-0-358-58128-4
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower
22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3
www.harpercollins.ca
India
HarperCollins India
A 75, Sector 57
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201 301
www.harpercollins.co.in
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand
Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive
Rosedale 0632
Auckland, New Zealand
www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF, UK
www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
www.harpercollins.com
Stephan Talty, Koresh
