was obviously a big mistake and it was
you know the probably the worst day of
my life a mother still grieves for a son
lost not to murder but to the mental
control of the Heaven's Gate cults and
it's delusional leader
I'm doe for starters the man your only
chance to survive the message or
evacuate is to leave with us the result
[Music]
a year ago this exclusive Rancho Santa
Fe mansion was transformed into a
macabre - Airy 39 bodies all dressed in
ritualistic fashion were found inside
each the victim of a lethal concoction
of drugs and dreams you wear it as a
remembrance yeah Nancy Brown still wears
the ring her son David Moore wore the
day he took his life here a color Xerox
sheath chronicles the belongings he had
at his death 20 years after he joined
the group 20 years in which she saw him
only twice you kept the door open for
David for 20 years I did it was very sad
when heaven's gate closed I thought for
me the gate closed and left you know me
and the other families behind I'll never
see them again it was the worst mass
suicide in US history and a year later
there is still an eeriness that hovers
over this house I've never forgotten
that that day for those people lawrence
jimenez was here the day of the suicide
he was supposed to clean the pool but
somehow sensing danger turned back at
the front gate I assume you won't be
back up here any tour never and a year
later the Heaven's Gate web site is
still there though it's unclear how many
followers remain LJ West is a professor
of psychiatry at UCLA and a cult expert
I think they're probably still a few
around who cling to the belief that was
inculcated in them before but generally
speaking I'd say it's over
is it Rio D'Angelo should know he is a
Heaven's Gate member who survived the
one who discovered the bodies the
Heaven's Gate class Heaven's Gate
monastery does not exist any longer
however there are people that were
members at one time that are still here
that's little comfort for this mother
with her ever haunting questions about
her son's last moment
you know did he go happily joyfully
right up to his last conscious thought
or was there a flicker of oh no maybe I
shouldn't have done this
I'll never know
you