Branch Davidians

The Branch Davidians emerged in 1955 as a splinter group from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, founded by Ben Roden at Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas. The group practiced communal living and believed in preparing for the End Times through strict biblical study and prophecy interpretation. After Roden’s death in 1978, Vernon Howell joined the community and eventually assumed leadership, legally changing his name to David Koresh in 1990.

Under Koresh’s leadership, the group became increasingly isolated and militaristic. Koresh claimed divine revelation, practiced polygamy, and allegedly engaged in child sexual abuse. The sect stockpiled weapons and modified firearms, drawing federal attention. On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives attempted to serve warrants at the compound, resulting in a shootout that killed four federal agents and six Branch Davidians.

The subsequent 51-day siege by federal authorities ended on April 19, 1993, when fires erupted during an FBI assault using tear gas. The conflagration killed 76 Branch Davidians, including 25 children and Koresh himself. The incident became a rallying point for anti-government groups and inspired domestic terrorism, including Timothy McVeigh’s 1995 Oklahoma City bombing exactly two years later.