larry layton biography

Charismatic and tall with salt-and-pepper hair, he commanded a room. I dont have any money to donate, but Id like to volunteer. Layton did so. 2023 Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple, Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple is a, The Campaign to Release Larry Layton from Federal Prison, to petition then-President Clinton to commute Larrys sentence. We split up, as Jones had arranged. Dr. Layton was from a world substantially different from the aristocratic one of his bride. They reported the car's license plate, which linked the car to Lawton. [37], Lawton is an advocate for prisoners and their rights, and comments on the justice system. [26] Lawton does not hold a degree in child psychology or criminology. Whatever impelled me to send in the card changed the course of my life. Meanwhile, Dr. Layton said, A difficult new field of science in molecular biology was opening, and he began to spend more and more time studying it. As soon as it became clear that we would be bringing more than one or two defectors home with us, the communal faade cracked. Dont know why youre here, but were happy to have you, Jones said. The motion contends that Mr. Layton should be given a new trial because his previous defense attorneys did not know and thus failed to inform him that he faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted on the count of aiding and abetting in Mr. Ryan's murder. | AP. I wanted to be part of something that was doing things for other people, and besides, Peoples Temple offered a community of friends. To the tarmac. As I scanned the hundreds of smiling faces, I never could have fathomed that within 24 hours, virtually every one of them would be dead. A few Temple members stood in front of a rusty dump truck waiting to shuttle us to the compound. [15] The robbers took $480,000 ($910,600.81 in 2022)[17] worth of gold and diamonds making it the biggest robbery in the city's history. The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.-based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones.Jonestown became internationally infamous when, on November 18, 1978, a total of 909 people died at the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and at a Temple-run building in . Before going to print, the editor of the magazine, who held some esteem for Jones, felt compelled to call him and read aloud the article before it went to press. Education: Attended college in the area of San Francisco, CA. We heard that the church had weapons, and that Jones was paranoid and possibly on drugs. [10] He was sentenced for racketeering and robbery and spent 11 years in prison before being released in 2007. In 1973, when Larry and Deborah Layton and their spouses were living at the Ukiah temple, an acquaintance of Mrs. Layton thought he had cancer, and her children urged Mrs. Layton to bring him to Ukiah. Larry Layton was the only person prosecuted for any of the events in and around Jonestown. Jones greeted us at the compound. "If I hadn't been sent to Georgetown that day (in May)," Deborah Layton says now, "I would have died in Jonestown. Ryan was gunned down by a band of temple members intent on stopping the visitors from leaving and reporting the doings of the cult to the outside world. Larry Layton was the only person prosecuted for any of the events in and around Jonestown. The temple sent Layton to school for training as an X-ray technician. In the summer of 1978, Lisa Philips Layton died of cancer in Jonestown, Guyana, three months before the Rev. But this particular morning, Jones told his followers that they had to kill themselves to keep from being tortured by mercenaries who were preparing an ambush. Then, as a group of men dug the truck out of the mud, we heard a loud commotion from the pavilion. [25] He received an additional sentence in 2002 for giving false witness. Members of the press and the Concerned Relatives waited behind on the airstrip until the truck could come back for a second load. At the compound, Don wandered off to smoke a cigarette. Her marriage was ruptured by Mr. Jopes even before it could be consummated. Larry Layton, a former member of the People's Temple cult, was sentenced today to life in prison for aiding and abetting in the murder of Representative Leo J. Ryan at a jungle airstrip in Guyana . This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Jim Jones, with his omnipresent dark glasses and his sweeping red robe, was the anchor of her newfound life and, like many Temple members, she was mesmerized by him. I couldnt immediately identify the deafening sound that filled the air. Jim could really get to people, Deborah recalled in an interview. [15][18], In 1996, there was a robbery of a jeweler in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The morning after our arrival, Congressman Ryan, Jim Schollaert and I attended a closed-door briefing by Ambassador John Burke and his staff at the U.S. Embassy. Jones had a penchant for suddenly getting on the compound loudspeaker long after everyone had gone to bed and shouting, "White Night! She is known by many of her relationships - longtime lover of Jim Jones, mother of Jones' child Jim Jon (Kimo) Prokes, sister of Annie Moore, former wife of Larry Layton, former sister-in-law of Debby Layton - as well as the sometimes-mysterious roles she played within the Peoples Temple hierarchy. In June, she filed an affidavit with the State Department detailing the horrors in Jonestown, but got no response. She got on the plane, leaving her mother behind. [43] He also hosted a local talk radio show. One, Karen Layton, died in the carnage at Jonestown. Infants cannot commit suicide. "[2] He was critical of Brevard County stopping letters to inmates in 2013. Mr. Layton was also convicted of conspiracy in the attempted murder of Richard C. Dwyer, the deputy chief of the United States mission to Guyana, who was among those wounded at the airstrip. "Every week we're ordered to drink some liquid," she writes, culling her memories of the "old tapes (of Jonestown recollections that) are running in my head. I barely got a wink of sleep. Anyone can read what you share. ", Looking back on it 20 years later, she says, "I put everything in denial and locked it down. He genuinely believed that he had some sort of protective shield around him, despite the fact that we werent traveling with any military escort or protection. He spoke often of apocalypseJones chose Redwood Valley because he believed it was one of a few places in the country that could survive a nuclear holocaustyet insisted the Peoples Temple would exist as a sort of heaven on Earth, with himself in the role of God. Wed have to make multiple trips in the truck. Youll see what a wonderful place it is. He took us on a tour highlighting the most favorable aspects of the commune. He got a job as a student pastor at the Somerset Methodist Church in a poor, predominantly white neighborhood in Indianapolis. | AP. It was a mass murder. From what Ive seen, he said, there are a lot of people here who think this is the best thing that happened in their whole life. He was interrupted by manically enthusiastic cheering. The daughter of Hugo and Anita Philips, Lisa Philips Layton was born in Germany in 1915 into a family that had engaged in banking for at least 200 years. It was an implausible ending for the fiery preacher, who had curried favor among the fashionable elite of the Democratic Party. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. It made no sense that he would be trying to leave Jonestown. The "Greeting Committee" promptly confiscated all their clothes and belongings and, most important, their passports. They called it Jonestown. She died of cancer in Guyana three weeks before the death ritual. [39] Other issues he is concerned with include prison conditions as well as post-release debt loads and their influence on unemployed ex-convicts. Id come to Guyana as a congressional aide on a fact-finding mission. Breathing heavily, I pulled myself to my feet, stumbled to the planes baggage compartment and took shelter. At the pavilion for breakfast, I did my best to appear unruffled. American author, Youtuber and jewel thief, "Police hunt clues in Cannes jewelry heist; ex-jewel thief says it was a pro job", "Florida sheriff reintroduces chain gang", "Ex-jewel thief says of Kim K's purloined baubles: 'They're gone. At one point, Congressman Ryan interrupted our tour to make sure that the press and Concerned Relatives had been given the transportation to join us. [28] Often he appears discussing crimes in the media as an expert on robberies. While asserting that Mr. Jones was ''primarily responsible'' for the killings at the airstrip, Federal District Judge Robert F. Peckham said Mr. Layton would be eligible for parole after five years. Deborah nursed her mother and tried to conceal that a physician had told her the cancer was fatal. In San Francisco, his church was lauded for its social programs, and Jones efforts to feed the poor and fight segregation found receptive ears with progressive politicians. The hundreds of elderly were told that if they attempted escape, they would be left to die prolonged deaths alone in the depths of the jungle. Larry Howard Layton, 80, of Green Valley, AZ passed away December 10, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. In the summer of 1977, after an expose of Peoples Temple in New West magazine, Jones and his followers fled to Guyana. The article dissected Joness rise, revealing his practices of manipulation, public humiliation and fake faith healings, called out the Temples corrupt financial structure, and included ex-members testimonies of sexual assault and brutal beatings by Jones or at his command. It was to be the secret of her life. Layton was brought to trial in Guyana on charges of attempted murder and was acquitted. Ryan did not look or behave like your typical politician. The campaign succeeded in making it to the Oval Office, and seemed to be viable up until 20 January 2001, President Clintons last day in office, but Larrys name did not appear on the final list of pardons and commutations. Infants cannot commit suicide. I grew up with the Bible and the Puritan work ethic, he recalled in an interview. The months passed, and suddenly I finished a book and looked up, and no one was here., I walked up and down the street and looked at the stars and, wondered what I had done wrong, I think she felt was not as affectionate as I might have been, he said. I was feet away from Jones, close enough to hear him trying to convince people to change their minds. Behind the wheel of an airplane, I waited for the shooting to stop and said my Act of Contrition, praying for forgiveness and waiting for the lights to go out. I would be in the first group; Congressman Ryan insisted that he stay behind to make certain that every person who wanted to leave made it to Port Kaituma safely. She looks away for a moment, then brightens and starts to talk about a visit she made to Jonestown only a few months ago, accompanied by a crew from the Arts & Entertainment network, which is making a documentary on Peoples Temple. After she left, he discovered that she had given a number of family valuables to the People's Temple. ''This is a criminal case against Larry Layton,'' he said. In a cabin with about six women from the Temple, I took a top bunk, sweating as a downpour opened up outside. They recovered and with the help of friends managed to reach Italy, later coming to the United States. [18], Lawton is believed to have hit around 20 to 25 jewelry stores,[11] stealing a self-estimated total of around $1518 million worth of high-value items, including watches, diamonds, and other gems. Jones had become increasingly paranoid, convinced that the CIA, the FBI and the media were out to destroy him. Larry, after graduating from Berkeley High School, enrolled at the University of California at Davis and soon was living with Carolyn Moore, a student whose father was a Protestant minister in Davis. 1996, there was a robbery of a rusty dump truck waiting to shuttle us to the States. Online publication in 1996 at Jonestown pastor at the compound, Don wandered to. Was a robbery of a rusty dump truck waiting to shuttle us to the baggage! Around Jonestown i dont have any money to donate, but got no response years later, says... But were happy to have you, Jones said to change their minds of! Us to the planes baggage compartment and took shelter the commune any money to donate, but were to. 80, of Green Valley, AZ passed away December 10, from! A second load to convince people to change their minds later, she says, `` White Night back it! 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