Religious True Crime

When Lizzy Hershberger turns fourteen, her schooling ends at eighth grade, and she has no choice but to leave home to work as an unpaid maid for another family. To avoid being rejected by her ultra-conservative Swartzentruber Amish family and community, Lizzy is forced to abandon her dreams because they are “too worldly.” After being raped by an Amish deacon over two dozen times, Lizzy makes her first attempt at “jumping the fence” to pursue a non-Amish lifestyle. But without any modern life experience or education, Lizzy must decide whether the risks of this unpredictable and ...

In one evening, Terry Caffey lost everything. His wife, Penny, and his sons, Matthew and Tyler, were brutally murdered; his home was burned to the ground, and his 16-year-old daughter, Erin, was in jail, charged with thiree counts of capital murder.

When Deb Moerke and her husband decided to become foster parents, they never imagined how their lives would change. And never did they imagine their worst nightmare coming true: Their five-year-old foster daughter, Hannah, murdered at the hands of her birth mom, Karen. The Moerkes were overwhelmed with horror and grief. And just when they didn’t think they could bear any more, Deb received a phone call from Karen in prison. Facing a life sentence for Hannah’s murder, she was pregnant. And Karen had an incredible request: Would Deb take her unborn baby and love it as her own?

“You want to read this book. It is chilling and compelling at the same time.” – Dr. Phil McGraw. “I can think of no more important book at this moment in our history than Profiling Evil: An Investigative Memoir of the Zion Society Cult. Mike King has made a superb and vitally important contribution by exposing the abuse of women and children in that heinous cult. And this still happens far too often in the multitude of harmful groups around the world. If you want to understand coercive influence and control, then read this book.” -Janja Lalich, Ph.D., Professor “This book has it...

In a world where faith is tested by betrayal, corruption, and violence, two unlikely allies must unravel a web of deception that threatens to destroy everything they hold sacred. When prosecutor Daniel Pierce is assigned to investigate a string of embezzlement cases involving high-ranking church officials, he discovers that the conspiracy runs deeper than anyone imagined. Alongside his determined partner, Rachel Walker, a woman whose faith is deeply shaken by the revelations, Daniel uncovers a scheme that manipulates not only money but the very beliefs of an entire community. As they dig ...

Four years after his father died a hero's death fighting a fire, Tim Ginocchetti was behind bars for killing his mother. How one tragedy led to another is a true story that puts a horrifying twist on the familiar one of bullied gay teens. In this case, the bully was the teen's own mother, and instead of harming himself he killed her in a momentary but irreversible explosion of rage.

Human sacrifice still goes on uncomfortably close to home - cases have been found in the U.S., Europe, and the United Kingdom. In other parts of the world, such as South America, ritual killing is almost commonplace. Human Sacrifice investigates the terrifying current spate of human sacrifices and ritual killings. Jimmy Lee Shreeve draws on police reports and interviews with the victims' families to paint a horrifying picture of ritual sacrifice at home and abroad.

As the adopted son of two cult leaders, Benjamin Risha was raised to someday assume a place of leadership in the Tony and Susan Alamo Christian Foundation with the Bible, and his parents’ interpretation of it, as his guide. He believed the prophecies of his adoptive mother and father. However, when none of it happened, and the foundation slid from bucolic communal lifestyle to insufferable criminality that included absolute obedience to the Alamos, Benjamin knew he had to escape.

Explore the hidden and often shocking history of cults in the United States in Cults in America: A Deep Dive into the Dark History of U.S. Cults and Their Lasting Impact. From 19th-century utopian experiments to the devastating events at Jonestown and Waco, this comprehensive guide reveals how cults have shaped American society, politics, and culture across the centuries. Discover the psychological tactics that cults use to control followers, the warning signs of recruitment, and the rise of digital-age movements like QAnon and NXIVM. This compelling and informative book balances historical...

A mother. A doomsday prophet. Two dead children. A trail of bodies across two states. Lori Vallow Daybell was once a beauty queen, devoted mother, and lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By 2025, she had been convicted by multiple juries in two states for crimes connected to the deaths of her children, Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, the death of her husband Charles Vallow, the death of Tammy Daybell, and the attempted murder of Brandon Boudreaux. This carefully researched true-crime account reconstructs the case from the public record: police ...

Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story presents an explosive criminal coverup and, through personal narrative and exposé, details a crime network brought on by chance encounters and hidden under the umbrella of religion and an unspoken, but understood, special privileges law in Manhattan. Weaving a compelling narrative, the author reveals her triumphs over childhood abuse and her entertainment beginnings only to encounter a financially desperate one-hit wonder preacher, a bloodthirsty anything-for-entertainment attorney, and a wild pack of salivating happy-ever-after thieves, who each set a ...

“Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve” (The Wall Street Journal), this is the definitive account of the disastrous siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, featuring never-before-seen documents, photographs, and interviews, from former investigative...

Think No Evil is the first insider account of the tragic events, the personal victories and the daily Amish life in Nickel Mines, written by a native of the Amish community who still lives and works where most of his relatives are Old Order Amish. Against the rich and fascinating backdrop of Amish culture, Beiler reveals the best of the human spirit in the midst of the worst, and leaves us all drawn heavenward, the richer for it.

A mother. A camera. A family brand. A closed door. Ruby Franke built an audience by turning motherhood into content. As the face of the family YouTube channel 8 Passengers, she presented a home defined by faith, discipline, order, and moral certainty. Millions watched. Some admired her. Some worried. Few could see what was happening once the cameras moved away. In 2023, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested after one of Ruby’s children escaped Hildebrandt’s Utah home and sought help from a neighbour. The criminal case that followed exposed severe abuse, a controlling belief ...

In Cult Following, Ocker sheds light on the terrifying attraction of cults, demonstrating the elasticity of belief, the desperateness of belonging, and the tragedy of trust.

EDITORIAL REVIEW A chilling and deeply emotional account of faith, medicine, and responsibility, this Documented Terror entry transforms a real historical tragedy into an unforgettable reading experience. Blending procedural realism with heartbreaking human drama, the story delivers relentless tension while honoring the documented facts behind one of the most controversial cases in modern history. Powerful, unsettling, and impossible to forget, this is prestige horror at its most human — a story that lingers long after the final page. THE LAST EXORCISM A True Documented Terror — The ...

David Koresh and the Branch Davidians: Inside the History, Beliefs, Leadership, and Tragic Legacy of the Waco Siege offers a clear, thorough, and accessible examination of one of the most controversial events in modern American history. This book guides readers through the origins of the Branch Davidians, the rise of David Koresh, and the theological ideas that shaped the Mount Carmel community. Through careful explanation and well structured chapters, the book explores how Koresh’s prophetic interpretations, charismatic leadership, and influence over his followers formed the foundation ...

Bishop Juan Gerardi, Guatemala's leading human rights activist, was bludgeoned to death in his garage on a Sunday night in 1998, two days after the presentation of a groundbreaking church-sponsored report implicating the military in the murders and disappearances of some 200,000 civilians.

Have you ever wondered how someone ends up handing over their life to a leader behind the guise of enlightenment - and how they claw their way back out? In Cult Chaos, step inside six chilling first-person accounts from people who thought they had found purpose, belonging and salvation - only to discover they were trapped in systems of psychological control, coercion and fear. A yoga studio that demanded devotion and debt. An Instagram “mentor” who monitored every decision. A spiritual commune where leaving meant death. A corporate “family” built on silent obedience. A political ...

Through vivid storytelling, this historical account reveals the disturbing influences and grim motives that possessed Alessandro Serenelli, St. Maria Goretti’s murderer. Yet it is much more than a chilling tale; this true narrative is a testament of transformation and redemption — God’s mercy shining forth through the most seemingly hopeless of situations. Just as great literature and spiritual writing have the power to transform the soul and spur it on to heroic deeds, the force of immoral prose can corrupt and even drive the soul to unspeakable deeds.