October 24, 2024 • 19 mins
In this conclusion to our two-part interview, we continue our conversation with Melanie Wilking, a dancer and content creator featured in the Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult documentary. Melanie and her sister Miranda, formerly known as the Wilking Sisters, created content together until Miranda was drawn into the 7M organization. Melanie and her parents raised awareness about the situation through an Instagram Live. In this discussion, Melanie shares her journey since the docuseries, her experience with Shekinah, and the emotional impact of Miranda’s choice to stay. She also highlights the family's ongoing efforts to reunite with her sister and the important lessons learned along the way.
Forgive Me For I Have Followed continues the exploration from Netflix’s hit Dancing for the Devil documentary series by delving deeper into the personal stories of those affected by Robert Shinn, Shekinah Church, and 7M Films. We will focus on the experiences of victims and their families, address urgent questions raised in the documentary, and gather insights from former members and dancers. Our goal is to uncover strategies for combating abuse and ensuring that controlling, cult-like communities are held accountable for their actions.
*The following is based on actual events. Certain composite and representative materials and characters have been used for dramatic purposes.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
I want Robert to be held accountable for his actions
over the past thirty plus years and not be able
to break up any more.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Families, welcome back to forgive me for I have followed.
I'm Jess Cossabetto and.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I'm Kalia Gray. Our series explores the story of Robert Chin,
the Eli Basha Kinda Church, and seven M Films. This
is our part too, with our conversation with Melanie last
time we left off, there was just so much to
unpack that we decided it would be best to split
it into two episodes.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, I think it was important that we slowed the
conversation down a little bit because the Wilkings decision to
go live really propelled this story forward. That wasn't an
easy decision for them to make.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
From the outside looking in, it feels like it would
be so easy to just Okay, let's get it all
out there because we're trying to get our sister back.
But it was more of a difficult decision than I
think the rest of us knew. We wanted to really
hear more from Melanie about everything leading up to it
and the strength that it really took them to come
out and make this situation very public, especially with Miranda.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
To the public.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
She was saying a lot of like how her family
was controlling, and they were just saying things. So it
must have been a lot harder for them going against
what Miranda is saying about them and in the words
of Miranda, like airing out their private family dirty laundry.
But it's still being such a necessary step I think
in this whole situation.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Absolutely, and I think really understanding the links of family
will go to reunite with their daughter and their sister,
and there's something really beautiful and powerful about that. And
so I'm excited to jump into part two.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
This is our part two of our conversation with Melanie.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Mel what was that conversation like with your parents leading
up to the live What was it that made you
guys say let's do this.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
There were a few things I would say that led
us to that point. It was essentially a full year
of no contact with my sister, and it happened completely
cold turkey. You know, one day, she's my best friend,
We're going to get coffee in the morning, and literally
that day it's like I'm moving out. I can't go
(02:34):
home because we were flying home at the time. So
then it was just silence, and we had obviously tried
to get in touch. I was literally driving around North Hollywood,
California with my friend Ricky, trying to find my sister.
At one point, it was the most pathetic thing. It
was so sad, so like we did that. My parents
tried to find where she lived, finally found where she lived.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Then still nothing.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then December twenty twenty one, I actually was in
the area by Robert's house, meeting up with a friend
for lunch, and then I remember thinking, like, he lives
a minute away. I'm just going to drive by the
house and see if they're there. And I drove by,
and sure enough, all the cars were there, and actually
the guys were dancing in the garage, and I made
(03:24):
eye contact with James, and I just remember like, oh, shoot,
what do I do now, Like I was not expecting
anyone to be there, and now they know I'm here,
I have to say something. And I called my parents
on my way.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
So they were on the phone while this is happening,
and I'm like, I just locked eyes with Jade's I
have to say something, and so I remember I went
up and this was another moment where like Robert is
supposedly this like godly figure, he's this leader, and he
was such a coward.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
And he stood in the garage by the door and
had Daniel, his right hand man at the time, and
James come out and talk to me, and I just said,
I'm so sorry, I'm in the area.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I saw that my sister's car was here.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I'm just wondering if I could go say hi, give her.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
A quick hug. No, she's busy.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And at this point I'm bawling my eyes out and
I'm like, you can just watch. I haven't talked to her.
I just want to give my sister a hug. Nope,
And Robert was just standing in the corner, just looking.
And It's like, if you had nothing to hide, why
couldn't I just go hug my sister. Why couldn't Robert
come talk to me? And then the same thing happened
when my friend and I, Ricky, went to their Christmas
(04:31):
show at the end, went up to Robert trying to
get some answers, and he was fumbling his words, could
not speak to me. I was asking, why can't I
see my sister, like could not speak, and so then
he just scurried away. So I think this whole time,
it was like she's idolizing this leader in her eyes,
(04:51):
he is such a coward. He can't even speak up
for what he supposedly believes me. So at that point
of us going live, it was on my sister's birthday
and I sent her a message because we were blocked
on like phone numbers, I was blocked on all of
her social media accounts. So it was on James's post
and he made a post for her birthday and I
(05:13):
just commented, you know, happy birthday, something along the lines
of like I hope you get all the love you
deserve today, and within two minutes I was blocked. And
it was just like all of these things, like what.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Is going on?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And now I'm blocked from James. At least I could
see what my sister was up to through his account.
Now I'm blocked from that, and of course my parents
were blocked as well. So at that point we were
just like, we don't know what else to do. It's
been over a year, and we talked to several cults
experts and psychologists, and every single one of them were
(05:49):
saying the longer they're in, the harder it is for
them to leave, and so in our minds it's like,
it's a year later, She's already been in there for
a year. How can we try to expose this thing
or try to get through to her? And so it
was very chaotic, not planned at all. We set up
the phone and pressed record, and like we didn't even
(06:09):
have the conversation of like, what are we going to say?
Are we going to say it's a religious cult? Are
we going to say these things?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
So that's why it was so chaotic.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
But we were just at a point where we had
no idea what direction to go, and we'd already exhausted
all of our options, and that just seems like the
next step.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, I have to say this, like feisty, badass version
of Melanie Walking. I'm here for it, I'm living for it.
I'm like tell them, tell them.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Oh my gosh, I will say at the Christmas show,
I'm so thankful that my friend Ricky was with me
because he has the backbone that I do not have.
He was like, you are going to talk to him?
When are you ever going to be in the same
room as him ever again? And that was actually a
point where Robert's son Conrad said that that situation completely
broke him and he saw firsthand that his father would
(07:00):
breaking up families. So that was really interesting because in
the moment, I'm just like, oh my gosh, we're.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Causing this scene. This is so awkward.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But then to see that it actually did touch people
and made people realize like, oh my goodness, this is
not good. This is not the greatness that we thought
we were a part of. So in those moments, I'm like, Okay,
it was for something.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It was worth it.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Even the content day because we were both there, because
it was like everyone was there filming videos. I was inside,
and that was like one of the first few red
flags that Kevin had seen was like, why is Melanie
being treated in this way?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Like that's her sister and.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Like he always like talks about like the face that
you had when you walked up, and I think that
really stuck with him throughout our journey there to really
be like, hmm, I remember the energy of how Melanie
felt walking up to the house to just ask like, Hey,
is my sister here?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Like can I see my sister?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
That was one of my big moments of like they
really twisted that story because I heard it from Robert's mouth,
and then I heard it from somebody else's mouth who
saw it, and it was two completely different stories because
Robert was like, Melanie's boyfriend came up and tried to
beat me, and they.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Were like what.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
There was someone else's like, that's not even the same person.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Like, oh my gosh, we were just trying to, you know,
get some answers.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Yes, yeah, no violence, no violence.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And the other story that I heard that was the
first hand account, was like, no, Melanie was just there
supporting her sister, and I thought it was really beautiful.
And I was like, yeah, I agree, I think that
was really beautiful that Melanie showed up to support. Because
of the two stories, I was like, I don't think
that the one that Robert said happened.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Well, mel I think that you are not only just
like one of the kindest people I've met, you and
your family are just absolutely amazing.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
But thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I have two sisters that I'm very close with that
I just love. I talk to them every single day.
Like when one of my sisters like she's working a lot,
We're like, what the heck, what's going on? Why is
she hitting us back? Like it is a deal, and
I think that the passion behind those meetups and trying
to go and see her. When you have family that
you love and that you're concerned about, you'll do whatever
(09:06):
you need to do. You'll go outside of your comfort
zone to try to reconnect with them. So I just
really appreciate not only how amazingly kind you are, but
the love that you have for your family and the
love that you have for your sister. And I really
really hope that she feels that again soon because you know,
(09:26):
naturally it's going to get twisted, it's going to feel
that you're attacking them, but really from an outsider, we
know it is just an outpour of love. So I'm
really rooting for her, and I'm also staying hopeful. I mean,
we were a little more optimistic in the process. I
think we try to wait as long as humanly possible
to deliver that third episode in hopes that maybe the
(09:49):
outreach that you guys were doing, the outreach that we
were doing, that maybe they would see in our hopes
that they would have gotten out, But obviously not the case.
But we remain hopeful. Absolutely we'll be right back with
the conclusion of part two of our conversation with Melanie Walking.
This is forgive me for I have followed.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Welcome back, and now the conclusion of part two of
our conversation with Melanie Walking.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I had a million questions about, like you and your
family when you were saying that you were driving around
North Hollywood trying to find her. I have so many
questions about that time because some videos were shared with us,
and I remember just being so fascinated with the private
investigating skills that you and your family had. There was
a video that you shared that one time you guys
(10:41):
were in the car for like hours. I think you
drove down to Santa Anna.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Oh yeah, we went and checked out that Orange County
of property and it was just like a little storefront
with like an apartment on the top, and we actually
saw I believe it was Matthew pull up and go inside.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
That was a crazy time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
It was just driving around, being full on private investors,
actually getting a private investigator oh wow, trying to figure
out any information that we could.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Sadly, it didn't.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Get us very far, but thankfully after the live stream,
we were able to connect then with a ton of
people and then so much information came out, which really helped,
but in the meantime, yeah, it was almost borderline scary
of like how much you can find out about someone
because not that it was easy, but my parents were
able to figure out where my sister lived. It was
(11:29):
like putting together the pieces of these videos that they
posted and then hearing this from this person and hearing
this and literally driving around matching like fences.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
I'm like, this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But at that time we had no idea what was
going on. We didn't know if my sister was safe
or not.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
At that time, we didn't know if she was dead
or alive.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So it was like you said, like you will do
anything to find your family member to reconnect. The lengths
that we went to was pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I don't know if you saw, but that property in
Santa Ana days after the documentary came out went pending
on zillow.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Oh I did not know that. Wow.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I almost everyone has moved also from whatever housing they
were in into something else now, so they have been
mobilizing just as we're getting connected with more resources, so
we are also mobilizing to try to get some sort
of justice retribution balance.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But I think that's.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Another question that I have, is like how has it
been navigating like the legal system with you and your family.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It's honestly been a very frustrating process.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Because they're adults.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
You have free will, you can deciber you want to
go to church, and who you follow, who you give
money to. Anything that we kind of thought, oh, we've
got them now, or we found out this information, or
we're reporting this.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
It kind of went to a dead end.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Now I do believe there are agencies looking into Robert
and so that is comforting, but it's just difficult because
you know, brainwashing, coorsion is so hard to prove, and
we know that they're doing very bad things over there,
and even with the documentary, we didn't want to be
a naive to think that these things were happening, but
(13:18):
then to hear first hand accounts, it was just heartbreaking
to know that my sister is still in there, and again,
like I can't be naive to think that things aren't
happening to her as well, and so to feel like
you can't help in that way is difficult. But we
just have to hope that they are being investigated and
(13:38):
that justice is served.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
I could feel the frustration there where it's like we
feel like this should be an open and closed case, right,
but due process is due for everyone.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
And so it's just feeling that like.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Being elongated and the time it takes, and I'm like
seeing our legal system front and center, and I'm like.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Ooh, right, Like you feel like this should be so easy, right,
this is happening. These people are coming out and saying,
point Blake, I was braidwashing. It just takes so much time.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And there are paper trails. There are paper trails, and
you need to find all that concrete evidence, and like
it would be nice to be able to ask some
of these questions to law enforcement and get a better
understanding for ourselves and for the families and for the
people that experienced it. So maybe there's a little peace
of mind there. But shifting gears. After the documentary came out,
(14:32):
there was a big question on whether or not Miranda
would go to your wedding. We've seen on social media
that she did. Can you tell us a little bit
about what that was like, and was that the last
time that you had seen her?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
That is the last time I have seen her. She
showed up, which I am very grateful for.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
She did not have to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
I know that was a very uncomfortable situation that she
had to be in because she's never met any of
my husband's family, hasn't seen our family for years.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
But I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
If she was coming or not up until pretty much
she was there. To protect myself, I don't like to
get my hopes up on anything, so it was if
she shows up, great, If not, all good, and so
she was there, and I'm just very glad that now
at least we have those memories together. We have, you know,
our family photos together at my wedding. But during the wedding,
(15:24):
it was fine. It seemed like they were doing okay.
They were able to reconnect with some of our family,
which was great. I you know, spoke to them very briefly,
but everything was light hearted and so it was a
pleasant experience and I'm grateful that they were there. And
James was there too, which was I'm sure uncomfortable for
(15:45):
him as well. And I don't take that lightly. I
know that was hard for them.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Well, I'm really glad that they went and that you
guys were all able to have a good time. What's
the ideal resolution look like for you.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
At the end of the day. I want my sister
out of this group and out of Robert's control. He
is not a good person and to have her out
and everyone under his control for that matter, and then
I want Robert to be held accountable for his actions
over the past thirty plus years and not be able
(16:20):
to do this to anyone else, break up any more families.
It's just awful what he has done, and I hope
justice has served for him and that all of these
members that are under Robert's control can be freed and
have amazing lives. Because you know, Khalia, you're a perfect example.
There's so much more than just that group.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I think you're told that or even you feel like
everything is with that group. You know, they're your friends,
they're your new family. Maybe you know your house you're
renting from them, or your car is with them, and
so you feel like if you leave, what do I have?
I have to start over and for them to know
that there is light at the end of the tunnel
(17:03):
and you can have an amazing life. I think all
the people that were involved in the documentary that have
gotten out of Robert's control is just a testament to that,
and there's so much more. So I just hope everyone
can be freed.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Do you have any advice for someone that might be
going through a similar situation as you are, like grieving
a loved one that is still present in here and alive.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
The main advice that we had gotten very early on
is to try to have some sort of communication. Unfortunately,
that was broken for us for a while and we
did not have that, but then we did regain it back,
and so trying, I think, at the end of the day,
to be a person that your loved one can come to.
They know, like I have to believe my sister knows
(17:47):
that all the things we have done, it is because
we love her and we are here for her. And
when she comes out someday, she knows that we're there
and we will support her. And so to be that
helping him. And another thing is just to not give up.
I am so proud of my family and I for
just being persistent and sharing our story. There's so much
(18:10):
good that has come out of that. And I know
that's so hard to have those two things at once,
to be speaking out and exposing something that your family
member thinks so highly of and you're talking about it
in a negative light, but then also being someone that
can be a helping hand. And that's why I say
these situations are so delicate and difficult, so just being
(18:32):
that safe place, even if they don't see it right now.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
This concludes the second part of our conversation with Mellie
wil King. We truly appreciate her for taking the time
to chat with us so extensively.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
We know this experience has been undeniably difficult for her
and her family, so we commend and thank her for
sharing her story. We wish her and her family all
the very best on their healing journey.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
This has been Forgive Me For I Have Followed.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We'll be back next week.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Forgive Me For I Have Followed is a production from
wv Sound, Dirty Robert and iHeartMedia's Mikael Tora podcast network,
hosted by me Kalia Gray and me Jess cossabetto Forgive
Me For I Have Followed is produced by Aaron Burlson
and Sophie Spencer's zabos.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Our Executive producers are Khalia Gray, myself, Wulmar Balderama, Leo
Klam and Aaron Burlison at wv Sound.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
This episode was edited by Sean Tracy and features original
music by Madison Davenport and Halo Boy. For more podcasts
from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
See you next week, See you next week,
I want Robert to be held accountable for his actions
over the past thirty plus years and not be able
to break up any more.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Families, welcome back to forgive me for I have followed.
I'm Jess Cossabetto and.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I'm Kalia Gray. Our series explores the story of Robert Chin,
the Eli Basha Kinda Church, and seven M Films. This
is our part too, with our conversation with Melanie last
time we left off, there was just so much to
unpack that we decided it would be best to split
it into two episodes.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, I think it was important that we slowed the
conversation down a little bit because the Wilkings decision to
go live really propelled this story forward. That wasn't an
easy decision for them to make.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
From the outside looking in, it feels like it would
be so easy to just Okay, let's get it all
out there because we're trying to get our sister back.
But it was more of a difficult decision than I
think the rest of us knew. We wanted to really
hear more from Melanie about everything leading up to it
and the strength that it really took them to come
out and make this situation very public, especially with Miranda.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
To the public.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
She was saying a lot of like how her family
was controlling, and they were just saying things. So it
must have been a lot harder for them going against
what Miranda is saying about them and in the words
of Miranda, like airing out their private family dirty laundry.
But it's still being such a necessary step I think
in this whole situation.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Absolutely, and I think really understanding the links of family
will go to reunite with their daughter and their sister,
and there's something really beautiful and powerful about that. And
so I'm excited to jump into part two.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
This is our part two of our conversation with Melanie.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Mel what was that conversation like with your parents leading
up to the live What was it that made you
guys say let's do this.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
There were a few things I would say that led
us to that point. It was essentially a full year
of no contact with my sister, and it happened completely
cold turkey. You know, one day, she's my best friend,
We're going to get coffee in the morning, and literally
that day it's like I'm moving out. I can't go
(02:34):
home because we were flying home at the time. So
then it was just silence, and we had obviously tried
to get in touch. I was literally driving around North Hollywood,
California with my friend Ricky, trying to find my sister.
At one point, it was the most pathetic thing. It
was so sad, so like we did that. My parents
tried to find where she lived, finally found where she lived.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Then still nothing.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
And then December twenty twenty one, I actually was in
the area by Robert's house, meeting up with a friend
for lunch, and then I remember thinking, like, he lives
a minute away. I'm just going to drive by the
house and see if they're there. And I drove by,
and sure enough, all the cars were there, and actually
the guys were dancing in the garage, and I made
(03:24):
eye contact with James, and I just remember like, oh, shoot,
what do I do now, Like I was not expecting
anyone to be there, and now they know I'm here,
I have to say something. And I called my parents
on my way.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
So they were on the phone while this is happening,
and I'm like, I just locked eyes with Jade's I
have to say something, and so I remember I went
up and this was another moment where like Robert is
supposedly this like godly figure, he's this leader, and he
was such a coward.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
And he stood in the garage by the door and
had Daniel, his right hand man at the time, and
James come out and talk to me, and I just said,
I'm so sorry, I'm in the area.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I saw that my sister's car was here.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
I'm just wondering if I could go say hi, give her.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
A quick hug. No, she's busy.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And at this point I'm bawling my eyes out and
I'm like, you can just watch. I haven't talked to her.
I just want to give my sister a hug. Nope,
And Robert was just standing in the corner, just looking.
And It's like, if you had nothing to hide, why
couldn't I just go hug my sister. Why couldn't Robert
come talk to me? And then the same thing happened
when my friend and I, Ricky, went to their Christmas
(04:31):
show at the end, went up to Robert trying to
get some answers, and he was fumbling his words, could
not speak to me. I was asking, why can't I
see my sister, like could not speak, and so then
he just scurried away. So I think this whole time,
it was like she's idolizing this leader in her eyes,
(04:51):
he is such a coward. He can't even speak up
for what he supposedly believes me. So at that point
of us going live, it was on my sister's birthday
and I sent her a message because we were blocked
on like phone numbers, I was blocked on all of
her social media accounts. So it was on James's post
and he made a post for her birthday and I
(05:13):
just commented, you know, happy birthday, something along the lines
of like I hope you get all the love you
deserve today, and within two minutes I was blocked. And
it was just like all of these things, like what.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Is going on?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
And now I'm blocked from James. At least I could
see what my sister was up to through his account.
Now I'm blocked from that, and of course my parents
were blocked as well. So at that point we were
just like, we don't know what else to do. It's
been over a year, and we talked to several cults
experts and psychologists, and every single one of them were
(05:49):
saying the longer they're in, the harder it is for
them to leave, and so in our minds it's like,
it's a year later, She's already been in there for
a year. How can we try to expose this thing
or try to get through to her? And so it
was very chaotic, not planned at all. We set up
the phone and pressed record, and like we didn't even
(06:09):
have the conversation of like, what are we going to say?
Are we going to say it's a religious cult? Are
we going to say these things?
Speaker 4 (06:15):
So that's why it was so chaotic.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
But we were just at a point where we had
no idea what direction to go, and we'd already exhausted
all of our options, and that just seems like the
next step.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, I have to say this, like feisty, badass version
of Melanie Walking. I'm here for it, I'm living for it.
I'm like tell them, tell them.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Oh my gosh, I will say at the Christmas show,
I'm so thankful that my friend Ricky was with me
because he has the backbone that I do not have.
He was like, you are going to talk to him?
When are you ever going to be in the same
room as him ever again? And that was actually a
point where Robert's son Conrad said that that situation completely
broke him and he saw firsthand that his father would
(07:00):
breaking up families. So that was really interesting because in
the moment, I'm just like, oh my gosh, we're.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
Causing this scene. This is so awkward.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
But then to see that it actually did touch people
and made people realize like, oh my goodness, this is
not good. This is not the greatness that we thought
we were a part of. So in those moments, I'm like, Okay,
it was for something.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
It was worth it.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Even the content day because we were both there, because
it was like everyone was there filming videos. I was inside,
and that was like one of the first few red
flags that Kevin had seen was like, why is Melanie
being treated in this way?
Speaker 4 (07:34):
Like that's her sister and.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Like he always like talks about like the face that
you had when you walked up, and I think that
really stuck with him throughout our journey there to really
be like, hmm, I remember the energy of how Melanie
felt walking up to the house to just ask like, Hey,
is my sister here?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Like can I see my sister?
Speaker 3 (07:53):
That was one of my big moments of like they
really twisted that story because I heard it from Robert's mouth,
and then I heard it from somebody else's mouth who
saw it, and it was two completely different stories because
Robert was like, Melanie's boyfriend came up and tried to
beat me, and they.
Speaker 4 (08:08):
Were like what.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
There was someone else's like, that's not even the same person.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Like, oh my gosh, we were just trying to, you know,
get some answers.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Yes, yeah, no violence, no violence.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
And the other story that I heard that was the
first hand account, was like, no, Melanie was just there
supporting her sister, and I thought it was really beautiful.
And I was like, yeah, I agree, I think that
was really beautiful that Melanie showed up to support. Because
of the two stories, I was like, I don't think
that the one that Robert said happened.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Well, mel I think that you are not only just
like one of the kindest people I've met, you and
your family are just absolutely amazing.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
But thank you.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I have two sisters that I'm very close with that
I just love. I talk to them every single day.
Like when one of my sisters like she's working a lot,
We're like, what the heck, what's going on? Why is
she hitting us back? Like it is a deal, and
I think that the passion behind those meetups and trying
to go and see her. When you have family that
you love and that you're concerned about, you'll do whatever
(09:06):
you need to do. You'll go outside of your comfort
zone to try to reconnect with them. So I just
really appreciate not only how amazingly kind you are, but
the love that you have for your family and the
love that you have for your sister. And I really
really hope that she feels that again soon because you know,
(09:26):
naturally it's going to get twisted, it's going to feel
that you're attacking them, but really from an outsider, we
know it is just an outpour of love. So I'm
really rooting for her, and I'm also staying hopeful. I mean,
we were a little more optimistic in the process. I
think we try to wait as long as humanly possible
to deliver that third episode in hopes that maybe the
(09:49):
outreach that you guys were doing, the outreach that we
were doing, that maybe they would see in our hopes
that they would have gotten out, But obviously not the case.
But we remain hopeful. Absolutely we'll be right back with
the conclusion of part two of our conversation with Melanie Walking.
This is forgive me for I have followed.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Welcome back, and now the conclusion of part two of
our conversation with Melanie Walking.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I had a million questions about, like you and your
family when you were saying that you were driving around
North Hollywood trying to find her. I have so many
questions about that time because some videos were shared with us,
and I remember just being so fascinated with the private
investigating skills that you and your family had. There was
a video that you shared that one time you guys
(10:41):
were in the car for like hours. I think you
drove down to Santa Anna.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Oh yeah, we went and checked out that Orange County
of property and it was just like a little storefront
with like an apartment on the top, and we actually
saw I believe it was Matthew pull up and go inside.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
That was a crazy time.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
It was just driving around, being full on private investors,
actually getting a private investigator oh wow, trying to figure
out any information that we could.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Sadly, it didn't.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Get us very far, but thankfully after the live stream,
we were able to connect then with a ton of
people and then so much information came out, which really helped,
but in the meantime, yeah, it was almost borderline scary
of like how much you can find out about someone
because not that it was easy, but my parents were
able to figure out where my sister lived. It was
(11:29):
like putting together the pieces of these videos that they
posted and then hearing this from this person and hearing
this and literally driving around matching like fences.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
I'm like, this is crazy.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But at that time we had no idea what was
going on. We didn't know if my sister was safe
or not.
Speaker 4 (11:48):
At that time, we didn't know if she was dead
or alive.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
So it was like you said, like you will do
anything to find your family member to reconnect. The lengths
that we went to was pretty crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I don't know if you saw, but that property in
Santa Ana days after the documentary came out went pending
on zillow.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Oh I did not know that. Wow.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I almost everyone has moved also from whatever housing they
were in into something else now, so they have been
mobilizing just as we're getting connected with more resources, so
we are also mobilizing to try to get some sort
of justice retribution balance.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
But I think that's.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Another question that I have, is like how has it
been navigating like the legal system with you and your family.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It's honestly been a very frustrating process.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Because they're adults.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
You have free will, you can deciber you want to
go to church, and who you follow, who you give
money to. Anything that we kind of thought, oh, we've
got them now, or we found out this information, or
we're reporting this.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
It kind of went to a dead end.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Now I do believe there are agencies looking into Robert
and so that is comforting, but it's just difficult because
you know, brainwashing, coorsion is so hard to prove, and
we know that they're doing very bad things over there,
and even with the documentary, we didn't want to be
a naive to think that these things were happening, but
(13:18):
then to hear first hand accounts, it was just heartbreaking
to know that my sister is still in there, and again,
like I can't be naive to think that things aren't
happening to her as well, and so to feel like
you can't help in that way is difficult. But we
just have to hope that they are being investigated and
(13:38):
that justice is served.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
I could feel the frustration there where it's like we
feel like this should be an open and closed case, right,
but due process is due for everyone.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
And so it's just feeling that like.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Being elongated and the time it takes, and I'm like
seeing our legal system front and center, and I'm like.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Ooh, right, Like you feel like this should be so easy, right,
this is happening. These people are coming out and saying,
point Blake, I was braidwashing. It just takes so much time.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
And there are paper trails. There are paper trails, and
you need to find all that concrete evidence, and like
it would be nice to be able to ask some
of these questions to law enforcement and get a better
understanding for ourselves and for the families and for the
people that experienced it. So maybe there's a little peace
of mind there. But shifting gears. After the documentary came out,
(14:32):
there was a big question on whether or not Miranda
would go to your wedding. We've seen on social media
that she did. Can you tell us a little bit
about what that was like, and was that the last
time that you had seen her?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
That is the last time I have seen her. She
showed up, which I am very grateful for.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
She did not have to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
I know that was a very uncomfortable situation that she
had to be in because she's never met any of
my husband's family, hasn't seen our family for years.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
But I didn't know.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
If she was coming or not up until pretty much
she was there. To protect myself, I don't like to
get my hopes up on anything, so it was if
she shows up, great, If not, all good, and so
she was there, and I'm just very glad that now
at least we have those memories together. We have, you know,
our family photos together at my wedding. But during the wedding,
(15:24):
it was fine. It seemed like they were doing okay.
They were able to reconnect with some of our family,
which was great. I you know, spoke to them very briefly,
but everything was light hearted and so it was a
pleasant experience and I'm grateful that they were there. And
James was there too, which was I'm sure uncomfortable for
(15:45):
him as well. And I don't take that lightly. I
know that was hard for them.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Well, I'm really glad that they went and that you
guys were all able to have a good time. What's
the ideal resolution look like for you.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
At the end of the day. I want my sister
out of this group and out of Robert's control. He
is not a good person and to have her out
and everyone under his control for that matter, and then
I want Robert to be held accountable for his actions
over the past thirty plus years and not be able
(16:20):
to do this to anyone else, break up any more families.
It's just awful what he has done, and I hope
justice has served for him and that all of these
members that are under Robert's control can be freed and
have amazing lives. Because you know, Khalia, you're a perfect example.
There's so much more than just that group.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
You know.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I think you're told that or even you feel like
everything is with that group. You know, they're your friends,
they're your new family. Maybe you know your house you're
renting from them, or your car is with them, and
so you feel like if you leave, what do I have?
I have to start over and for them to know
that there is light at the end of the tunnel
(17:03):
and you can have an amazing life. I think all
the people that were involved in the documentary that have
gotten out of Robert's control is just a testament to that,
and there's so much more. So I just hope everyone
can be freed.
Speaker 3 (17:16):
Do you have any advice for someone that might be
going through a similar situation as you are, like grieving
a loved one that is still present in here and alive.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
The main advice that we had gotten very early on
is to try to have some sort of communication. Unfortunately,
that was broken for us for a while and we
did not have that, but then we did regain it back,
and so trying, I think, at the end of the day,
to be a person that your loved one can come to.
They know, like I have to believe my sister knows
(17:47):
that all the things we have done, it is because
we love her and we are here for her. And
when she comes out someday, she knows that we're there
and we will support her. And so to be that
helping him. And another thing is just to not give up.
I am so proud of my family and I for
just being persistent and sharing our story. There's so much
(18:10):
good that has come out of that. And I know
that's so hard to have those two things at once,
to be speaking out and exposing something that your family
member thinks so highly of and you're talking about it
in a negative light, but then also being someone that
can be a helping hand. And that's why I say
these situations are so delicate and difficult, so just being
(18:32):
that safe place, even if they don't see it right now.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
This concludes the second part of our conversation with Mellie
wil King. We truly appreciate her for taking the time
to chat with us so extensively.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
We know this experience has been undeniably difficult for her
and her family, so we commend and thank her for
sharing her story. We wish her and her family all
the very best on their healing journey.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
This has been Forgive Me For I Have Followed.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
We'll be back next week.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Forgive Me For I Have Followed is a production from
wv Sound, Dirty Robert and iHeartMedia's Mikael Tora podcast network,
hosted by me Kalia Gray and me Jess cossabetto Forgive
Me For I Have Followed is produced by Aaron Burlson
and Sophie Spencer's zabos.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Our Executive producers are Khalia Gray, myself, Wulmar Balderama, Leo
Klam and Aaron Burlison at wv Sound.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
This episode was edited by Sean Tracy and features original
music by Madison Davenport and Halo Boy. For more podcasts
from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
See you next week, See you next week,
Hosts And Creators
Jessica Acevedo
Kailea Gray
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com