August 21, 2025 • 8 mins
From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is
full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and
Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most
shocking secrets and nefarious organizations.
Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story.
Listen and follow here:
https://link.podtrac.com/edyi9xjh
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.
full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and
Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the center of the world’s most
shocking secrets and nefarious organizations.
Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story.
Listen and follow here:
https://link.podtrac.com/edyi9xjh
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Everybody, it's Emily. You know how sometimes you finish an
episode and you're left craving more of those spine tingling
moments that make you question everything. Well, I've discovered something
that's going to scratch that itch. There's this incredible new
podcast from Crime House called Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes,
and honestly, it's everything we true crime lovers have been
(00:20):
waiting for. Vanessa Richardson takes you on these mind banding
journeys into the absolute darkest corners of human behavior. We're
talking mass suicides, political assassinations, secret government experiments, and u
FO cults that will leave you staring at the ceiling
at three am. If you're like me and you live
for those stories that seem too twisted to be real
but absolutely are, this show is about to become your
(00:43):
new obsession. Coming up. I've got a preview from their
debut episode, diving into the Heaven's Gate Cult, and trust me,
it's Matt. Make sure you follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and
Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Sometimes the most shocking stories have the most ordinary beginnings.
That was certainly the case for Heavensgate and its leader.
Marshall Applewhite born in nineteen thirty two in the small
city of spur, Texas. Marshall had a typical All American upbringing,
and religion was a very important part of his childhood.
(01:22):
His father was a well known Presbyterian minister in the area,
and he encouraged Marshall to live a life of virtue,
one that his family and God would be proud of.
Marshall was eager to please growing up. He attended church
regularly and wanted to become a minister just like his father.
But while Marshall was a staunch Christian, he was also
(01:44):
interested in looking elsewhere for the answers to life's biggest questions.
So when it was time for him to go to
college in the late nineteen forties or early fifties, Marshall
decided to study philosophy at Austin College in Sherman, Texas,
and he made a splash on campus right away. Classmates
(02:05):
remembered Marshall as an extrovert with a magnetic personality. Along
with joining the Association of Prospective Presbyterian Ministers, Marshall was
a talented singer who led the school's a cappella group.
It seemed like whatever Marshall set his mind to, he
would achieve it, and when it came time to graduate
in nineteen fifty two, the twenty year old decided to
(02:28):
follow in his father's footsteps. That year, he enrolled at
Virginia's Union Theological Seminary, but even though he enjoyed diving
deeper into Presbyterian theology, he still felt like something was missing,
so after two years he decided to change course. He
dropped out and studied music and voice instead. Marshall had
(02:50):
an undeniable gift. For a while, he even dreamed of
a career in opera or acting, but life had other plans.
Ever since high school, Marshall had been dating a woman
named Anne Pierce. She was a fellow Texan who shared
Marshall's religious beliefs, and despite being long distance while Marshall
(03:11):
was at seminary school, they both stayed loyal. In nineteen
fifty two, around the same time Marshall dropped out and
studied music, he and Anne got married. Before long, they'd
settled down in suburban Houston and had two children. At
this point, Marshall knew he'd never be a big star,
but he could use his voice to support his family.
(03:32):
Soon he became the choral director at Houston's Saint Mark's
Episcopal Church, as well as a music professor at the
University of Saint Thomas, also in Houston. He was good
at what he did, but deep down, Marshall was restless
and unhappy because there was one thing he'd never told anyone.
He was bisexual. From a young age, Marshall had been
(03:55):
taught to hide who he was or face the wrath
of people like his father. For decades. He'd succeeded, but
it had put a wall between him and those around him.
By the mid sixties, Marshall felt alienated from his wife
and kids and resentful of his quiet, suburban life. Eventually,
(04:16):
he couldn't repress those feelings any longer, and it would
cost him everything. Sometime in nineteen sixty five, when Marshall
was thirty three years old, he allegedly began an affair
with a male student at the University of Saint Thomas.
The details are murky, but eventually Ann found out. She
(04:37):
was furious and immediately separated from Marshall. Three years later,
in nineteen sixty eight, the couple officially divorced and got
custody of their two children. Not long after that, in
nineteen seventy, the university learned about Marshall's rumored relationship with
the student, and he was fired. Feeling lost and alone,
(05:00):
spent two years drifting around the country searching for his purpose.
Because of the Presbyterian Church's stance on sexuality, Marshall no
longer felt welcome there. It was a huge blow to
his sense of self. For his whole life, Marshall had
found meaning and community through his congregation, and he still
(05:21):
yearned for that feeling of belonging, but now he'd have
to find it outside of conventional religion. Soon, he found
a new sense of spirituality in the form of more
eccentric subjects, including astrology, science fiction, ancient mysticism, and UFOs.
While exploring these ideas, Marshall supported himself by dabbling in
(05:45):
small ventures. At some point, he even ran a sandwich
shop in New Mexico, but nothing seemed to stick. So
in nineteen seventy two, forty year old Marshall returned to Houston.
He was looking for a fresh start, for someone to
build his life with, because despite his newfound interests, he
was still very much alone. He had no partner and
(06:09):
no relationship with his two children, fifteen year old Mark
and thirteen year old Lane. It seemed like Marshall would
never feel whole again, and then he met Bonnie lu Nettles.
On the surface, Bonnie was just as ordinary as Marshall.
Born in Houston in nineteen twenty seven, she was the
(06:30):
second of three children in a working class Baptist family.
She married young, built a life as a nurse, and
raised four children in the suburbs. But as the years
went by, she felt increasingly out of place in the
tidy routines of family life. Like Marshall, Bonnie felt like
an outsider. Her daughter described her as someone who never
(06:53):
really fit into society. She was a dreamer who liked
to stare at the night sky and pretend a UFO
would take her away. So it wasn't a surprise that
Bonnie turned to New Age spirituality for answers. She explored astrology, theosophy,
and fringe ideas about life and the universe. Her nights
(07:14):
were filled with study groups and seances, which often left
her straight laced husband bewildered for perspective. She once told
him that she was getting life advice from a dead
monk named Brother Francis. By nineteen seventy two, it was
clear that forty four year old Bonnie and her husband
weren't a good fit. It was a difficult moment for Bonnie.
(07:36):
Her marriage was failing and her future felt uncertain. All
she knew was that a fortune teller had predicted a tall,
fair skinned man would one day change her life. That
person came in the form of Marshall Applewhite.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It was just a taste of what Vanessa and the
team have in store for you. If that left you
wanting more, and I know it did, go hunt on
conspiracy theories, cults and crimes wherever you listen to podcasts.
We've got the link waiting for you in the show notes,
because honestly, you're gonna wanna binge this immediately.
Everybody, it's Emily. You know how sometimes you finish an
episode and you're left craving more of those spine tingling
moments that make you question everything. Well, I've discovered something
that's going to scratch that itch. There's this incredible new
podcast from Crime House called Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes,
and honestly, it's everything we true crime lovers have been
(00:20):
waiting for. Vanessa Richardson takes you on these mind banding
journeys into the absolute darkest corners of human behavior. We're
talking mass suicides, political assassinations, secret government experiments, and u
FO cults that will leave you staring at the ceiling
at three am. If you're like me and you live
for those stories that seem too twisted to be real
but absolutely are, this show is about to become your
(00:43):
new obsession. Coming up. I've got a preview from their
debut episode, diving into the Heaven's Gate Cult, and trust me,
it's Matt. Make sure you follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and
Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you
get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Sometimes the most shocking stories have the most ordinary beginnings.
That was certainly the case for Heavensgate and its leader.
Marshall Applewhite born in nineteen thirty two in the small
city of spur, Texas. Marshall had a typical All American upbringing,
and religion was a very important part of his childhood.
(01:22):
His father was a well known Presbyterian minister in the area,
and he encouraged Marshall to live a life of virtue,
one that his family and God would be proud of.
Marshall was eager to please growing up. He attended church
regularly and wanted to become a minister just like his father.
But while Marshall was a staunch Christian, he was also
(01:44):
interested in looking elsewhere for the answers to life's biggest questions.
So when it was time for him to go to
college in the late nineteen forties or early fifties, Marshall
decided to study philosophy at Austin College in Sherman, Texas,
and he made a splash on campus right away. Classmates
(02:05):
remembered Marshall as an extrovert with a magnetic personality. Along
with joining the Association of Prospective Presbyterian Ministers, Marshall was
a talented singer who led the school's a cappella group.
It seemed like whatever Marshall set his mind to, he
would achieve it, and when it came time to graduate
in nineteen fifty two, the twenty year old decided to
(02:28):
follow in his father's footsteps. That year, he enrolled at
Virginia's Union Theological Seminary, but even though he enjoyed diving
deeper into Presbyterian theology, he still felt like something was missing,
so after two years he decided to change course. He
dropped out and studied music and voice instead. Marshall had
(02:50):
an undeniable gift. For a while, he even dreamed of
a career in opera or acting, but life had other plans.
Ever since high school, Marshall had been dating a woman
named Anne Pierce. She was a fellow Texan who shared
Marshall's religious beliefs, and despite being long distance while Marshall
(03:11):
was at seminary school, they both stayed loyal. In nineteen
fifty two, around the same time Marshall dropped out and
studied music, he and Anne got married. Before long, they'd
settled down in suburban Houston and had two children. At
this point, Marshall knew he'd never be a big star,
but he could use his voice to support his family.
(03:32):
Soon he became the choral director at Houston's Saint Mark's
Episcopal Church, as well as a music professor at the
University of Saint Thomas, also in Houston. He was good
at what he did, but deep down, Marshall was restless
and unhappy because there was one thing he'd never told anyone.
He was bisexual. From a young age, Marshall had been
(03:55):
taught to hide who he was or face the wrath
of people like his father. For decades. He'd succeeded, but
it had put a wall between him and those around him.
By the mid sixties, Marshall felt alienated from his wife
and kids and resentful of his quiet, suburban life. Eventually,
(04:16):
he couldn't repress those feelings any longer, and it would
cost him everything. Sometime in nineteen sixty five, when Marshall
was thirty three years old, he allegedly began an affair
with a male student at the University of Saint Thomas.
The details are murky, but eventually Ann found out. She
(04:37):
was furious and immediately separated from Marshall. Three years later,
in nineteen sixty eight, the couple officially divorced and got
custody of their two children. Not long after that, in
nineteen seventy, the university learned about Marshall's rumored relationship with
the student, and he was fired. Feeling lost and alone,
(05:00):
spent two years drifting around the country searching for his purpose.
Because of the Presbyterian Church's stance on sexuality, Marshall no
longer felt welcome there. It was a huge blow to
his sense of self. For his whole life, Marshall had
found meaning and community through his congregation, and he still
(05:21):
yearned for that feeling of belonging, but now he'd have
to find it outside of conventional religion. Soon, he found
a new sense of spirituality in the form of more
eccentric subjects, including astrology, science fiction, ancient mysticism, and UFOs.
While exploring these ideas, Marshall supported himself by dabbling in
(05:45):
small ventures. At some point, he even ran a sandwich
shop in New Mexico, but nothing seemed to stick. So
in nineteen seventy two, forty year old Marshall returned to Houston.
He was looking for a fresh start, for someone to
build his life with, because despite his newfound interests, he
was still very much alone. He had no partner and
(06:09):
no relationship with his two children, fifteen year old Mark
and thirteen year old Lane. It seemed like Marshall would
never feel whole again, and then he met Bonnie lu Nettles.
On the surface, Bonnie was just as ordinary as Marshall.
Born in Houston in nineteen twenty seven, she was the
(06:30):
second of three children in a working class Baptist family.
She married young, built a life as a nurse, and
raised four children in the suburbs. But as the years
went by, she felt increasingly out of place in the
tidy routines of family life. Like Marshall, Bonnie felt like
an outsider. Her daughter described her as someone who never
(06:53):
really fit into society. She was a dreamer who liked
to stare at the night sky and pretend a UFO
would take her away. So it wasn't a surprise that
Bonnie turned to New Age spirituality for answers. She explored astrology, theosophy,
and fringe ideas about life and the universe. Her nights
(07:14):
were filled with study groups and seances, which often left
her straight laced husband bewildered for perspective. She once told
him that she was getting life advice from a dead
monk named Brother Francis. By nineteen seventy two, it was
clear that forty four year old Bonnie and her husband
weren't a good fit. It was a difficult moment for Bonnie.
(07:36):
Her marriage was failing and her future felt uncertain. All
she knew was that a fortune teller had predicted a tall,
fair skinned man would one day change her life. That
person came in the form of Marshall Applewhite.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It was just a taste of what Vanessa and the
team have in store for you. If that left you
wanting more, and I know it did, go hunt on
conspiracy theories, cults and crimes wherever you listen to podcasts.
We've got the link waiting for you in the show notes,
because honestly, you're gonna wanna binge this immediately.
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