August 20, 2025 • 7 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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's your boy, Isaac. And if you're enjoying my
show and looking for your next listen, I've got just
the thing for you. It's a brand new podcast from
crime House called Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes, and each
week Vanessa Richardson uncovers the true stories behind the world's
most shocking crimes, deadly ideologies, and secret plots, from mass
suicides and political assassinations to secret government experiments and UFO
(00:23):
cults our favorite. If you love mystery madness as I
know you do, you little freaks, and diving deep into
the world's most unbelievable true stories, you won't want to
miss this show. I got a clip right here from
the first episode about the Heaven's Gate cult, which is
out right now. If you like what you hear, don't
forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
(00:44):
Amazon Music, or wherever you listen. I'll have a link
of the show notes.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Sometimes the most shocking stories have the most ordinary beginnings.
That was certainly the case for Heaven's Gate 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.
(01:10):
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
(01:32):
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
(01:52):
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
(02:15):
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
(02:38):
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
(02:59):
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.
(03:20):
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
(03:43):
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 zentful of his quiet suburban life. Eventually,
(04:03):
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
(04:25):
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,
(04:47):
Marshall 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
(05:08):
he still 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
(05:32):
dabbling in 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,
(05:52):
he was still very much alone. He had no partner
and no relationship with his two children, teen 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
(06:14):
as Marshall. Born in Houston in nineteen twenty seven, she
was the 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
(06:37):
like an outsider. Her daughter described her as someone who
never 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 in the universe.
(07:01):
Her nights 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
(07:23):
moment for Bonnie. 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 (07:41):
Ah, thank you so much for listening to catch the
rest of this episode and so much more. Search for
conspiracy theories, cults and crimes wherever you get your podcasts.
The link is in the show notes. As always,
Hey, it's your boy, Isaac. And if you're enjoying my
show and looking for your next listen, I've got just
the thing for you. It's a brand new podcast from
crime House called Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes, and each
week Vanessa Richardson uncovers the true stories behind the world's
most shocking crimes, deadly ideologies, and secret plots, from mass
suicides and political assassinations to secret government experiments and UFO
(00:23):
cults our favorite. If you love mystery madness as I
know you do, you little freaks, and diving deep into
the world's most unbelievable true stories, you won't want to
miss this show. I got a clip right here from
the first episode about the Heaven's Gate cult, which is
out right now. If you like what you hear, don't
forget to follow Conspiracy Theories, Cults and Crimes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
(00:44):
Amazon Music, or wherever you listen. I'll have a link
of the show notes.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Sometimes the most shocking stories have the most ordinary beginnings.
That was certainly the case for Heaven's Gate 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.
(01:10):
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
(01:32):
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
(01:52):
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
(02:15):
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
(02:38):
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
(02:59):
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.
(03:20):
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
(03:43):
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 zentful of his quiet suburban life. Eventually,
(04:03):
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
(04:25):
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,
(04:47):
Marshall 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
(05:08):
he still 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
(05:32):
dabbling in 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,
(05:52):
he was still very much alone. He had no partner
and no relationship with his two children, teen 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
(06:14):
as Marshall. Born in Houston in nineteen twenty seven, she
was the 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
(06:37):
like an outsider. Her daughter described her as someone who
never 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 in the universe.
(07:01):
Her nights 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
(07:23):
moment for Bonnie. 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 (07:41):
Ah, thank you so much for listening to catch the
rest of this episode and so much more. Search for
conspiracy theories, cults and crimes wherever you get your podcasts.
The link is in the show notes. As always,
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