Murder-suicide - The children either jumped or were thrown
from the balcony by their mother 6 of her own children, on August 3rd
1978, Rebecca either shot or threw her children from a hotel balcony, who were:
Elizabeth, 15, Joshua, 10, Deborah, 9,
Joseph, 8, David, 6, and Rebecca, 5 (of which Rachel, 14, survived), in Salt
Lake City, Utah, USA, she then committed suicide the same day.
The David Family
Suicide: Tragedy in Utah
On August 3, 1978 Rebecca David took her seven children to
the eleventh floor balcony of the International Dune Hotel in Salt Lake City,
Utah. The older children began to willingly jump off of the balcony. Rebecca
threw the younger children off. One of the younger children grabbed the railing
and fought, but Rebecca pulled him loose and threw him off. I remember when
this happened. The news reported that the onlookers were shouting
"No," "Stop," as the children either jumped or where thrown
off the balcony. When Rebecca got to the railing after all of her children were
on the ground the onlookers yelled, "Jump! Jump." She then jumped to
her death.
One of the children amazingly survived the horrific tragedy.
Rachel David, fifteen at the time, sustained severe injuries that confined her
to a wheelchair. Rachel's father, Immanuel David believed himself to be a
descendent of the House of David. He committed suicide two days before Rachel
and her family jumped from the balcony. He died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Immanuel David changed his name from Charles Bruce Longo to Immanuel David
because he believed himself to be a prophet of God. Many times he even claimed
to be God, Jesus, or the Holy Ghost. He had a small cult of followers called
the Family of David. Those who still belong to the Family of David believe that
the Star of David belongs to Immanuel, not Jesus. They also believe that when
Immanuel killed himself, his family had to be with him because they could not
be apart. A former follower said that Immanuel killed himself because he was
facing indictment charges of wire fraud or tax evasion. Immanuel's huge ego
would not allow him to go to jail so he killed himself. The children were
described and bright, well dressed, and very polite by a family friend. They
had absolute faith in their father and his power. It is believed that the
family did not think they could function without him so they followed him in
death.
***
Mother, Six children Die in Plunge From Utah Hotel
With her husband dead of suicide, a woman and her seven
children plunged 11 floors from the balcony of a downtown Salt Lake City hotel
Thursday in an apparent of religious zealotry, police said. The mother and six
of the children died. Police and witnesses said the woman, Rachel David, 38,
pushed some of the children as they screamed and struggled to hold onto a
railing and at least three older children "jumped of their own volition. "
A 15-year-old girl survived and was in critical condition.
Police said the bizarre deaths came four days after Immanuel
David, 39, a bearded loner who thought he was God, committed suicide by
inhaling carbon monoxide. "All indications are they were religious
fanatics and decided to join the father," said police Lt. Nick Paloukos.
"He believed he was the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ and
God - all three at same time," said police Sgt. Brent Davis, who said he
was a personal friend of David's. David said the family was "devoted to
each other, extremely so." He said, "These people would be completely
lost without the father." Authorities said
the family plunged from the balcony of their $90-a-day suite at the
International Dunes hotel. Some jumped from chairs stacked on the balcony. The
FBI said David was under investigation for wire fraud, but spokesman Robert
Davenport would not specify any alleged schemes. He said a follower, Matthias
David, was convicted of wire fraud earlier this year for soliciting
contributions by telling people his stepdaughter was seriously injured in an
automobile accident.
"I just couldn't believe it," said Felix Palacios,
a delivery truck driver who said he saw the woman throw two children over de
balcony said Jason Maxfield, 16, of Salt Lake City. The horror of the incident
became apparent when a young girl landed in the gutter, still alive when
ambulance attendants picked her up minutes later, he said. "The people
here on the street were furious," said Irvin Rose, of Falls Church, Va. He
said several people yelled obscenities at the woman and yelled for her to jump
after all the children had jumped or been thrown off. The dead children were
identified as Rybeca, 5, David, 6, Joseph, 8, Debbra, 9, Joshaha, 10, and
Rachal, 14. The surviving child was Elizbeth, 13, said police Lt. Roger Kinnersley.
He said the children's names were provided by a family friend and it was at
first thought Rachal was the one who lived.
Dr. Terry Clemmer of LDS Hospital said Elizbeth was in
surgery most of the day Thursday. "I have great reservations about her chances
for survival," he said. Three stacks of hotel chairs were found on the
balcony, and Kinnersley said at least three of the older children used them to
climb up to the railing for the jump. "Those older children were too old
to be thrown out. They could have restrained the lady easily," said Jim
Bradley, the hotel manager. The mother and four children died as their bodies
hit a first-floor roof or bounced to the sidewalk. Two others died later in
Salt Lake hospitals.
David was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in a
borrowed van at the top of a nearby canyon Tuesday. Hotel employees said David
was over 6-foot-4 and weighed more than 300 pounds. He wore a beard and braided
hair. Police said Mrs. David learned about his death Wednesday and told police
she couldn't pay for the burial. His family had live in the International Dunes
suite for more than a year, paying the bill each day in cash, said Penny
MacDonald, hotel clerk. Police said David was not apparently employed. They did
not know how he was able to afford the hotel bill, which would have been more
than $30.000 over the past year. David, also known as Bruce Longo, led a small
cult made up mostly of his immediate family, said Police Lt. Roger Kinnersley.
He said David had been excommunicated from the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) several years ago. Mormon officials
told police David frequently had tried to warn them of what he believed to be
impending calamities and had demanded a share of church revenues. David's
drivers' license listed his home as Duchesne, a small eastern Utah community,
but Kinnersley said had lived in various Salt Lake City hotels for years. Bradley
described the family as "loners, complete loners". Other hotel
employees said the children did not speak to anyone without their father's
permission, did not use the hotel swimming pool and remained mostly in their
suite. They said the children were taught in the room by their parents and did
not attend the school.
***
Survivor of 1978
family suicide jump says her father will return to earth
[From DeseretNews.com, April 10, 1993]
Rachel David, sole survivor from her family's suicide plunge
from a downtown Salt Lake hotel balcony in 1978, says she still believes her
father is God and will return to Earth. "I
remember my father said he will be back. I know he will," David said in an
interview to be broadcast Monday on the TV magazine program "Inside
Edition." "My father never lied," she said. The program said she
has continued to try to follow the suicide order and has attempted to kill
herself several times. David was 15 when she, her mother and six brothers and
sisters plunged from the 11th floor of the then International Dunes Hotel on
Aug. 3, 1978. The family had been living in a room at the hotel for more than a
year. The jump came three days after the family's patriarch, self-proclaimed
prophet Immanuel David, took his own life by carbon-monoxide poisoning.
The children either jumped or were thrown from the balcony
by their mother, Rebecca, before she herself jumped as morning commuters,
pedestrians and construction workers looked on in horror. Rachel was
hospitalized for months, then state Family Services officials said she was
being placed with a foster family. She had not been heard from until tracked
down by "Inside Edition" correspondent Dan Noyes. She is confined to
a wheelchair and lives with an uncle, Lennart Eriksson, according to a release
late Thursday. Their location was not disclosed.
David, 39, who had changed his name from Charles Bruce
Longo, claimed to be a descendant of the House of David. The children did not
go to school and the source of the family's income was never clear, but
authorities said it apparently had run out at the time of the suicides. Rachel,
who said she jumped willingly, believed her death and those of her family were
ordained, according to the interview.
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As always, stay safe !
Bird
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