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Howdy folks...I know a lot of you know about this famous SICK old religious cult (infamous for rationalizing child sexual abuse among countless other insanities) and maybe in ways this is a re-post but I thot some newbies could really get into this. I was always fascinated by what this particular cult got away with (and continues to). I can't believe a feature film has not been made about this story. I recently found this extremely informative page about them:
http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Main_Page

There is SO much intimate info on folks involved. In short, here it is...

"Ricky Rodriguez (25 January 1975 – 9 January 2005), aka "Davidito", was a former member of the Children of God (COG), now known as The Family International (TFI), who committed a murder-suicide [of Angela Smith] in 2005....Rodriguez, born 1975, was the natural son of Karen Zerby and a local hotel employee there whom she "Flirty Fished" [religion-rationalized prostitution]. He was considered to be the adopted son of David Berg, Zerby's partner and leader of the COG, although no official adoption ever took place. Rodriguez [in adulthood] developed a deep-seated resentment towards Berg and Zerby, due to the sexual abuse he had suffered as a child...

The group published a childcare manual called "The Story of Davidito" in January 1982, which described the education, home life, and care of Rodriguez. The 762-page book also included at least a dozen photographs depicting the child engaged in sexual activity with his governesses, particularly Sara Kelley (also known as Sara Davidito or Prisca Kelley). The COG later ordered this book to be heavily sanitized and, eventually, destroyed completely...

In January 2005, he arranged a meeting with a former associate of his mother's who was involved in his childhood sexual molestation, Angela Smith (formerly Susan Joy Kauten), and stabbed her to death in his apartment. He then drove to Blythe, California, where he shot himself in the head. He released a video to be distributed to friends, family, and former members explaining his actions. According to an article in the New York Times, in the video he said he saw himself as a vigilante, avenging children like him and his sisters, who had been subject to rapes and beatings. "There's this need that I have", he said. "It's not a want. It's a need for revenge; it's a need for justice, because I can't go on like this.

Here is his pre-suicide "explanation" video:
http://video.xfamily.org/view/5/rick-rodriguez-video/

Be warned, once you read a little into it, its so freaking addictive! Heartbreaking and intense story, esp Ricky's (tho it sounds like his suffering was nothing compared to others, esp the young girls) but a riveting read. You can't help but wish you had been there somehow to help this poor guy...

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Oh yeah, and this is the cult that River Phoenix's family was involved with for a while...all his siblings have spoken about it at one point or another. While none have claimed they were outrightly abused, River DID say he lost his virginity at a ridiculously young age...

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Rose McGowan was brought up in the cult, too, and has spoken about it in interviews.

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Hey thanks for the post. I had no knowledge [newbie]of this till I read your post here.
Watched the pre-suicide "explanation" video: started to read more on web.
Your Quote: Be warned, once you read a little into it, its so freaking addictive! Yep, you could be right as I haven’t stopped searching for info for several hours now.
Found interesting to view all the pictures, read the eulogy written by his mother. The website is maintained by The Family International so of course pretty bias and sanitized. But interesting none the less
here is a link http://www.rickyrodriguez.com/index.html

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The video actually made me really break down at some points. When you know his whole story, you don't see it as the "rants" of a crazy person at all...he was a very sane and sensitive person destroyed by these people. When he explains how it was like "his soul fainted" at one point and never revised, tho his body went on, he says it all with such honesty and sorrow I just lost it. I have struggled with depression in my life, but thankfully never to the point of seriously considering suicide. Watching this video helped me to understand why some people get to that point - even if their past was not as extreme as Ricky's - just how some people "stop" inside, die inside, and no one can understand how that feels unless it has happened to them. Utterly heartbreaking.

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I agree it is heartbreaking.