In the recap of the previous episode of “Waco: The Aftermath,” we mentioned how Koresh, for the first time, spoke out aloud in front of Fagan Livingstone that he believed himself to be the Messiah. David was becoming more and more vocal about the fact that God communicated with him and that whatever he did, from taking up a 14-year-old girl as his wife to passing condescending remarks at Lois Roden in front of everyone, was according to His directions. It was a bit difficult for people to believe that he didn’t have any mala-fide intentions in marrying a minor, and was doing it solely out of God’s will, but they were probably too scared to commit blasphemy by speaking against him.
Spoilers Alert
Meanwhile, George, in “Waco: The Aftermath,” Episode 4, dug the grave of his mother, Lois Roden, and asked Koresh to prove that he was the true prophet by bringing her back to life. Koresh went to the local police and brought to their notice the corpse abuse that had happened. The police tried to snoop around the area, but they weren’t able to find any sort of proof that told them that a corpse had been dug out. The police officer told Koresh that if he wanted them to take some action against George, he would have to get some evidence on the basis of which they could start investigating the matter. Up until then, David and his men did not keep arms or ammunition of any sort in their possession, but they realized that they would have to buy some weapons if they wanted to deal with people like George. Koresh and Paul Fatta decided to form a small team and enter George’s compound, to take pictures of the corpse and present them to the police officers. They had almost escaped after clicking the pictures when Geroge arrived at the scene and started firing at Koresh and his men. Koresh and Paul Fatta managed to save their lives and run from the compound when they were caught by the police and taken into custody on charges of attempted murder. They were later released, and Koresh’s mother came to pick him up.
Why Did Cogdell Want To Question Noesner?
Noesner was relieved when Carol informed him that she had successfully entered the Elohim City compound and was safe. Carol attended the hate speeches given by the tribe leaders, and she saw how much hatred they had for the United States government. She was trying to snoop around and see if she could get some evidence that they wanted to wage a holy war. Noesner knew the kind of danger Carol had undertaken for him, and he also realized that if she died, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. The restlessness could be seen on his face, and that’s when he got a call from Alan Sanbron, who asked him to immediately come down to testify on behalf of the defendants in court. Noesner didn’t understand why, when he was a part of the FBI, the defendants were digging their own graves by calling him to testify.
Even Dan Cogdell’s colleagues, who were representing the other Branch Davidians, couldn’t understand why Dan would do such a thing. But Dan told them that after the blow they had gotten from Kathy Schroder’s testimony, they needed somebody from the FBI to tell them that the government was at fault and the ATF had conducted an illegal raid. Dan wanted his witness to have some sort of credibility, and he knew that nobody would be able to negate the fact that he was not speaking the truth as he was himself a member of the organization. Dan knew that the chances of his plan backfiring were quite high, but he was ready to take the risks. Dan knew that to take out information; he would have to pull off a miracle.
Why Was Dan Cogdell Against The Defendants Testifying?
Dan Cogdell was fighting each and every day to keep some hope alive and prove in court that his clients were innocent. Dan had been told by Gordon Novel that the front doors of the mansion were missing and that proper autopsies were never conducted. So that is why he asked every witness who came from the prosecutors’ side if they knew where the door was hidden. But then the prosecutor presented one-half of the door in court, and they showed the jury that there were no bullet marks on the outside, which proved that ATF attacked first. Bill Johnston, the prosecutor, also called a witness to testify that the door was real and had been taken from the crime scene. Ranger Boak said that the doors were made of aluminum, which is why one-half of them melted in the fire, and if they had been made of steel or iron, that wouldn’t have happened. Ranger Boak spoke with a lot of conviction, and for a moment, even Dan bought into this narrative. But then it struck Dan Cogdell that maybe Ranger Boak had been lying this entire time, or maybe he was just speaking what he had been told. Dan Cogdell called for a fridge magnet, and by sticking it to the door, he proved that the doors were made of steel and iron.
Dan was trying very hard to keep his boat sailing when even his own clients didn’t like his approach and had conflicts with him. Ruth Riddle, Clive Doyle, Fagan, and Paul Fatta all felt that they were being represented in the wrong manner. Dan was trying to dissociate them from their leaders, but they wanted to own up to the fact that they believed in what they were trying to do in Mount Carmel. They wanted to tell the jury that they were good people who never intended to harm anyone. All of them wanted a chance at self-representation, and they told Dan that they would not cooperate until they were allowed to do that. Dan Cogdell really lost his temper as he was done fighting for these ungrateful clients who didn’t understand that whatever he was doing was for their own good. Dan was trying his best not to let his boat sink, but nobody trusted him, and he felt irritated because it was an unnecessary waste of energy when there were ten things he could do at that time to help the cause. Dan grilled them like the prosecutor would and showed them how foolish they were to think that self-representation would put them in a good light.
Towards the end of “Waco: The Aftermath,” Episode 4, Dan told the clients very clearly that the FBI and ATF might have been wrong in conducting that raid, but even they knew about a crime happening and still chose to support Koresh. Dan Cogdell was very sure that unless and until they took the route that he was asking them to take, they would not be able to prove their innocence. In the upcoming episode, we will get to know if Dan Cogdell keeps the hope afloat or loses the case to the prosecution.
