Rob Savoye, a “Rainbow” who has been attending the gatherings for over 30 years said, “People are tolerant, accepting of different stuff” and that “A lot of us have had rough family lives, and the Rainbow has sort of filled that void for us.”. The group’s values claimed to be noble, aimed at creating a better society and contributing to world peace. Each year, an estimated 8,000 to 20,000 people attend the gathering held typically at national forests. murder charges were brought against Beard and six other men. Following the allegation of improper police procedure, authorities voluntarily dropped all charges. A serial killer, Joseph Paul Franklin, then admitted to killing the women, but later said he had actually just read about the murders. That was the case for Amber Robinson and Joseph Capstraw, who both grew up in foster families, according to cops and friends. The murder of two young women in the summer of 1980 rocked Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Johndrow calls the case “too muddled,” while Eisenberg says it is likely as “solved” as it’s ever going to get. Maybe by default, it’s also a family for people who don’t have one. Almost a decade after the murders, however, investigators finally constructed what they believed to be a solid case after “information just started coming our way,” according to an interview Sheriff Jerry Dale gave The New York Times in 1992. Wikimedia CommonsRainbow Gathering welcome sign at Cranberry, WV. When defense attorney Gerald Ruter was first appointed on Apr. For instance, he’d mention Tao or the Book of Revelation, quoting sections like “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth.” He’d even use Native American folklore to say that the Rainbow Family was, in a way, a reincarnation of dead warriors reclaiming the earth. The murders captivated the region for decades. The following prisoner, natives, were charged with the murder of Mrs. Rainbird, and her two children, committed on Monday, 11th March, 1861:—Tan[? Disputes with locals have been a repetitive problem as well. ... As of now, the killers have not been caught and an upcoming documentary titled The Rainbow Murders explores the incident and the Rainbow Gathering at … Nothing materialized from this initial lead. A trial judge deemed Franklin’s confession unreliable and blocked Beard’s lawyers from presenting it as evidence. They’ve received complaints by the Forest Service and public officials for leaving garbage behind, thus leaving a detrimental impact on the environment and large costs to local governments. “Through my research and reporting, I learned the investigators, who were [also] local, felt that their home place was somehow… responsible for these acts of violence,” says Eisenberg. On June 25, 1980, Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero were killed in Pocahontas County. Of course, to have the Rainbow Gatherings, there would have to be a space to accommodate all the like-minded individuals. “The quest to bring justice in this case morphed at some point into a larger quest to redeem and purify their community through rooting out who they perceived to be its ‘bad apples.'”. On June 25, 1980, Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero were killed in Pocahontas County. The Rainbow Family of Living Light wants to hold its annual druggie love-fest in the Black Hills, but a local Native American group is fighting back. Murders On May 25, 2002, the Sifrits, both 24 at the time, met another couple, Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley, a vacationing couple from Fairfax, Virginia . How Elvita Adams Jumped From The Empire State Building's 86th Floor And Lived To Tell About It, How This Cartoonish-Looking Gun Decimated America's Duck Population, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. As of now, the killers have not been caught and an upcoming documentary titled The Rainbow Murders explores the incident and the Rainbow Gathering at which it happened. Eisenberg believes investigators did everything they could to help solve the case and find the killer, despite some evidence suggesting that the local sheriff’s department and West Virginia State Police did not always work well together. According to reports by eyewitnesses, 39-year-old Clark Mayers, 39, of Milledgeville, Georgia, angry the video camera he was … It’s an embarrassment,” he said. This sites contains much information on the Rainbow Gatherings and the Rainbow Family While the gatherings are meant to represent peace, with music, dancing, and love, they have continuously been met with controversy. 2005. In January 1999 the conviction was thrown out and a new trial ordered. https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/rainbow-murders-unsolved-vicki-durian-nancy-santomero. Plunker and Garrick, who called themselves prophets, peddled leaflets and newsletters around. Today, the crime, known as the Rainbow Murders, continues to raise questions, and a … Hundreds of members had assembled in the woods for the group’s annual Rainbow Family Gathering. The Rainbow Family of Living Light is supposed to be a chosen family for travelers who believe in peace, love and anti-capitalism. Beard’s lawyers petitioned the state, presenting both Franklin’s original confession and new eyewitness testimony that placed Beard elsewhere on the day of the murders. According to Eisenberg, there had been very little evidence recovered at the scene, and no witnesses or statements had been given until 1983 and 1984. On April 16, 1992, murder charges were brought against Beard and six other men from the Pocahontas County area. Franklin later denied involvement and refused to speak any further about the Rainbow Murders. Initially, the participants were meant to get together and pray or meditate for world peace. Their full name is the Rainbow Family of Living Light, but you can just call them the Rainbow Family. On June 4, 1993, a jury convicted Beard in the killings of Durian and Santomero and sentenced him to life in prison without parole. Costs were covered by donations and days were spent going to workshops, sitting in women’s circles or drum circles, going for walks, and practicing yoga or tantra. The Rainbow Family has no official website, making it difficult to keep track of any official numbers in regards to the increase or decline or participants. The mystery haunts Julie’s family, who created a … Around 9 p.m. on June 25, 1980, a college student noticed two people lying on the ground when he exited his vehicle at the edge of Droop Mountain Park in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Despite the controversies, the Rainbow Family still exists and the Rainbow Gatherings still happen. However, Savoye also said that the general vibe of the group has changed over the years, with heavier drug use and incidents of violence. © 2020, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Regional Rainbow gatherings can attract as many as 5,000. However, it almost didn’t happen. If you found this article on the Rainbow Family and Rainbow Gatherings interesting, you may also be interested in these vintage hippie photos. Hey Guys! The Rainbow Family is a counter-culture group started in the 1960s, but their famous Rainbow Gatherings have attracted drugs and violence. “I felt we were friends within minutes, and she was like that with so many people. The case went cold until July 1982, when 36-year-old Jacob Beard, a local farmer, fell under suspicion after placing several calls to Durian’s parents. Of course, attendees would also smoke marijuana and dabble with psychedelic drugs. A Rolling Stone article with the headline “Acid Crawlback Fest: Armageddon Postponed” and published Aug. 3, 1972 read: “By the middle of May, all 800 or so people in Granby expected to be overrun – by an estimated one million fanatic Christ and dope addicts coming to a blasphemous festival at Table Mountain, right smack in the middle of their park.”. Wikimedia CommonsA Rainbow Gathering trader circle. The Rainbow Family is a group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and world peace who hold annual festivals around the country in national parks at the beginning of July. Nearly 40 years later, the Appalachian community is still haunted by the unsolved case, now known as the 'Rainbow Murders.' Your curiosity knows no bounds. The Rainbow Family of the Living Light came down from their organic farms and Burning Man Porta Potties to grace Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest from mid-June to July 4th this year. Eventually, after enough members joined, they set up a community of about 40 tribespeople just outside Eugene, Oregon and became a legal corporation. Around since the early 1970s, this counter-culture group was heavily inspired by the famous 1969 Woodstock Festival as well as the anti-war, pro-love movements. A day before the murders, she had an uneasy feeling and parted ways with her friends at a Virginia truck stop. The Rainbow Family is a group of individuals committed to principles of nonviolence and world peace. 16 to represent Rainbow Lee Williams, a 30-year-old co-defendant in the Black Guerilla Family prison-gang federal-conspiracy case, Ruter sounded like he thought there was more to Williams than met the government’s eye. Their bodies were found about 9 p.m. on June 25, 1980 near Droop Mountain Park in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, by a student who was walking to a lean-to where he lived on Briery Knob. Published reports at the time said that a spokesman for the group had told the … A year after the conviction, Joseph Franklin, a white supremacist serial killer on death row, confessed to the Rainbow Murders. The Rainbow Family returned to West Virginia for a gathering in the Monongahela National Forest in 2005. They were on the way to the Rainbow Family Gathering, an annual meeting of hippies and other like-minded people that celebrate peace, harmony and freedom held at different national forests across the country. The still-unresolved “Rainbow Murders” blanketed the local community in suspicion and continue to haunt this part of rural Appalachia America. With Julia Huffman. He later filed a wrongful conviction lawsuit and was awarded a $2 million settlement. Published in City Paper, May 1, 2009. Rice was indicted for murder in 2001, only to have the case fall apart in 2004 with insufficient forensic evidence. Joseph Capstraw is charged in the murder of Amber Robinson. The loose-knit Rainbow Family gathers periodically in secluded areas for several weeks. Rainbow Gathering welcome sign at Cranberry, WV. Even so, neither Johndrow nor Eisenberg believes there will ever be justice for Durian and Santomero. “I knew Vicki as ‘Bright Star.’ I took to her warmth immediately,” she says. I think it's safe to say we're into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. 2005. Wetle also claims that Joshua Schaefer was associated with what police described as "Rainbow Family drug rings." Directed by Julia Huffman. The Rainbow World Gathering 2004 in the south of Costa Rica. While Beard awaited trial, his lawyers learned that in 1984, Joseph Paul Franklin, a convicted serial killer known for shooting and paralyzing Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, claimed he had murdered Durian and Santomero. Plunker, who had previously lived in a commune on Haight Street in San Francisco, used various Eastern and Western philosophies to attract members to the Rainbow Family. Then he blacked out and allegedly killed her, he told the cops. With Julia Huffman. The avocation of a snitch is hard to keep secret, and while we do not know the details, John Grange of Portland, Oregon may have been caught in the same trap as Nick, and now Joshua - turn informant or spend most of the rest of your life in prison. The coalition of proud Birkenstock enthusiasts identify as a loose connection of hippy misfits, who proudly subscribe to no leadership, no organization, and no […] Origins and practices. The Unsolved Rainbow Murders: What Happened to Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero? Nancy was more serious, but really curious and wanting to try new things.”, After Going Cold, the Rainbow Murders Case Gains Momentum. The Rainbow Family was created out of the Vortex I gathering at Milo McIver State Park in Estacada, Oregon (30 miles south of Portland, Oregon), from August 28 to September 3, 1970. A teenage girl who was murdered by a man she met at Georgia's Rainbow Family counterculture festival had been beaten so badly she had to be identified by her dental records, it has been revealed. LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. - The Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office is working to identify a woman police say was murdered by someone she met at the Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering. Joseph Capstraw is charged in the murder of Amber Robinson. The jury acquitted Beard on May 31, 2000. Since the foundation of the Rainbow Family included no formalized membership or officials leaders of any kind, anybody was invited to what would become known as Rainbow Gatherings. “I took that as a good reason to change my plans and headed north instead of continuing to the Rainbow Gathering.”, Johndrow, now in her 50s, describes Durian and Santomero as vibrant, fun-loving individuals. The name “rainbow” signifies the diversity of people involved. if you all don't know me my names Jade im a foodie, art loving, dancing, gypsy, hippie martian and this is my Youtube channel Girl of the Hour. Thirty-eight years ago, on June 25th, in the dusk of early night, the still-warm bodies of two females were discovered by a horrified camper. “That [uneasy feeling] wasn’t a very logical reason to change course, so I remember making a collect call to my brother in Vermont and him telling me that our dad was getting married that next weekend,” Johndrow tells A&E Real Crime. Five of the men, including Beard, were indicted again in January 1993. With murder dictionary, I love the talking about the psychology and the impact of the crime on not only the victims but the secondhand victims (like the family of the victim) and the amount of detail while seeming like such short episodes. They were together at a rainbow family gathering in the woods. Someone had shot hitchhikers Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, at close range, and left their bodies in a remote clearing. After attending another music festival in Portland, Oregon called Vortex I in August of 1970, they decided that all the small communes, nomadic groups, and stray hippies could merge together. Two of those charged implicated Beard as the shooter, but later, at a pre-trial hearing, one of the men claimed a police officer had physically threatened him during questioning. The Rainbow Gathering drew in thousands of people from all over, but because the bodies of the two women were found in such an isolated place, law enforcement zeroed in on locals who would have familiarity with the area. A parvovirus outbreak amongst the dogs at a 2006 Rainbow Gathering in Big Red Park required 200 doses of vaccine and cost the Routt County Humane Society $800. Inspired in large part by the first Woodstock Festival, two attendees at Vortex, Barry "Plunker" Adams and Garrick Beck, are both considered among the founders of the Rainbow Family. Though the Rainbow Family removes its trash after a gathering, the Forest Service has criticized their cleanup efforts as being only "cosmetic" and "not rehabilitation by any stretch of the imagination." The U.S. annual rainbow gathering occurs around July 1-7th, but people come up to a month earlier to help set up (this is known as "Seed Camp") and remain on site up to a month later to participate in cleanup and to perform site restorations. Police believed that the women were shot to death by a group of local men, one of whom was convicted though later exonerated. Julia Huffman who grew up in Pocahontas County spent two decades looking into the case. Fox 411: Dianne Lake, now 64, chronicles her years with Charles Manson and how her life forever changed after the brutal Tate murders in 1969 in her memoir titled 'Member of the Family.' It’s possible Durian and Santomero had felt the rush of hitting the open road when they left Iowa City, Iowa in mid-June of 1980 destined for Monongahela National Park in rural West Virginia. The first official Rainbow Gathering was held in Granby, Colorado in 1972 at Strawbery Lake. “A lot of these kids end up hanging out more in town and causing trouble with the locals. The Rainbow Family is a group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and world peace who hold annual festivals around the country in national parks at the beginning of July. Julia Huffman who grew up in Pocahontas County spent two decades looking into the case. By Emma Copley Eisenberg. From Peace And Love To Murder And Drugs — The Story Of The Rainbow Family. The double murder of hitchhikers Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero in the summer of 1980 shook Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Prosecutors eventually dismissed all charges, except those against Beard. Police and his family are concerned about C.J. Unfortunately, it’s not all peace and love. Franklin, who killed mostly interracial couples, African Americans, and Jewish people, said, “I committed the Rainbow Murders, you know, The Rainbow killings were a little different ’cause I just picked them up hitchhiking.” Barry Plunker and Garrick Beck were in their late 20s when they had a prophetic vision. Unlike many of the hippie groups that saturated the 1960s before fading away, the Rainbow Family lives on, holding annual Rainbow Gatherings. After a night of partying together at the Seacrets nightclub in Ocean City , Maryland , the two couples went back to the Sifrits' condominium located in The Rainbow on 112th Street. The bodies of two young Grateful Dead fans, who had been beaten and shot to death, were found in the San Francisco Bay during the summer … Once the Rainbow Family of Living Light was established, the next step was to put together a gathering. Neither do we. Franklin, whose confession in the Rainbow murders was challenged by some law enforcement offcials, was executed in Missouri in November 2013 for an unrelated murder. When Durian’s father answered the first call, Eisenberg writes, the unidentified man said he was calling from Pocahontas County and that he was sorry Vicki had been killed where he lived. Directed by Julia Huffman. They were on the way to the Rainbow Family Gathering, an annual meeting of hippies and other like-minded people that celebrate peace, harmony and freedom held at different national forests across the country. With murder dictionary, I love the talking about the psychology and the impact of the crime on not only the victims but the secondhand victims (like the family of the victim) and the amount of detail while seeming like such short episodes. That was the case for Amber Robinson and Joseph Capstraw, who both … Their plan was to hitchhike to the Rainbow Gathering, a counter-culture peace festival being held at Monongahela National Forest, but they never arrived at their destination. All Rights Reserved. Welcome to my channel. Never miss a story by signing up for the newsletter now. We also believe that Peace and Love are a great thing, and there isn't enough of that in this world. Hundreds of members of the Rainbow Family were camping in the Apalachicola National Forest when the murder and attempted murder occurred. Police and his family are concerned about C.J. Every year since 1972, the Rainbow Family has held unofficial gatherings in national forests dedicated to peaceful, communal living. Arrested in 1992 for the 1980 murders of two women attending the Rainbow Family gathering in Pocahontas County, a Greenbrier County jury convicted him … But they’ve often been criticized as most participants’ values lie in hanging out in the woods and getting free drugs. Maybe by default, it’s also a family for people who don’t have one. The unofficial Rainbow Family Web Site. Wikimedia CommonsThe Rainbow World Gathering 2004 in the south of Costa Rica. He told Eisenberg that after reading an anniversary piece about the case in the local newspaper, he became consumed with thoughts of the murders. Liz Johndrow was a third companion, or third Rainbow Girl, traveling with Durian and Santomero. The Rainbow Murders Briery Knob is one of the highest points in West Virginia, once the site of a fire lookout tower and popular hangout for teenagers seeking Appalachian and Allegheny views. The Rainbow Family of Living Light is supposed to be a chosen family for travelers who believe in peace, love and anti-capitalism. Though the Rainbow Family boasts that it has no leader, there were two men largely credited for starting it. Wikimedia CommonsA Rainbow Family gathering in the summer 2007. THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia. A Rainbow Family gathering in the summer 2007. A planned month-long Rainbow Gathering in the Apalachicola National Forest, the eighth such get-together of peace-loving vagabonds in as many years, was cut short violently in the early morning of March 5, when a simmering feud beside a campfire erupted in gunfire. The murder of two young women in the summer of 1980 rocked Pocahontas County, West Virginia. I see this periodically where people will say that Fuze killed his family as part of his lore (the inconsistent explanation are enough to make me disbelieve this, but the most often cited reason is that it was with a prototype cluster charge) but I simply cant find anything to support this. In the weeks before the 1980 gathering and the murders, West Virginia Secretary of State A. James Manchin and a group of Marlinton residents filed suit to bar the Rainbow Family from Monongahela National Forest. Looking forward towards planning for a safe Annual Rainbow Gathering. A year after the conviction, Joseph Franklin, a white supremacist serial killer on death row, confessed to the Rainbow Murders. To be honest, the Rainbow Family means different things to different people. The National Park Service is still investigating and has offered an award for tips leading to the murderer’s arrest and conviction. 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