




The Deadly Mormon Cult of Immanuel David (They Leapt to Their Deaths to Follow Their Leader)
In 1958, Charles Bruce Longo converted to Mormonism. Over time, he began claiming to receive spiritual revelations and managed to convince several Mormons that he was a prophet chosen by God. After being excommunicated, Charles moved to Manti, Utah, changed his name to Immanuel David, and founded a small Mormon sect known as "The David Family."
Members received biblical names along with the surname David and lived according to the precepts of their leader, who claimed to be the legitimate heir of Joseph Smith and even, eventually, God himself. According to reports, life within the cult was a living hell. Brutal physical punishments, torture, extreme fanaticism, and psychological manipulation were common, even against minors.
Over time, his delusions intensified. He claimed his followers were archangels and that he himself was the mythical golden plates of the Book of Mormon. Meanwhile, his followers diverted money from supposed charitable works to support Immanuel, his wife, and their seven children, who lived in luxury hotels. In late July 1978, Immanuel David, who was already being pursued by the FBI, took his own life in a car after inhaling carbon monoxide.
Days later, on the eleventh floor of the International Dunes Hotel in Salt Lake City, his widow, Rachel David, ordered her seven children to jump from the balcony. Some obeyed, while others tried to cling to the railing, crying and screaming in terror. Rachel forcibly pulled the children away and let them fall more than 30 meters before jumping herself.
There was only one survivor, one of the leader's daughters, who was 15 years old at the time. She was left confined to a wheelchair and suffered severe brain damage. Decades later, the surviving daughter and some followers were interviewed and still believed that Immanuel David was God.
Video about the deadly Mormon cult of Immanuel David: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz8pBjTi89k