True Crime Tuesday: Jim Jones and The Jonestown Massacre

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In 1954, Infamous cult leader Jim Jones established the People’s Temple Full Gospel Church in Indianapolis as a pastor. Known for his charismatic preaching and idealistic views, Jones quickly attracted a congregation eager to hear his messages on social justice. When he relocated his church to Northern California in 1965, Jones became a significant figure in the region’s politics, offering crucial support to the election of sympathetic candidates. In return, these politicians shielded him from media exposure regarding allegations of abuse and fraud. Despite Jones’s increasingly erratic behavior and darker teachings, his followers found it challenging to distance themselves from the church. By the time Jones moved the Peoples Temple to a secluded jungle in Guyana and the U.S. Government began investigating reports of abuse and false imprisonment in Jonestown, it was already too late.

On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones directed hundreds of members of the Peoples Temple Cult to commit mass suicide at the Jonestown settlement. More than 900 people died, making it one of the largest mass deaths in American history.

Julia Scheeres, author of the book A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Jonestown, joins Kendall and Casey to talk about Jones and the experiences of the People’s Temple members who went to Jonestown.

You can listen to the full interview here: