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none of the other members questioned his judgement or openly blamed him for any physical, mental or emotional damage. Thériault began to inflict punishments on followers that he considered to be straying, by spying on them and claiming that God told him what they did. If a person wished to leave the commune, Thériault would hit them with either a belt or hammer, suspend them from the ceiling, pluck each of their body hairs individually, or even defecate on them. The Ant Hill Kids raised money for living by selling baked goods, and members who did not bring in enough money were also punished.
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registered as a church, officials were legally unable to investigate the adults, and could not do much except ensure the welfare of the children. Thériault was found guilty of assault for the amputation of Lavallée's arm and received a sentence of 12 years' imprisonment. The vast majority of the cult's followers abandoned Thériault after his arrest, but during his imprisonment he fathered another four children with remaining female members during
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534:. He cut open her abdomen with a knife and ripped out part of her intestines with his bare hands. Thériault made another member, Gabrielle Lavallée, stitch her up using needle and thread, and had the other women shove a tube down her throat and blow through it. Boilard died the next day from the damage inflicted by the procedures. Claiming to have the power of
498:, held over fires, or nailed to trees while other children threw stones at them. One of Thériault's wives left a newborn child, Eleazar Lavallée, outside to die in freezing temperatures to keep him away from the abuse. Thériault attempted to backtrack to the original religious mission of the commune, beginning to strongly believe in
434:, as this was against his cult's values of freedom. Thériault's fear of the end of the world grew, claiming that God had warned him that it would come in February 1979, and used the commune to prepare for it. In 1978, in preparation, Thériault moved his commune by hiking to a mountainside he called "Eternal Mountain" in
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control over the lives of his followers and becoming irrational in his beliefs. Members were not allowed to speak to each other when he was not present, nor to have sex with each other without his permission. Thériault used his charisma to cover for his increasingly abusive and erratic behaviour, and
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his followers and ridding them of their sins through abusive purification sessions where the members would be completely nude as he whipped and beat them. Thériault claimed to be a holy being, and started performing unnecessary amateur surgical operations on sick members to demonstrate his healing
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did not occur, people started questioning Thériault's wisdom, but he defended himself by saying that time on Earth and in God's world were not parallel, and that therefore it was a miscalculation. To expand the community as well as keep the members devoted, Thériault married and impregnated all of
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breaking off in her back, and eight of her teeth being forcibly removed. Lavallée attempted to escape from the commune after Thériault cut off parts of her breast and smashed her head in with the blunt side of an axe, but upon her return he removed one of her fingers with wire cutters, pinned her
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after Lavallée had fled the commune again and contacted authorities, effectively dissolving the Ant Hill Kids. Provincial authorities had long-held suspicions about Thériault's cult due to the particularly primitive living conditions of its membership, but because the commune was officially
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Thériault was arrested for assault in 1989, dissolving the cult, and in 1993 was convicted for the murder of follower
Solange Boilard. He had previously killed an infant named Samuel Giguère, while two of his disciples, Geraldine Gagné Auclair and Gabrielle Nadeau, died following
622:, who was charged with the killing. MacDonald pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, having already been serving a life sentence for a previous murder charge. MacDonald had stabbed Thériault in the neck with a
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the women in the commune, fathering over 20 children with 9 female members of the group. By the 1980s, there were nearly 40 members. Followers were made to wear identical tunics to represent equality and their devotion to the commune.
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MacEachern, B. (2011, February 28). MyKawartha
Article: Former Burnt River cult leader killed in jail . Mykawartha.com | Your Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes online newspaper . Retrieved March 2013, from
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Kovalchik, K. (2010, February 16). 4 Cults You Might Not Know About - Mental Floss. (n.d.). Random, Interesting, Amazing Facts - Fun
Quizzes and Trivia - Mental Floss. Retrieved March 2013, from
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571:. Lavallée's report allowed further investigation into Thériault's actions, exposing the wider abuses at the communes and Solange Boilard's murder. In 1993, Thériault pleaded guilty to
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Ross, S. (2010, January 13). Sect of roch Thériault - Cults. (n.d.).Local
Community Forum and Information for Every Town, Village and Hamlet in Britain. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from
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Dimmock, G. (2011, November 14). Revealed: Murder of
Canadian cult leader who performed ritual killings and beat children to death | Ottawa Citizen. (n.d.).Opinion - Blogs -
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as Paula
Jackson, the social worker whose investigation revealed the crimes. Gabrielle Lavallée wrote a memoir of her life in the sect entitled
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In the mid-1970s, Thériault convinced a group of people to leave their jobs and homes to join him in a religious movement. Thériault formed the
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618:. His death is believed to be the result of an altercation with his cellmate, Matthew Gerrard MacDonald, a 60-year-old convicted murderer from
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374:. As a child Thériault was considered to be very intelligent, but dropped out of school in the seventh grade and began to teach himself the
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In 2009, Theriault tried to sell his artwork on a United States-based website MurderAuction.com, which called itself a "true crime
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Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed.
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Over time, Thériault's punishments became increasingly extreme and violent, including making members break their own legs with
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onto her brain. When
Boilard did not return to life, her corpse was buried a short distance from the Ant Hill Kids' commune.
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In 1989, when follower
Solange Boilard complained of an upset stomach, Thériault performed another amateur surgery without
904:"Revealed: Murder of Canadian cult leader who performed ritual killings and beat children to death | Ottawa Citizen"
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removed 17 of the children from the commune. However, Thériault faced no repercussions for his abusive acts.
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RH Cartwright, SA Kent (December 1992). "Social
Control in Alternative Religions: A Familial Perspective".
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Following the cult's formation, Thériault began to move away from being a motivational leader as his
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depicts Thériault's crimes against his followers and the ensuing legal recourse. The film stars
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Savage
Messiah: The Shocking Story of Cult Leader Rock Thériault and the Women Who Loved Him
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http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/960359--former-burnt-river-cult-leader-killed-in-jail
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314:. In April 1978, Thériault was removed from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He maintained
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Lavallée underwent harsh treatment at the Ontario commune during the late 1980s, suffering
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hand to a wooden table with a hunting knife, and then used a cleaver to amputate her arm.
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as he was considered too high a risk to re-offend, and he never applied again.
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On February 26, 2011, at age 63, Thériault was found dead near his cell at
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beliefs which encouraged a healthy lifestyle free of unhealthy foods and
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798:"THE ANT HILL KIDS: Break Your Legs With A Sledgehammer Or Go To Hell"
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to prove loyalty. The abuse extended to the cult's children, who were
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94:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
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and naming the group the Ant Hill Kids. In February 1979, when the
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treatments administered to them by Thériault. Thériault received a
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prevented Theriault's works leaving Dorchester Penitentiary, and
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in January 1977, and began practising the denomination's regular
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In 1984, the group relocated from Quebec to a new site near
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leader and convicted murderer. Thériault, a self-proclaimed
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People disfellowshipped by the Seventh-day Adventist Church
1010:"Prison officials move to block sale of murderer's artwork"
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285:; May 16, 1947 – February 26, 2011) was a Canadian
1139:"Life sentence for murder of cult leader Roch Thériault"
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for the death of Solange Boilard, and was sentenced to
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1032:"Officials bring down gavel on murderer's art auction"
825:"Who Killed Roch Thériault Of The Ant Hill Kids Cult?"
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and were subject to severe physical and sexual abuse.
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was near and would be brought on by the war between
980:"Cult killer's prison art for sale on U.S. website"
503:powers. These "surgeries" included injecting a 94%
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1062:"Roch «Moïse» Thériault tué | capacadie.com"
871:"4 Cults You Might Not Know About - Mental Floss"
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1277:Canadian people convicted of child sexual abuse
1087:"Inmate suspected in cult leader's death: RCMP"
366:Roch Thériault was born on May 16, 1947 into a
342:, which he was serving when he was murdered at
1186:"Savage Messiah - European Premiere Screening"
1113:"Fellow inmate charged in cult leader's death"
16:Canadian cult leader and murderer (1947–2011)
8:
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
1287:Canadian people who died in prison custody
251:by his cellmate, Matthew Gerrard MacDonald
192:
1145:. Montreal. March 5, 2012. Archived from
721:. Vol. 106, no. 6. p. 18.
713:Laver, Ross; Kaihla, Paul (Feb 8, 1993).
310:whose beliefs were based on those of the
181:Learn how and when to remove this message
163:Learn how and when to remove this message
110:Learn how and when to remove this message
1312:Prisoners who died in Canadian detention
681:World Religions and Spirituality Project
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579:. In 2000, Thériault was transferred to
426:where people could freely listen to his
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620:Port au Port, Newfoundland and Labrador
587:. In 2002, Thériault was rejected for
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1192:from the original on March 19, 2006
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1093:from the original on March 2, 2011
953:Kaihla, Paul; Laver, Ross (1993).
929:"4 Cults You Might Not Know About"
302:(French for "Moses"), founded the
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901:. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from
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462:which is now part of the city of
422:, Quebec with the goal to form a
34:This article has multiple issues.
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1228:CTV news report about Thériault
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1089:. CBC News. February 28, 2011.
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346:in 2011. Thériault, along with
42:or discuss these issues on the
978:Beeby, Dean (March 10, 2008).
600:Correctional Service of Canada
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382:. Thériault believed that the
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1257:20th-century apocalypticists
957:. Doubleday Canada Limited.
676:"Holy Moses Mountain Family"
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432:Seventh-day Adventist Church
396:Seventh-day Adventist Church
312:Seventh-day Adventist Church
1188:. di-ve.com. June 2, 2003.
823:Homer, Aaron (2023-03-16).
390:. Thériault converted from
90:the claims made and adding
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796:Roos, Robin (2020-05-20).
1115:. CBC News. May 6, 2011.
1012:. CBC News. April 6, 2009
647:("Alliance of the Ewe"),
585:Dorchester, New Brunswick
554:burns to her genitals, a
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645:L'alliance de la brebis
616:Dorchester Penitentiary
581:Dorchester Penitentiary
344:Dorchester Penitentiary
249:Dorchester Penitentiary
243:Stabbed in neck with a
229:Dorchester Penitentiary
135:Some of this article's
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1337:Converts to Adventism
745:Sociological Analysis
546:Arrest and conviction
428:motivational speeches
306:in 1977. They were a
233:New Brunswick, Canada
573:second-degree murder
715:"The Ant Hill Kids"
610:Death and aftermath
282:[ʁɔkte.ʁjo]
240:Cause of death
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855:2012-03-20 at the
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684:. 2019-02-25
679:
644:
641:Polly Walker
630:
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549:
536:resurrection
517:
492:wire cutters
485:
480:totalitarian
473:
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420:Sainte-Marie
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332:
324:totalitarian
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213:May 16, 1947
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153:January 2014
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100:January 2014
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50:
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37:
36:Please help
33:
1252:2011 deaths
1247:1947 births
1143:The Gazette
803:CVLT Nation
520:anaesthesia
456:Burnt River
418:in 1977 in
392:Catholicism
336:homeopathic
140:may not be
1241:Categories
1171:2006-10-30
1072:2011-02-26
939:2013-03-20
914:2013-03-20
881:2013-03-20
834:2023-07-06
809:2023-07-06
729:2020-05-11
688:2023-07-06
659:References
637:Luc Picard
540:ejaculated
448:apocalypse
362:Early life
326:rule in a
320:concubines
256:Occupation
209:1947-05-16
84:improve it
39:improve it
719:Maclean's
532:olive oil
500:purifying
88:verifying
45:talk page
1317:Prophets
1190:Archived
1165:Archived
1163:. IMDb.
1117:Archived
1091:Archived
1040:Archived
1036:CTV News
988:Archived
984:The Star
933:Archived
853:Archived
723:Archived
528:molasses
444:ant hill
400:holistic
267:Children
142:reliable
1209:Sources
1046:July 7,
1016:July 7,
765:3711432
564:assault
505:ethanol
424:commune
404:tobacco
394:to the
378:of the
328:commune
291:prophet
82:Please
1123:May 7,
994:Jul 7,
961:
829:Grunge
763:
651:
589:parole
262:leader
761:JSTOR
526:with
524:enema
470:Abuse
380:Bible
295:Moïse
1198:2007
1125:2011
1099:2011
1048:2020
1018:2020
996:2020
959:ISBN
649:ISBN
624:shiv
530:and
436:Hope
416:cult
354:and
318:and
287:cult
260:Cult
245:shiv
218:Died
203:Born
753:doi
247:in
86:by
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