Judge Revokes Layton’s Bail
Calling former Peoples Temple member Larry Layton “a man of desperation” who lied under oath, a federal judge today revoked his bail during the appeal of his conviction for aiding in the 1978 murder of a congressman.
Chief U.S. District Judge Robert Peckham ordered Layton held without bail, withdrawing a ruling of late March that freed Layton on $250,000 bail pending appeal. Layton was convicted Dec. 1 of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the November, 1978, murder of Rep. Leo Ryan and the attempted murder of U.S. diplomat Richard Dwyer on an airstrip in Guyana. Hours after those shootings, the Rev. Jim Jones and 912 of his Peoples Temple followers died in a murder-suicide ritual at their nearby settlement in the South American jungle.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
