Indicted Cult Leader Broussard Dies : Commune: Ex-Watts minister faced charges of enslaving children at Oregon farm.

Eldridge Broussard Jr., the Watts minister whose dream of improving inner-city youngsters with a regimen of religion and athletics fell apart amid charges of child abuse, was found dead early Thursday in the Oregon farmhouse where his followers killed his 8-year-old daughter three years ago.

Officials said an autopsy found that Broussard, 38, suffered from coronary artery disease and may have died of a heart attack, although the exact cause of death will not be determined until tests are completed.

There was no evidence of a struggle or foul play, authorities said.

At the time of his death, Broussard was facing federal charges of enslaving 29 children who were members of the Ecclesia Athletic Assn., a group he founded ostensibly to improve life for ghetto youngsters through a mixture of religion and athletics. Broussard took the group from Los Angeles to Oregon five years ago.

“It’s a terrible tragedy for the church,” said Steven Wax, the federal public defender who represented Broussard. “The church members are grieving deeply. . . . He was a very powerful and interesting man with a very laudable vision of helping black people escape the poverty and despair in our inner cities.”

But federal authorities in Oregon, who are also prosecuting seven of Broussard’s followers, offered a vastly different assessment: They were hoping to convict Broussard on charges of involuntary servitude at a trial in March.

“He led a group that was engaged in the largest child slavery ring in the history of the United States,” said Assistant U.S. Atty. Stephen Peifer. “He was the leader of the group and the other defendants did things at his direction.”

Authorities said Broussard was found in the living room of his home in rural Sandy, about 25 miles southeast of Portland, at 2:45 a.m. Thursday. He was apparently alone at the time of his death. His body was discovered by Ecclesia members who had gone to the house after attempting to telephone Broussard.

Deputy Judy Gage of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department said Broussard was found lying face down, unclothed, with some reading material and a blanket by his side.

Members of Broussard’s family could not be reached, and a woman who answered the telephone at the Sandy house declined comment. In Los Angeles, where the group maintains headquarters in a converted bakery at 7700 S. Avalon Blvd., Ecclesia member David Jackson said only that he learned of Broussard’s death on the news.

Broussard was often described as a cult leader. But the members of Ecclesia--many of whom had been with him for more than a decade--saw him as a charismatic religious man who would give their children a better future.

He founded the group, originally called the Watts Christian Center, in the late 1970s. Members pooled their money to buy the Avalon Boulevard bakery, where they lived commune-style. Some donated their entire salaries to Ecclesia. In 1986, the group began traveling to Oregon, where Broussard had played college basketball at Pacific University.

Neighbors complained that the children were forced to do calisthenics in the hot sun for hours, and toil endlessly in the nearby berry fields. But it was not until the October, 1988, death of Broussard’s 8-year-old daughter, Dayna, that authorities began to investigate the organization.

Deputies raided the Sandy house and discovered 53 children--including four of Broussard’s own--crammed together with scant supplies and furnishings. Evidence of systematic beatings also was found. The children were placed in protective custody, and four members of Ecclesia eventually were convicted in the fatal beating of Broussard’s daughter.

The four are still serving prison terms. Broussard, who was in Los Angeles at the time of the death, was not charged with any crime until February, when the federal indictments were issued. The indictments allege that Broussard and the others sought to capitalize on the children’s athletic skills. Federal officials said Thursday that Broussard’s death would not delay the trial of the other seven defendants.

According to Oregon officials, 33 of the youngsters are back in their parents’ custody. Others are living with relatives, or are under state-supervised care. Broussard’s children live with their mother but remain in state custody.

Although he was athletic and fit when he brought his group to Oregon, the bearded Broussard had gained considerable weight and had become somewhat reclusive since his daughter’s death. He had little contact with the children in his group, but authorities said his death is likely to be traumatic for the youngsters.

“To lose their leader, for all of them, has to have a tremendous impact,” said Jo Manske, a supervisor with the Oregon Children’s Services Division. “The kids are all very clear that Eldridge is their leader.”