Ex-Davidian Leader Found Dead After Escape From Mental Hospital
Former Branch Davidian leader George Roden, who had been in state care since he was declared insane in 1989, was found dead Monday outside a mental institution.
Roden had escaped from the Big Spring State Hospital on Saturday night. An employee discovered his body on the north side of the grounds Monday.
A preliminary autopsy report indicated Roden, 60, likely died of a heart attack, said China Long, Howard County justice of the peace.
Roden was driven from the religious group in 1987 after a gun battle with David Koresh. Two years later, he was institutionalized after being found not guilty by reason of insanity in the killing of his roommate.
Roden’s mother owned the 77-acre site of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco known as Mount Carmel.
Roden fought Koresh for control of the group, then moved to Odessa after a gun battle that led to attempted murder charges against Koresh and seven others.
Koresh and 78 followers died in a fire at Mount Carmel in 1993, ending a 51-day standoff with federal authorities.
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