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Randy Weaver
Nació (1948-01-03) 3 de enero de 1948 (73 años)
Villisca, Iowa , Estados Unidos
EducaciónUniversity of Northern Iowa (abandonó)
Conocido porRuby Ridge
Esposos)Vicki Weaver (1971-1992, su muerte), Linda Gross (1999-?)
Niños4 (1 fallecido)

Randall Claude " Randy " Weaver (nacido el 3 de enero de 1948) [1] es un ex ingeniero del ejército estadounidense conocido por su papel en el enfrentamiento de Ruby Ridge cerca de Naples, Idaho , en 1992. [2] [3] [4] Weaver, su familia y un amigo llamado Kevin Harris participaron en un enfrentamiento armado con los alguaciles estadounidenses y agentes del FBI . Durante el enfrentamiento, el hijo de Weaver, Sammy, de 14 años, recibió un disparo en la espalda y fue asesinado por un alguacil de EE. UU., después de lo cual Harris disparó y mató al mariscal estadounidense William Degan. Más tarde, Weaver recibió un disparo en la espalda de un francotirador, después de lo cual Harris recibió un disparo. La esposa de Weaver, Vicki, fue asesinada a tiros por un francotirador federal en su casa mientras sostenía a su pequeña hija.

Weaver se rindió a los oficiales federales 11 días después de que comenzara el incidente. Fue acusado de asesinato, conspiración y agresión, así como de otros delitos. Weaver fue absuelto de todos los cargos, excepto por no comparecer ante el tribunal por el cargo original de armas de fuego (por el cual también fue declarado inocente). Weaver fue condenado a 18 meses de prisión. Su familia finalmente recibió un total de $ 3,100,000 en compensación por el asesinato de su esposa e hijo por agentes federales.

Vida temprana [ editar ]

Weaver fue uno de los cuatro hijos de Clarence y Wilma Weaver, una pareja de agricultores en Villisca, Iowa . [5] [6] [7] Los Tejedores eran profundamente religiosos y tenían dificultades para encontrar una denominación que coincidiera con sus puntos de vista; a menudo se movían entre iglesias evangélicas , presbiterianas y bautistas . Weaver obtuvo calificaciones promedio en la escuela y jugó béisbol y fútbol en la escuela secundaria. Profesó su fe en Jesucristo a los 11 años; sin embargo, en una conferencia de prensa de 2007 para Edward y Elaine Brown dijo: "Ya no tengo miedo de morir. Tengo curiosidad por la otra vida y soy ateo". [8]

Entrenamiento militar [ editar ]

A los 20 años, Weaver abandonó la universidad comunitaria y se unió al ejército de los Estados Unidos en octubre de 1968 durante el apogeo de la Guerra de Vietnam . Estaba destinado en Fort Bragg en Carolina del Norte . [9] En 1970, Weaver consiguió una licencia temporal de Fort Bragg y regresó a su ciudad natal para una visita. [10]

Antes de Ruby Ridge [ editar ]

A month after leaving the Army, Weaver and Victoria Jordison married in a ceremony at the First Congregational Church in Fort Dodge, Iowa in 1971. Randy found work at a local John Deere factory. Vicki worked first as a secretary and then as a homemaker.[11]

Los Tejedores se adhirieron a la creencia de la " identidad cristiana ", que sostiene que los blancos son la tribu perdida de Israel . [12] Vicki Weaver desarrolló un conjunto de creencias siguiendo las Leyes del Antiguo Pacto , y la familia se refirió a Dios como " Yahweh ". Debido a que Weaver consideraba que una mujer que tenía un hijo era "impura", dio a luz a su cuarto hijo en un cobertizo detrás de la cabaña de la familia en Ruby Ridge. Después de que se presentaron cargos contra su esposo, Vicki Weaver escribió al fiscal federal Maurice O. Ellsworth, dirigiéndose a él como "Siervo de la reina de Babilonia" y escribiendo: "El hedor de su gobierno sin ley ha llegado al cielo, la morada de Yahweh nuestro Yashua.," and, "Whether we live or whether we die, we will not bow to your evil commandments."[13]

On three or four occasions, the Weavers had attended Aryan Nations meetings at Hayden Lake, where there was a compound for government resistors and white separatists.[12][14]

La pareja comenzó a albergar creencias más fundamentalistas , y Vicki creía que el apocalipsis era inminente. [15] Para seguir la visión de Vicki de su familia sobreviviendo al apocalipsis lejos de la "civilización corrupta", la familia Weaver se mudó a una propiedad de 20 acres (8,1 hectáreas) en la remota Ruby Ridge, Idaho, a principios de los 80 y construyó una cabaña allí. [11] Pagaron $ 5,000 en efectivo y cambiaron su camión de mudanza por la tierra, valorada en $ 500 el acre. [dieciséis]

En el momento del incidente de Ruby Ridge, los Weavers tenían cuatro hijos: Sara, de 16 años; Samuel, 14; Rachel, 10; y Elisheba, 10 meses. [11] Vicki educó en casa a los niños. [11]

Ruby Ridge incident[edit]

Main article: Ruby Ridge

Ruby Ridge was the site of an 11-day siege in 1992 in Boundary County, Idaho, near Naples. It began on August 21, when deputies of the United States Marshals Service (USMS) initiated action to apprehend and arrest Randy Weaver under a bench warrant after his failure to appear on a firearms charge. Given three conflicting dates for his court appearance, and suspecting a conspiracy against him, Weaver chose not to surrender. He remained at his home with his family and friend Kevin Harris. The Hostage Rescue Team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI HRT) became involved as the siege developed.

During the Marshals Service reconnoiter of the Weaver property, six U.S. Marshals encountered Harris and Sammy Weaver, Randy's 14-year-old son, in woods near the family cabin. A shootout took place. U.S. Marshals shot the weaver's dog Striker, then shot Sammy Weaver in the back as he ran away, killing him. During the firefight, Harris shot Deputy U.S. Marshal William Francis Degan in the chest, resulting in Degan's death.

In the subsequent siege of the Weaver residence, led by the FBI, Weaver's wife Vicki was shot and killed by an FBI sniper while standing in her home holding her 10-month-old daughter. Harris was also critically injured and almost died during the subsequent standoff. Weaver was shot once and was not holding a weapon at the time. All casualties occurred in the first two days of the operation. The siege and standoff were ultimately resolved by civilian negotiator Bo Gritz who was instrumental in getting Weaver to allow Harris to get medical attention. Harris surrendered and was arrested on August 30. Weaver and his three daughters surrendered the next day after being convinced by Gritz that there was no other sensible solution.

Posteriormente, Weaver y Harris fueron procesados ​​por una variedad de cargos penales federales, incluido el asesinato en primer grado por la muerte de Degan. Harris fue absuelto de todos los cargos. Weaver fue absuelto de todos los cargos, excepto por la violación de la condición original de la fianza por el cargo de arma de fuego única y por haber perdido su cita original en la corte. Fue multado con $ 10,000 y sentenciado a 18 meses de prisión, acreditado con tiempo cumplido más tres meses adicionales, y liberado después de 16 meses. [17] [18]

Durante el juicio penal federal de Weaver y Harris, el abogado de Weaver, Gerry Spence, hizo acusaciones de "delitos penales" contra las agencias involucradas en el incidente, en particular el FBI, el USMS, la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco y Armas de Fuego (ATF), y la Oficina del Fiscal de los Estados Unidos (USAO) para Idaho. Al final del juicio, la Oficina de Responsabilidad Profesional del Departamento de Justicia formó el Grupo de Trabajo Ruby Ridge (RRTF) para investigar los cargos de Spence. Un HTML redactadoLa versión del informe RRTF, publicada públicamente por Lexis Counsel Connect, planteó preguntas sobre la conducta y las políticas de todas las agencias participantes. Posteriormente, el Departamento de Justicia publicó una versión en PDF más completa del informe. [19] [20]

To answer public questions about Ruby Ridge, the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information held hearings between September 6 and October 19, 1995, and subsequently issued a report calling for reforms in federal law enforcement to prevent a repeat of the losses of life at Ruby Ridge and restore public confidence in federal law enforcement.[21] It was noted that the Ruby Ridge incident and the 1993 Waco siege involved many of the same agencies (the FBI HRT and the ATF) and some of the same personnel (the FBI HRT commander). The GAO also conducted a review of federal policies about use of deadly force, publishing it in 1995.

The Boundary County prosecutor indicted FBI HRT sniper Lon Horiuchi for manslaughter in 1997 before the statute of limitations for the charge could expire; the case, Idaho v. Horiuchi, was moved to federal court, which has jurisdiction over federal agents.[22] It was dismissed because of the supremacy clause. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in 2001 that Horiuchi could be tried on state charges. But a new county prosecutor, Brett Benson, had been elected in 2000 and dismissed the case, saying it was unlikely the state would be able to prove the criminal charges. His decision was controversial.[23][24]

Aftermath of the Ruby Ridge incident[edit]

Weaver was charged with multiple crimes relating to the Ruby Ridge incident – a total of ten counts, including the original firearms charges. Attorney Gerry Spence handled Weaver's defense, and successfully argued that Weaver's actions were justifiable as self-defense. Spence did not call any witnesses for the defense, rather focusing on attacking the credibility of FBI agents and forensic technicians.[25] The judge dismissed two counts after hearing prosecution witness testimony. The jury acquitted Weaver of all remaining charges except two, one of which the judge set aside. Weaver was found guilty of one count, failure to appear, for which Weaver was fined $10,000 and sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was credited with time served plus an additional three months, and was then released. Kevin Harris was acquitted of all criminal charges.[26] Spence later wrote that he took the case against recommendations from peers and friends who thought it would legitimize Weaver's racist beliefs. However, Spence countered that he emphatically rejected Weaver's extremist opinions but took the case because he believed the previously law-abiding Weaver was a victim of government entrapment and further believed the shooting of Weaver's wife and child were unconscionable.[27]

In August 1995, the US government avoided trial on a civil lawsuit filed by the Weavers by awarding the three surviving daughters $1,000,000 each, and Randy Weaver $100,000 over the deaths of Sammy and Vicki Weaver.[28] The attorney for Kevin Harris pressed Harris' civil suit for damages, although federal officials vowed they would never pay someone who had killed a U.S. Marshal (Harris had been acquitted by a jury trial on grounds of self-defense). In September 2000, after persistent appeals, Harris was awarded a $380,000 settlement from the government.[29]

Controversy over the Ruby Ridge Rules of Engagement led to a standardization of deadly force policy among federal law enforcement agencies, implemented in October 1995 after the Ruby Ridge hearings by the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information, Senate Committee on the Judiciary.[30][31]

In 1996, Weaver offered to "help end the standoff between" the Montana Freemen and the FBI, but his offer was declined.[32]

In 1997, the District Attorney for Boundary County, Idaho charged Horiuchi with involuntary manslaughter, but the indictment was removed to federal jurisdiction based on the Supremacy Clause and eventually dismissed at the federal prosecutor's request. Kevin Harris was also charged with the murder of Bill Degan in spite of the fact he had been acquitted on that charge in federal court; that charge was dismissed also based on violation of double jeopardy.[33]

Timothy McVeigh, who was convicted of killing 168 people in the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, cited the Ruby Ridge incident as a contributing factor in his decision to attack the United States federal government.[34]

Later life[edit]

Weaver testified about his racial beliefs before a Senate subcommittee in 1995, saying, “I’m not a hateful racist as most people understand it. But I believe in the separation of races. We wanted to be separated from the rest of the world, to live in a remote area, to give our children a good place to grow up.”[13][35]

In 1999, Weaver married Linda Gross, a legal secretary, in Jefferson, Iowa.[36]

In 2000, Weaver visited the site of the former Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas, where 76 men, women and children died when the complex burnt to the ground during the Waco siege. A new church was being built at the time of Weaver's visit, and Weaver indicated that he supported the assertion that government agents had deliberately set the complex on fire. The visit was documented by British journalist Jon Ronson in an episode of his five-part documentary, Secret Rulers of the World titled "The Legend of Ruby Ridge" and his book Them: Adventures with Extremists.

On June 18, 2007 Weaver participated in a press conference with tax protesters Edward and Elaine Brown at their home in Plainfield, New Hampshire.[37]

Documentaries and fiction[edit]

Randy Weaver and the Siege at Ruby Ridge have been the focus of several documentaries.

  • PBS American Experience: "Ruby Ridge", episode S29E07, February 14, 2017.
  • "American Standoff," Retro Report / New York Times, October 26, 2014.
  • Season 1, Episode 1: "The Legend of Ruby Ridge" of the documentary series Secret Rulers of the World. – April 2001
  • Atrocities at Ruby Ridge: the Randy Weaver Story, Produced by KPOC-TV 1995; VHS tape distributed by The FOREND Times, Inc.
  • A&E Network American Justice series, episode 047 – "Deadly Force": A look at controversial law enforcement policy. Features the police bombing of the MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, which killed 11, and the shootings of Randy Weaver's wife and son at Ruby Ridge. Bill Kurtis hosts.
  • "Ruby Ridge Investigation", by Nightline 1995, ABC News ASIN B00005BK47.
  • "Ruby Ridge", Reality Productions Group for TLC (The Learning Channel), television, 2000. Includes interviews with Randy and Rachel Weaver, FBI Site Commander Eugene Glenn, HRT Negotiator Fred Lanceley, civilian negotiators Bo Gritz and Jackie Brown, among others.
  • PBS American Experience: "Oklahoma City", 2017.
  • The Ruby Ridge standoff was depicted in the 2018 miniseries Waco.
  • A CBS miniseries about the Ruby Ridge incident, titled Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy, aired on May 19 and 21, 1996.[38] It was based on the book Every Knee Shall Bow by reporter Jess Walter.[39] It starred Laura Dern as Vicki, Kirsten Dunst as Sara, and Randy Quaid as Randy.[40] Later that year the television series was adapted as a full-length TV movie, The Siege at Ruby Ridge.[41]

See also[edit]

  • Branch Davidians
  • Christian Identity
  • CIRG
  • The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord
  • Montana Freemen
  • MOVE
  • Oklahoma City bombing
  • Rainbow Farm
  • Ruby Ridge
  • Waco siege

References[edit]

  1. ^ Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives. Three volumes. Edited by Carl L. Bankston III. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2007.
  2. ^ "Ruby Ridge". ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  3. ^ Jackson, Robert (September 7, 1995). "Militant Relives Idaho Tragedy for Senators : Probe: Randy Weaver admits Ruby Ridge errors, seeks 'accountability.'". LA Times. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. ^ Brokaw, Tom. "Randy Weaver tells his side of the story: Tom Brokaw interviews white separatist". CNN. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. ^ Pearson, Naomi E. (2019). "Fringe Religion & the Far-Right: Dangerous Behavior Patterns Among Christian Millennialists". Inquiries Journal. Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse LLC. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  6. ^ "Randy and Vicki Weaver: From heartland to disaster". nwitimes.com. Hearst Newspapers. 1995-08-27. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  7. ^ "THE INCIDENT AT RUBY RIDGE". Wagner & Lynch Law Firms. 2015-04-25. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  8. ^ "Ruby Ridge leader visits Browns, warns of increased provocation". Associated Press. June 18, 2007. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
  9. ^ Walter, Jess (15 May 1996). Every Knee Shall Bow. HarperCollins. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-06-101131-3.
  10. ^ Walter, Jess (2012). Ruby Ridge. HarperCollins. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-06-195985-1.
  11. ^ a b c d Hewitt, Bill (September 25, 1995). "A time to heal". People.
  12. ^ a b Egan, Timothy (August 30, 1992). "THE NATION; Hate Groups Hanging On in Idaho Haven". The New York Times. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Hull, Anne (April 30, 2001). "Randy Weaver's Return From Ruby Ridge". The Washington Post. Washington D.C.: Washington Post Company.
  14. ^ Siegler, Kirk (August 18, 2017). "How What Happened 25 Years Ago At Ruby Ridge Still Matters Today". NPR. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ^ Walter, Jess (2002). Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family. New York City: HarperCollins. pp. 30, 34, 38. ISBN 978-0060007942.
  16. ^ Walter, p. 54
  17. ^ "18 Months in Jail for White Supremacist". The New York Times. October 19, 1993. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  18. ^ Walter, Jess (2002). Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family (1st trade pbk. ed.). New York: ReganBooks. ISBN 978-0060007942.
  19. ^ RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (1994; more complete version), see Bibliography.
  20. ^ RRTF, Report of the RRTF to the OPR (2006) [1994; OPR legacy, highly redacted version, PDF series], see Bibliography.
  21. ^ "Opening Statement of Louis J. Freeh, Director Federal Bureau of Investigation". fas.org. October 19, 1995. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "F.B.I. Agent to Be Tried In Federal Court". The New York Times. January 13, 1998. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  23. ^ Verhovek, Sam Howe (June 15, 2001). "F.B.I. Agent To Be Spared Prosecution in Shooting". The New York Times. Seattle, WA. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  24. ^ Idaho v. Horiuchi, 266 (9th Cir. June 5, 2001).
  25. ^ Spence, Gerry (1996). From Freedom to Slavery, the Rebirth of Freedom in America. St. Martin's Press.
  26. ^ Walter, Ruby Ridge, 2002.
  27. ^ Spence, 1996
  28. ^ Lardner, George, Jr.; Thomas, Pierre (August 16, 1995). "US will pay family $3.1m for 1992 siege". The Boston Globe.
  29. ^ Walter, pp. 392–393
  30. ^ Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government Information, Ruby Ridge, 1995.
  31. ^ General Accounting Office, Use of Force, March 1996.
  32. ^ "On day seven of Freemen standoff, outsiders offer help". CNN. March 31, 1996. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  33. ^ "Murder Charge Dropped in Agent's Ruby Ridge Death". Los Angeles, California. Associated Press. October 3, 1997.
  34. ^ Hull, Anne (April 30, 2001). "Randy Weaver's Return From Ruby Ridge". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  35. ^ Jackson, Robert (September 7, 1995). "Militant Relives Idaho Tragedy for Senators : Probe: Randy Weaver admits Ruby Ridge errors, seeks 'accountability.'". LA Times. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  36. ^ "Randy Weaver remarries, moves back to the Midwest". The Lewiston Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  37. ^ "$1M in Unpaid Taxes: Couple Dares Feds". ABC News. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  38. ^ "The Siege at Ruby Ridge (TV Movie 1996)". imdb. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  39. ^ Walter, Jess (1996) [1995]. Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth and Tragedy of Ruby Ridge and the Randy Weaver Family. New York: HarperPaperbacks. p. 190. ISBN 0-06-101131-2. Retrieved February 7, 2017. The link to this title is to the 1996 edition.
  40. ^ Suprynowicz, Vin (1999). "The Courtesan Press, Eager Lapdogs to Tyranny [Ch. 6]". Send in the Waco Killers: Essays on the Freedom Movement, 1993–1998. Pahrump, NV: Mountain Media. pp. 288–291. ISBN 0-9670259-0-7. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  41. ^ Young, Roger (director), Chetwynd, Lionel (screenwriter) et al. (2007). Standoff at Ruby Ridge. Edgar J. Scherick Associates, Regan Company, Victor Television Productions (producers). Retrieved February 7, 2017.

External links[edit]

  • Chapter two of From Freedom to Slavery by Gerry Spence
  • "Idaho vs Randy Weaver" from the CourtTV Crime Library
  • Summary of an Appeals Court ruling on Horiuchi; includes Special Rules of Engagement and a dissent by Judge Alex Kozinski
  • "Ambush at Ruby Ridge" by Alan W. Bock, Reason, October 1993