Jonestown – CRIMEandSTUFF

Some of the more than 900 who died at Jonestown November 1978. [Dave Hume Kennerly/Getty Images]

What seemed like a good thing for people on the margins when it started out turned into one of the most horrific tragedies of the late 20th century, thanks to a narcissistic megalomaniac who had just enough charisma to convince politicians he was a godsend and to leave him alone, get a thousand people to follow him into the jungle and ultimately get many of them to kill their children then die because he convinced them it was the best thing for them.

Fond of the cliche “drink the Kool Aid”? Here’s where it came from. And it’s not pretty. Anyway, it was Flavor Ade.

We take a look at Jim Jones, Jonestown and what led to the 1978 massacre in Guyana.

Also, Matt Nichols talks about what attorney-client privilege really means in Ask a Lawyer, then we complain about 48 Hours and Dateline — aren’t there enough murders in the U.S. for them to do some fresh shows? Sheesh.

Episode 10, come and get it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:19:44 — 36.5MB)

Tag: Jonestown

Episode 10: Jonestown, it’s about more than the Kool-Aid