This list of deaths related to Scientology covers deaths described in secondary sources as related to the Church of Scientology or one of its affiliate organizations.
The 1995 death of Lisa McPherson is one of the most controversial of these. McPherson died under the care of Scientologists in Clearwater, Florida, after being released from a hospital because the Scientologists objected to the possibility that she would receive a psychiatric evaluation. In a 1997 article for the St. Petersburg Times, an investigative journalist analyzed a series of controversial deaths relating to Scientology, and the paper published an editorial saying that law enforcement had not thoroughly investigated these suspicious deaths.
In November 2009, Australian Senator Nick Xenophon criticized Scientology, including the handling of information by the organization relating to suspicious deaths of its members. The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, commented that Senator Xenophon had raised serious concerns. In May 2010, the Australian Senate opened an inquiry into the status of Scientology and other tax exempt groups in the country, prompted by concerns of abuse within the organization.
Background[]
One of the most noteworthy cases of Scientology-related deaths is that of Lisa McPherson in 1995.[1][2][3] McPherson was a Scientologist who was found naked in Florida, and mentally distressed.[1][2][3] She requested help after a relatively non-serious vehicle accident.[1][2][3] McPherson was taken to the hospital; she died two weeks after being discharged into the care of Scientologists who did not want her to receive a psychiatric evaluation.[1][2][3]
The issue of controversial deaths related to Scientology was analyzed by investigative journalist Lucy Morgan, in a 1997 article for the St. Petersburg Times titled: "For some Scientologists, Pilgrimage has been Fatal".[1][4] An editorial by the St. Petersburg Times commented, "By their own admission, law enforcement authorities did not investigate the suspicious deaths of members of the Church of Scientology as thoroughly as they might have. ... A disturbing pattern now has been established of apparently healthy Scientologists who die suddenly after arriving in Clearwater for training or counseling. An investigation by the Times' Lucy Morgan found at least eight Scientology members, including McPherson, have died under circumstances that are not easily explained."[5] The piece concluded, "In hindsight, the deaths of Scientologists were not as aggressively investigated as they should have been. ... This community cannot shrug its shoulders and accept Scientology's unchallenged explanations every time a Scientologist turns up dead."[5] In an article for the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review, Michael Browne of the Indiana University School of Law recommended the St. Petersburg Times article, "For another discussion of the McPherson case and other cases in which people drawn to Clearwater, Florida (site of a major Scientology center) by their involvement in the Church have turned up dead, allegedly under suspicious circumstances".[1]
In November 2009, the matter of how Scientology management handles controversial deaths of its members was brought to the forefront, in a speech in the Australian Senate by Senator Nick Xenophon.[6] Senator Xenophon stated, "It is alleged that information about suspicious deaths and child abuse has been destroyed, and one follower has admitted he was coerced by the organisation into perjuring himself during investigations into the deaths of his two daughters."[7] The Church of Scientology released a prepared statement calling Senator Xenophon's speech an "outrageous abuse of parliamentary privilege".[8] The Church of Scientology asserted, "Senator Xenophon is obviously being pressured by disgruntled former members who use hate speech and distorted accounts of their experiences in the church".[9] The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, described the issues raised by Senator Xenophon as "grave allegations".[10] The Prime Minister commented, "Many people in Australia have real concerns about Scientology. I share some of those concerns. Let us proceed carefully and look carefully at the material he has provided before we make a decision on further parliamentary action."[11] In May 2010, subsequent to the concerns raised by Senator Xenophon about abuse within the Church of Scientology, the Australian Senate agreed to open an investigation into the tax exempt status of religions and charities in the country.[12]
List[]
| Year | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Josephus A. Havenith | Clearwater, Florida | Found dead at the Fort Harrison Hotel in February 1980. He was found in a bathtub filled with water hot enough to have burned his skin off.[4] The official cause of death was drowning, although coroner noted that his head was not submerged.[4][13] |
| 1987 | Frank Vitkovic | Queen Street, Melbourne, Australia | Frank Vitkovic opened fire in a business building in Melbourne, Australia, killing 8 people and wounding five others before he plunged to his death trying to escape.[14] Two months prior to the attacks he had taken a personality test offered by the Church of Scientology,[15][16] which the volunteer read as indicating that he was extremely depressed. This was the second worst test result the Scientology volunteer had ever seen.[17] It was later presented during the inquest that while the organization had found him to be depressed, they did not take the appropriate measures with that information which could have prevented the massacre, and that the test possibly contributed to Vitkovic's mental state at the time of the shootings.[18] |
| 1988 | Heribert Pfaff | Clearwater, Florida | Died of a seizure in the Fort Harrison Hotel.[4] He had recently stopped taking his seizure medication in favour of a vitamin program.[13][19] |
| 1990 | Noah Lottick | New York City, New York | Committed suicide on May 11, 1990 by jumping from a 10th-floor hotel window, clutching his only remaining money in his hands.[20] After his death, a controversy arose revolving around his parents' concern over his membership in the Church of Scientology.[20] Lottick's suicide was profiled in the Time cover story that was highly critical of Scientology, "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power," which received the Gerald Loeb Award, the Worth Bingham Prize, and the Conscience in Media Award.[21] |
| 1995 | Lisa McPherson | Clearwater, Florida | Died after spending 17 days in room 174,[22] of the Fort Harrison.[23] The official cause of death at the time was a blood clot caused by dehydration and bedrest, although this was later challenged in court.[24][25] In 1997 an official church spokesman stated that Lisa McPherson died at the Fort Harrison, rather than on the way to the hospital. This was later retracted.[26] |
| 1998 | Philip Gale | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Gale chose Friday, the thirteenth of March (Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's birthday) as the day he wanted to commit suicide,[27] falling to his death from a classroom window on the fifteenth floor of a building on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus.[28] Several years earlier, he had left Scientology after deciding it was not for him, becoming enamored of the postmodern parody religion Church of the SubGenius.[29] |
| 2000 | Stacy Meyer | Riverside County, California | Died from electrocution in an underground electrical transformer vault on the grounds of Scientology's "Gold Base" located at Gilman Hot Springs, California.[30] The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigated the incident, particularly issues including training of individuals entering the area in question, potential training or lack thereof of Meyer herself, and posting of proper signs warning of high voltage.[31] |
| 2003 | Elli Perkins | Buffalo, New York | Perkins was murdered by her son, who had mental health problems; she had sought out alternatives to psychiatry due to Scientology's opposition to psychiatric methodology.[32] Her death was profiled on the CBS News 48 Hours program, titled: "Scientology - A Question of Faith".[32][33] |
| 2007 | Michael, Kathryn, and Sue Walicki | Revesby, New South Wales Australia | On July 5, 2007, Linda Walicki fatally stabbed her father and sister, and seriously wounded her mother.[34] The cause of the attack was later determined to be a psychotic episode after her parents, who were both Scientologists, convinced her to replace her prescribed anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medication with vitamins obtained from the United States due to their religious beliefs.[35] While they relented three weeks prior to the killings and reintroduced her to the prescription medication, the lapse in medication is believed to have caused the psychotic episode.[35][36] On July 30, 2008, Linda was declared not guilty by reasons of insanity.[37] |
| 2008 | Kaja Bordevich Ballo | Nice, France | Committed suicide after taking the Oxford Capacity Analysis run by the Church of Scientology.[38] She was the daughter of Olav Gunnar Ballo, a member of the Norwegian Parliament.[39] |
See also[]
- Lists of people by cause of death
- List of Scientologists
- List of suicides
- Scientology in Australia#Controversies
- Scientology controversies
- Scientology and the legal system
- Scientology and psychiatry
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Browne, Michael (1998). "Should Germany Stop Worrying and Love the Octopus? Freedom of Religion and the Church of Scientology in Germany and the United States". Indiana International & Comparative Law Review (Indiana University) 9 (1): 155–202.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Frantz, Douglas (December 1, 1997). "Distrust in Clearwater: Death of a Scientologist Heightens Suspicions in a Florida Town". The New York Times (The New York Times Company): p. A1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Burnett, John; Linda Wertheimer, Deborah Amos (March 12, 1997). "Scientology". All Things Considered (National Public Radio).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Morgan, Lucy (December 7, 1997). "For some Scientologists, pilgrimage has been fatal". St. Petersburg Times (Florida): p. 1A.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Editorial (December 9, 1997). "The prosecutor's duty". St. Petersburg Times: p. 14A.
- ↑ Xenophon, Nick (November 18, 2009). "Scientology cult is a criminal organisation". The Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au). http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/scientology-cult-is-a-criminal-organisation-20091118-ikoc.html. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Kemp, Miles (November 19, 2009). "A church under siege". The Adelaide Advertiser (Nationwide News Pty Limited): p. 019.
- ↑ "Church of Scientology responds to Senator Nick Xenophon". The Adelaide Advertiser (www.adelaidenow.com.au). November 18, 2009. http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/church-of-scientology-responds-to-senator-nick-xenophon/story-e6freo8c-1225799278587. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ O'Loughlin, Toni (November 18, 2009). "Scientology faces allegations of torture in Australia". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media Limited). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/18/scientology-torture-allegations-australia. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Bita, Natasha (November 19, 2009). "Police take up Scientology complaints". The Australian (www.theaustralian.com.au). http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/police-take-up-scientology-complaints/story-e6frg6nf-1225799494770. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Ja, Crystal; Steven Johnson (Australian Associated Press) (November 18, 2009). "Govt to move calmly on Scientology: Rudd". Sydney Morning Herald (news.smh.com.au). http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/govt-to-move-calmly-on-scientology-rudd-20091118-ikys.html. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Jones, Tony (May 13, 2010). "Tax status of charities, religions under review". Lateline (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s2899026.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Scientology deaths raise questions". The Tampa Tribune (Tampa, Florida): p. 4. December 8, 1997.
- ↑ Murphy, Damien (December 10, 1987). "Killer leaves trail of carnage". The Age: p. 6.
- ↑ Pitt, Helen (September 16, 1988). "Court sees Video of Queen st Shootings". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ↑ "No rest for the Wicked". The Age: p. 1. November 30, 1997.
- ↑ Pitt, Helen (October 8, 1988). "Inside the mind of a mass murderer". The Sydney Morning Herald: p. Spectrum.
- ↑ Hall, J. (October 4, 1988). "Queen St. Church to blame". The Herald (Australia).
- ↑ Mona Botros and Egmond R. Koch. (April 1997) (in German). Die dunkle Seite von Scientology. Germany: ARD.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Behard, Richard (May 6, 1991). "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power". Time magazine (Time Inc). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972865,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ "Judge dismisses Church of Scientology's $416 million lawsuit against TIME Magazine". Business Wire. July 16, 1996. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_July_16/ai_18489022/. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Tobin, Thomas C. (December 6, 1998). "McPherson Relatives Lead Protest". St. Petersburg Times (Florida).
- ↑ Ellison, Michael (November 23, 1998). "Death in the sunshine state; Three years ago, a minor car crash left Lisa McPherson dead. Now Scientology is in the dock.". The Guardian.
- ↑ Wilson, Mike (August 16, 1997). "Scientology deserves all the bad PR". St. Petersburg Times.
- ↑ Tobin, Thomas C. (June 7, 1998). "'Unique' case of Scientologist's death is still under investigation". St. Petersburg Times.
- ↑ Tobin, Thomas C. (May 9, 1997). "When did she die?". St. Petersburg Times.
- ↑ Marlan, Tori (August 15, 2002). "Death of a Scientologist". Chicago Reader (Chicago, Illinois: Creative Loafing Inc.). http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/death-of-a-scientologist/Content?oid=909370. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ↑ "Bulletin: Male Sophomore Falls to Death". The Tech (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). March 14, 1998. http://tech.mit.edu/Bulletins/green.html. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ↑ Ebner, Mark (April 29, 1999). "Death of a Nethead". New Times Los Angeles (Gawker). http://gawker.com/5061091/death-of-a-nethead. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- ↑ Vitucci, Claire (June 26, 2000). "Scientologist electrocuted: A Church of Scientology member was electrocuted in a bizarre accident Sunday morning in an underground vault at the church's film studio north of San Jacinto, authorities said.". The Riverside Press-Enterprise.
- ↑ Saskal, Rich (June 27, 2000). "Woman's death probed by state". The Riverside Press-Enterprise.
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 Staff (2006-10-28). "Scientology - A Question of Faith: Did A Mother's Faith Contribute To Her Murder?". 48 Hours (CBS News): pp. 1–9. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/25/48hours/main2124568.shtml. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ Stasi, Linda (October 27, 2006). "Scientology Schizo: His Mom's Religion Said, No Meds. That Edict May Have Cost Her Life". New York Post.
- ↑ Baker, Jordan (July 7, 2007). "'It's not her fault, shes sick': Mother's cry after family tragedy". Brisbane Times (www.brisbanetimes.com.au). http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/its-not-her-fault-shes-sick-mothers-cry-after-family-tragedy/2007/07/06/1183351454037.html. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Braithwaithe, David (July 10, 2007). "Scientology cited in killings". The Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au). http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/scientology-denied-daughter-help/2007/07/09/1183833431861.html. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ↑ Welch, Dylan (July 10, 2007). "Scientologists 'flat earthers'". The Sydney Morning Herald (www.smh.com.au). http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/10/1183833476294.html. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ↑ Michael Grove J. (July 30, 2008). "Decision". R v WALICKI [2008] NSWSC 777 (New South Wales Supreme Court). http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/scjudgments/2008nswsc.nsf/6ccf7431c546464bca2570e6001a45d2/19f632af45ea51f1ca2574950013fe2f?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ↑ Berglund, Nina (April 16, 2008). "Police probe suicide linked to Scientologists". Aftenposten (Oslo, Norway). http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2371180.ece. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
- ↑ "Scientology blamed in high-profile suicide". United Press International (www.upi.com). April 16, 2008. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/04/16/Scientology-blamed-in-high-profile-suicide/UPI-71481208365208/. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
Further reading[]
- Marlan, Tori (August 16, 2002). "Death of a Scientologist". Chicago Reader (Chicago, Illinois: Creative Loafing Inc.). http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/death-of-a-scientologist/Content?oid=909370.
- Morgan, Lucy (December 7, 1997). "For some Scientologists, pilgrimage has been fatal". St. Petersburg Times (Florida): p. 1A.
External links[]
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