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Yahweh ben YAHWEH

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 


Born: Hulon Mitchell Jr.
 
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Leader of the religious sect Nation of Yahweh
Number of victims: 0 - 23
Date of murders: 1980's
Date of birth: October 27, 1935
Victims profile: White people
Method of murder: Beating - ???
Location: Florida, USA
Status: 18-year federal prison sentence for a racketeering conspiracy conviction stemming from his role in up to 23 killings. Released in 2001. Died in 2007
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Yahweh ben Yahweh, born and legally named Hulon Mitchell Jr. (October 27, 1935 - May 7, 2007), was the leader of the religious sect Nation of Yahweh.

Before the Nation

Hulon Mitchell Jr. was born the first of fifteen children in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His father was a Pentecostal minister who emphasized the Book of Exodus in his preachings. His childhood was one of relative poverty made worse by marginalization caused by Jim Crow laws.

After a period of military service and a period as a psychology major at an Enid, Oklahoma university, he became interested in spiritual movements. He also became interested in the Civil Rights movement organizing sit-ins in Oklahoma. Although he quickly grew disillusioned with this and as "Yahweh ben Yahweh" he denounced Martin Luther King Jr. as "that dead dog preacher."

This led to a growing interest in black nationalism and some study of the Nation of Islam. He later studied other groups as well and by the late 1970s pronounced himself "Yahweh ben Yahweh", meaning "the LORD Son of the LORD," Yahweh being related to the Tetragrammaton, or the name for God in the Hebrew Bible. He was married and had four children, and was divorced by the time his religious sect was founded.

Leader of Nation of Yahweh

The religious sect set up its headquarters in Liberty City, Florida. As Yahweh ben Yahweh he emphasized a mixture of racial supremacy and violent separatism.

God was black and blacks would become powerful through him. He also emphasized whites and particularly Jews as infidels and oppressors. Lastly he increasingly emphasized loyalty to himself. He ultimately cultivated a loyalty extreme enough that members apparently pledged to kill his enemies.

To become a member of the inner circle of his organization, applicants had to kill a "white devil" and bring Mitchell a body part - an ear, nose or finger - as proof of the kill. Between April and October 1986, according to court papers, Mitchell's "Death Angels" descended on Miami frequently to kill random white people.

His group took over a series of buildings in Miami. These buildings allowed for the level of black separatism he encouraged. He became the living messianic ruler in this culture. As ruler he is said to have been absolute and theocratic. Those who dissented could face beatings or, allegedly, death.

Still at the time his business and charity efforts earned him respect in the community. The mayor of Miami, Florida declared October 7, 1990, "Yahweh ben Yahweh Day." This occurred a month before his indictment for his crimes.

Crimes and aftermath

Although his followers remained devoted to him, by the 1990s he was in trouble with the law. From 1990 until his release on September 26, 2001, he served 11 years of an 18-year sentence on a RICO conviction after he and several other Nation of Yahweh members were convicted of conspiracy in more than a dozen murders. He was acquitted of first degree murder charges in 1992.

A court document description states the following:

Racketeering Act 5: Homicide of Leonard Dupree. Because Dupree was known to be a karate expert, Yahweh openly challenged him to fight Lightburn, the Yahwehs' resident martial-arts expert. The two men squared off in front of about 30-60 Yahweh onlookers. Dupree quickly knocked Lightburn down, at which point Yahweh ordered all present, including Ingraham and Maurice, to attack Dupree. Ingraham struck Dupree in the face with a tire jack. Dupree was literally beaten to death. During the struggle, Gaines locked the doors of the Temple at Yahweh's request. Yahweh allowed no one to leave and made everyone, including women and children, strike and kick Dupree's lifeless body. Dupree's body has never been found.

Yahweh Ben Yahweh was released on parole in 2001 and returned to Miami, but his activities were strongly restricted until a few months before his death. He was prohibited from reconnecting with his old congregation. To assure this he was restricted from any form of speech by telephone, computer, radio or television that could place him in contact with any congrgational members.

In 2006, as he became increasingly ill with prostate cancer, his attorney Jayne Weintraub petitioned the U.S. District Court for his release from parole in order to permit him to "die with dignity".

A ruling on a failed appeal, U.S. v. Yahweh Ben Yahweh (792 F. Supp. 104) starts:

Violent crime cases are the exception in federal courts. The instant case is arguably the most violent case ever tried in a federal court: the indictment charges the sixteen defendants on trial with 14 murders by means such as beheading, stabbing, occasionally by pistol shots, plus severing of body parts such as ears to prove the worthiness of the killer. They were also charged with arson of a slumbering neighborhood using molotov cocktails. The perpetrators were ordered to wait outside the innocent victims' homes wearing ski masks and brandishing machetes to deter the victims from fleeing the flames.

However, his lawyers’ attempt to end the conditions for his parole eventually succeeded.

Yahweh ben Yahweh only faced conviction for conspiracy. The testimony of Robert Rozier played a key role in that. Mr. Rozier is a former NFL player, who admitted to several of the murders and testified against Hulon Mitchell Jr., in return for a lighter sentence. Rozier is currently serving a 25-to-life sentence under California's three strikes law as he was later charged (after the Nation of Yahweh ordeal) with writing bad checks.

Yahweh ben Yahweh died May 7th, 2007 from prostate cancer.

Wikipedia.org

 
 

The Nation of Yahweh is a predominantly African American religious group that is the most controversial offshoot of the Black Hebrew Israelites line of thought. They were founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell, Jr., who went by the name Yahweh ben Yahweh.

Their goal is to return African Americans, whom they see as the original Israelites, to Israel. The group departs from mainstream Christianity and Judaism by accepting Yahweh ben Yahweh as the son of god. In this way, their beliefs are unique and distinct from that of other known Black Hebrew Israelite groups.

The group has engendered controversy due to legal issues of its founder and has also faced accusations of being a black supremacist cult by the Southern Poverty Law Center and The Miami Herald.

The SPLC has criticized the beliefs of the Nation of Yahweh as racist, stating that the group believed blacks are "the true Jews" and that whites were "white devils." They also claim the group believed Yahweh ben Yahweh had a Messianic mission to vanquish whites and that they held views similar to the Christian Identity movement. They quote Tom Metzger of White Aryan Resistance as saying groups like theirs are "the black counterpart of us."

The Anti-Defamation League has criticized the Nation of Yahweh and some other Black Hebrew sects, stating, "In 1987, ADL reported on Black sects holding these views [arguing that today's Jews are not the "chosen people" described in the Bible, ... instead that the label applies to people of African descent], such as the Yahwehs and the Original African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem.

Today, this form of Black supremacy is promoted on the Web by the 12 Tribes of Israel site, which cites hundreds of Biblical passages to prove that Blacks are the children of Israel and whites the Satanic offspring of Esau."

Despite the recent death of their leader the Nation of Yahweh is still active. Its members also claim to have abandoned their past racism and the leader's daughter has apparently stated that all people are children of God.

An attorney and member of the group, Wendelyn Rush, insists their current war with the U.S. government is a non-violent verbal battle. The group is currently spread throughout the US and is no longer concentrated in one location (formerly Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA). They claim that their present literature downplays and has nearly erased all past racism.

However, the Southern Poverty Law Center quotes an instructor at Christopher Newport University who disagrees: "They're still distributing all their original tracts, so I don't know how they're going to get away from the hate message."

The Nation of Yahweh is perhaps best known nationally for its purchase of infomercial time. The Nation airs a weekly half-hour program on stations across the United States, usually on weekends during little-watched early morning hours, that combines Biblical study along with discussion of the Nation itself.

Wikipedia.org

 
 

Yahweh Ben Yahweh, former cult leader linked to over 20 gruesome killings, dead at 71

International Herald Tribune - IHT.com

May 8, 2007

MIAMI: Former cult leader Yahweh Ben Yahweh, who was linked to nearly two dozen gruesome killings in the 1980s and said to have ordered victims' ears cut off as proof they were killed, has died, his attorney said Tuesday. He was 71.

Yahweh, who had been fighting prostate cancer, died in his sleep Monday night, attorney Jayne Weintraub said.

The self-proclaimed "Black Messiah" founded the Nation of Yahweh and preached religious separatism for blacks. At the group's height, it claimed thousands of followers in Miami and elsewhere.

The group was praised for its rehabilitation of Miami neighborhoods, promotion of family values and stance against drugs. But Yahweh was later accused of sending close followers to kill "white devils" and bring back body parts as proof.

He served 11 years of an 18-year federal prison sentence for a racketeering conspiracy conviction stemming from his role in up to 23 killings and was released from prison in September 2001. He was never convicted on murder charges.

"Yahweh Ben Yahweh will always be remembered for the many charitable contributions he made ... as exemplified when he received a key to the city of Miami," Weintraub said in a statement. "Yahweh will be remembered and mourned by the millions of people that he touched through prayer and teachings."

Yahweh was born Hulon Mitchell Jr. in Oklahoma. The eldest of 15 children, he became a preacher in Oklahoma, Weintraub said. He married and had four children but divorced before moving to Miami in the late 1970s, she said.

In Miami he changed his name to the Hebrew words for "God, son of God." He also opened a headquarters, the Temple of Love, in the Liberty City area as well as a nearby education center, and his followers often dressed completely in white.

Ultimately, his group built a modest empire of businesses — motels, restaurants, homes and stores — said at the time to be worth $8 million (€5.9 million). They became known for cleaning up blighted areas, Yahweh was honored for his work. Miami's mayor declared a Yahweh Ben Yahweh Day in 1990.

But authorities said they uncovered another, violent side to the group.

Two residents who resisted the group's 1986 takeover of a drug-infested apartment complex were allegedly shot. Ex-members turned up dead, and a Delray Beach neighborhood was bombed after residents and Yahweh's followers butted heads during a recruiting effort there.

Prosecutors said Yahweh also had an inner circle of group members called "The Brotherhood" or "death angels" that had to killed someone to join the group. He was indicted with other Yahweh members in 1990, shortly after the day honoring him.

During his five-month trial in 1992, Yahweh dressed in white robes and a turban and often quoted the Bible. His sister and nephew testified that he ordered men, women and children to join in the beating death of sect member. An ex-member testified he ordered another follower executed for gossiping but spared his life after drawing blood with a machete.

Police officers, however, were among those who testified in his defense, Weintraub said. Ultimately, Yahweh and six others were convicted in the case.

In 1992 he was also indicted and tried in state court on first-degree murder charges, of which he was acquitted.

He was released early from parole supervision earlier this year.

His attorneys said at the time that he had advanced cancer and wanted to die with dignity, and his doctor wrote that he was unable to walk as a result of the disease. Prosecutors had argued that even though he was ailing he was still a threat.

 
 

Yahweh Ben Yahweh; Led Violent Cult

By Matt Schudel - The Washington Post

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Yahweh Ben Yahweh, who had a following of thousands as the leader of a violent black supremacist sect in Miami and who later spent years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder, died May 7 of prostate cancer at his home in Opa-Locka, Fla. He was 71.

Mr. Yahweh, a charismatic speaker known for his flowing white robes and jeweled turbans, explored various religious fringe groups before forming his sect in Miami in 1979. He controlled a multimillion-dollar business empire that included schools, grocery stores and real estate and once claimed to have 20,000 followers in 45 cities.

Calling himself the "Original Jew," Mr. Yahweh adopted a name that means "God, the son of God" in Hebrew. He said he and his disciples were the true descendants of a long-lost tribe of Israel.

From the beginning, however, Mr. Yahweh's group was associated with an intimidating style that often crossed into violence and murder. He railed against "white devils" and proclaimed himself the messiah: "All who receive me shall be saved from immorality and death."

Still, he managed to cultivate an image as a well-meaning, if eccentric, community builder. Mr. Yahweh helped clean up blighted neighborhoods and, at least among his followers, restored a sense of order to a crumbling social structure. Children studied Hebrew and recited the names of chemical elements and countries.

He spoke to crowds of thousands around the country and received the blessings of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. In 1987, the Miami Urban League gave Mr. Yahweh its highest humanitarian award, and its president pronounced him "an inspiration to the entire community."

Never lacking in confidence or self-esteem, Mr. Yahweh once addressed a group of Miami business leaders: "Egypt has her pyramids. India has her Taj Mahal. France has her Eiffel Tower. Miami has the son of Yahweh. The world's greatest attraction is in your midst. I'm here."

In October 1990, Miami Mayor Xavier L. Suarez declared a Yahweh Ben Yahweh Day. A month later, Mr. Yahweh was indicted on federal racketeering and conspiracy charges. He was linked to 14 killings, two attempted slayings and the terrorist-style bombing of an entire block in Delray Beach, Fla., where residents had roughed up some of his white-robed supporters.

When Mr. Yahweh went to trial in 1992, he was defended by former federal judge and current U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-Fla.). During the trial, lurid details of life in the sect emerged.

Among other things, Mr. Yahweh controlled the clothing, food and sex lives of the people in his group. Twice married and divorced earlier in life, he took many of his young female followers to his bed.

"We may be rabbis and nuns here," he told the New York Times with a wide smile, "but we don't believe in celibacy."

Mr. Yahweh was surrounded by a group of bodyguards called the Circle of 10, each armed with a six-foot wooden staff. Members of an inner circle called the Brotherhood were, according to the federal indictment, required to kill a white person and deliver a severed head or ear to Mr. Yahweh as proof.

Onetime professional football player Robert Rozier, a close associate who confessed to killing seven people, testified for the prosecution. Mr. Yahweh was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and acquitted of racketeering charges.

He was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and was released on parole in 2001 after serving nine. By court order, he could have no communication with any of his onetime disciples.

Mr. Yahweh, whose given name was Hulon Mitchell Jr., was born in Kingfisher, Okla., the oldest of 13 children. A sister, Leona Mitchell, went on to become a renowned soprano with New York's Metropolitan Opera. In interviews, she has not discussed her brother.

Mr. Yahweh graduated from Phillips University in Enid, Okla., served in the Air Force and studied law at the University of Oklahoma. He later moved to Chicago, where as Hulon Shah, he became involved with the Nation of Islam.

He later reportedly received a master's degree in economics from Atlanta University and began preaching as "Father Michel." Moving to Orlando, he styled himself as "Brother Love" before settling in Miami and adopting his new life.

In 1987, Mr. Yahweh's father, a Pentecostal preacher, spoke to a reporter from the St. Petersburg Times in Florida.

"I was there when he was born, holding his mama's hand," he said. "You can't get closer than that, and he is not the son of God."

Mr. Yahweh had four children and at least six grandchildren. After his release from prison, he lived alone, working as a landscaper.

 

 

 
 
 
 
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