Retired policeman speaks in Farmville on occult
FARMVILLE -- Juggalos, Wiccans, Satanists and vampires are all subcultures of the occult that are on the periphery of the mainstream.
But the recent quadruple homicide in Farmville at the home of a Longwood University professor has thrust these lifestyles into the headlines.
Don Rimer, a retired member of the Virginia Beach Police Department who studies ritual crime and the occult, spoke yesterday about these cultures and ritual crime to about 100 people at Farmville United Methodist Church.
"This is all about education. This is awareness and recognition about all of these behaviors, and the crimes associated with them," Rimer said, although he was quick to point out that not all people associated with Satanism and the occult are violent criminals.
His four-hour talk drew a diverse crowd to Farmville, where Longwood professor Debra S. Kelley, 53; her estranged husband, Mark Niederbrock, 50; their daughter, Emma Niederbrock, 16; and Melanie Wells, 18, Emma's friend from Inwood, W.Va., were found bludgeoned to death Sept. 18 in Kelley's home.
Emma Niederbrock met Richard Samuel Alden McCroskey III of Castro Valley, Calif., the man charged with six counts of capital murder in the killings, online through a mutual interest in horrorcore rap music. Emma Niederbrock and Kelley attended the church where yesterday's workshop was held.
While the instructional talk was aimed at educating community members about different religions, it had other purposes, too. "It's about healing and understanding," said Nancy Haga, a church member.
Wanda Whitus said the September slayings served as a wake-up call to the community. "This is really happening in our society," she said.
Several members of the Farmville Town Council attended Rimer's presentation. Councilman David Whitus said he was unfamiliar with some of these subcultures before the September killings, and he attended to learn more.
Rimer didn't specifically address the Farmville killings, but he discussed the growing group called the Juggalos, followers of the horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse. Two Juggalos were charged in last month's slaying of a New Hampshire woman who was killed with a machete and knife.
On one of McCroskey's MySpace pages, he referred to himself as "a juggalo," and a video posted on his YouTube page that was filmed inside his California bedroom shows at least one large Insane Clown Posse poster on the wall. In his own music, posted on a MySpace page under the stage name "Syko Sam," McCroskey rapped about murder and mutilation.
These subcultures "survive and prosper because their ceremonies are filled with secrets, sins and sex," Rimer said. "Their rules are mysterious and elaborate."
Rimer has immersed himself in these cultures, observing their rituals and conducting interviews. He said teenagers may spiral from dabbling in these cultures to acting out violently..
"By educating people and coming together as a community, we can help prevent tragic endings for any of our young people," said the Rev. Sylvia S. Meadows, pastor of Farmville United Methodist Church. "Be aware of when they are in need, [we] can intervene and offer them the support networks they need to have healthy lifestyles."
Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or
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Reader Reactions
I really enjoy reading how this crime has been pinned on ‘Juggalos’ and Music. There for everyone is basing this on an appearance and something you listen to when you buy cd’s from a store. Juggalos for one are not a ‘cult’ of any kind. They are simply a family. What good is it going to do to pin this on music and a music genre when people should be able to know right from wrong themselves? Obviously he sung about it, but Sam should have known better. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. To up and blame it on a genre and music is really stupid. You people look like idiots. “Horrorcore made him do this!“ NO IT DIDN’T! He did this act on his own and now he has to pay for it. This is no one elses fault but his own. Don’t go saying it was the music because that is way immature.
I totally agree. And another thing, when these kids do find an outlet, and can makes friends, things like this happen, and everyone criticizes what they’ve done, when technically all they’ve done is what they’ve been told to do. Make friends, and find something to calm yourself. Remember back when in Kindergarten when the teachers always said it was okay to be different, and that no one was the same? Well they lied. I accept this very much so BUT i mean you pierce your face, and have tattoos, or dye your hair a funky color, maybe even dress a little funky & everyone wants to criticize you. Most of these Unfair, and Undeserving titles, and looks will never go away, but these outlets deserve more respect. They really do save people.
Good points. I understand that most people in a group like this are not violent. I teach in a local high school. I can definitely understand what drives some of the students into fringe groups. I see the day by day stuff, but you can’t see the homes, the social lives outside of school. Some kids share things…others don’t. In addition, I’m a science teacher, not a therapist. Some times you wish you could just reach into their world and fix all of the stuff that is messed up. Honestly, it just gets real uncomfortable when people are going off into these kinds of things, because as I said, you can’t always tell what is going on inside of them.
I can see where you’re coming from, but again i’ll say this. The music is a metaphor, a game if you will. People who have been humiliated time after time, and are criticized to the point they just wish the people that have done these things to them would die. Hate to put it bluntly but that’s how some teens feel. But again it’s them & their Parents responsibility to understand that this music is a fantasy world, a way to NONVIOLENTLY let out your emotions. And another thing is that if you actually listen to the lyrics of these bands is about love, friendship, etc…you just have to look, and THINK. That’s why i like this music, it makes you use your brain, it doesn’t just brainwash you.
Jugalette…there is one big difference between the Christian example you use and those he is describing. They are a part of a culture that openly talks about performing acts which cause death and sings about death. Usually we sing about love, friends, family…good times in general. It is abnormal to sing about murder as an ongoing theme. Music is your release. When your release is focused on the detriment of others, society should look at it. It is wise. People should be aware that there is a culture focused on this. What if there was a culture that sings songs about sexual acts toward children? What if the songs describe performing the acts and how much they enjoy performing these acts or 3, 4 and 5 year olds. Sound sick? Yes…to most people singing about murder over and over sounds sick, especially singing about doing the murder, not just about a murder that occurred one time. This is what is being represented here. I would want to know the signs that someone on my street is listening to this stuff.
I must agree with Iggy. And I agree that the officer too has his right to free speech. What I don’t understand is why everyone must find a scapegoat to blame these things on. Of course Attention getters do get well…attention, which is what most want. I mean think about it, a christian goes out & kills someone and it’s just a murder case. But someone that’s even suspected as a Wiccan, or satanist,etc does, then the entire religion is called a cult & given a bad reputation. I Personally am fed up with this never ending dogma. Juggalos are a family, I would know, i am a Proud Juggalette, They’re just a group of misfit kids who want someone they can count on & relate to. The “Vampire” kids usually just think it looks cool. Most of these things are just teen fun, & games it’s up to the parents to keep an eye on their children. I mean if one person of a group takes something seriously, and its not a game, or a “metaphor” any longer, the entire group shouldn’t be punished for the actions of one irresponsible person. And 9 times out of 10 these problems could be avoided if family & friends watched after each other.
jh28 is right…. EVERY single one of my friends listened to OZZY, Motley Crue, JP, Iron Maiden. None of my friends commited suicide, none of them have taken another persons life in cold blood. None of them have ever been arrested. (for a violent crime that is, lol). I have worked closely with mentally disturbed people, I was a Paramedic in Richmond, The bottom line is, if someone has an underlying mental disorder the music MAY bring it out. It is not the musicians fault anymore than it is the Producers of Law and Order SVU if someone takes one of their plot Ideas and rapes a little girl. NORMAL human beings can determine the difference between right and wrong. That is the job of the parents, teachers, spiritual leaders, social workers etc. to teach the individual in early stages of life to be able to tell the difference, or to determine if the individual is mentally disturbed so they can be treated properly. Instead we have parents abusing their children, selling them as prostitutes. (the recent woman in NC) or parents just plain ignoring their children. Spiritual leaders, teachers, and other public authority figures seducing, raping, or hurting children in other ways. A child will do what it takes to get attention (good or bad) if this behavior is never corrected it will continue into adulthood. WE ALL need to focus on how we raise our children, rather than what the local radio station is playing. If an individual doesn’t know it is not right to attack someone with a machete because they dumped them then SHAME on that persons PARENTS just as much as that person!!!
This is just the 2009 rehash of the 1980s when every parent tried to blame their child’s suicide on Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest. Just recycling itself again. If the music were that powerful, a lot more then 2 people that heard it would kill someone.
So you have now removed blame from the guy, and his parents inability to raise him properly, and placed it on the musicians and the father of the victim. I see no logic in any of this, sorry.
Sorry guys, but I generally disagree. There is some culpability in the music. The music encourages violent behavior. I see it as no different than a group of people encouraging a fight. They are culpable in the fight. It doesn’t mean there were not other factors, but encouraging extreme violence has a psychological effect on people. If you read some of the posts that were put on the murder guys youtube video, there were comments like: she must have cheated on him because you only do this if they cheat. It was written by another murderRap groupee. The bottom line is that the father of this girl was an idiot for letting his daughter get involved in this stuff and the music led them all to their death. Some people in these groups are going to take it seriously. There is no doubt about it. And while they would have had these tendencies outside of the music, the music brings the images and descriptions to them day after day. It has an effect.
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