Ricky Rodriguez

Ricky Rodriquez, aka Davidito (legal names: Richard Peter Rodriguez, Richard Peter Smith and David Moses Zerby) (January 25, 1975 - January 8, 2005) was an ex-member of the Children of God (CoG) when he committed a murder-suicide in 2005.

Related Topics:
January 25 - 1975 - January 8 - Children of God

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Rodriguez was born in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. He was the natural son of Karen Zerby and a Spanish hotel employee whom she "FFed". He was considered to be the adopted son of David Berg, Zerby's partner and leader of the CoG, although no official adoption ever took place. Rodriguez later developed a deep-seated resentment towards Berg and Zerby, because of the alleged sexual abuse he felt had suffered as a child and the unconventional upbringing, although his sister with whom he grew up does not hold the same views.

Related Topics:
Tenerife - Canary Islands - Karen Zerby - FFed - David Berg

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The group published a childcare manual in January 1982 that described the education, home life, and care of Rodriguez. The 700-page book also included a dozen or so photographs depicting the child engaged in sexual play with his governesses, particularly Sara (also known as Sara Davidito, Sara Kelley, or Prisca Kelley). This book was removed from circulation and reprinted without the offending pages. Copies of the original still exist in the collections of former members who have given them to law enforcement agencies. Some pages have been posted on the Internet here: Story Of Davidito

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The extent to which Rodriguez was subject to inappropriate sexual activity is disputed. In a 1994 interview with David Millikan, regarding the incidents recorded in the "Story of Davidito", Rodriguez said, "People feel that the sexual activities I had ocurred so much more than it really did. They believe it had a bigger emphasis and played a greater part than it did. If they think my early life revolved around sex it's going to seem very weird, but I know this wasn't the case, so it was not such a big deal to me." Millikan also writes: "I pointed out to him that under most legal definitions of sexual abuse, Sara and the other women who participated in sex with him would be found guilty." In "Sex, Slander and Salvation, Larry Lilliston wrote: "The Davidito book does relate David's early witnessing of sexual behavior and encouragement to explore his own sexuality, and while these experiences would be characterized as sexually abusive or neglectful by most child abuse experts, there is no report of his having been actively molested or abused by adults. Moreover, there is no evidence of long-term negative effects on David. The first author, a clinical child psychologist with thirty years of experience, recently administered a psychological evaluation to David, who is now nineteen, and found him to be a bright, well-adjusted, and emotionally strong young man."

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Rodriguez wrote an article on the Web site MovingOn.org in which he describes Berg's deviant sexual activity involving a number of women and children.

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When Rodriguez grew to adulthood he left the group, married Elixcia Munumel (his girlfriend who left with him). In September 2004, after separating from his wife, he moved to Tucson, Arizona and worked as an electrician. According to accounts by his friends and relatives, he moved there because he heard his mother had visited and he wanted to find her, her location being secret even to him, due to his speaking out about his childhood. In January 2005, he arranged a meeting with a former associate of his mother's who was involved in his childhood sexual experiences Angela Smith (formerly Susan Joy Kauten) and stabbed her to death in his apartment. He then drove to Blythe, California where he shot himself in the head. He released a video to be distributed to friends, family and former members explaining his actions. According to an article in the New York Times, in the video, "he said he saw himself as a vigilante avenging children like him and his sisters who had been subject to rapes and beatings." "There's this need that I have," he said. "It's not a want. It's a need for revenge. It's a need for justice, because I can't go on like this." "Murder and Suicide Reviving Claims of Child Abuse in Cult, Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, January 15, 2005. pg. A-1.

Related Topics:
Tucson, Arizona - Blythe, California - New York Times

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