On Saturday evening, January 8, 2005, in Tucson, Arizona, Angela M. Smith (51) was brutally murdered by Ricky P. Rodriguez (29), who later that night committed suicide. Angela Smith and Ricky Rodriguez were both former members of the Family International (formerly the Children of God/COG).
Ricky Rodriguez was the son of the spiritual head of the Family, Karen Zerby, known in the Family as Maria David. He had left the Family on good terms in 2000, but later became estranged from his mother and sister. He then posted bitter complaints about his upbringing in the Family on several internet sites, and in one of those posts, threatened to kill his mother. Unable to discover his mother's location, he apparently settled on murdering Angela, who had in the past lived with her.
Angela visited Tucson in early January, at which time Ricky invited her out to dinner. After dinner she went with him to his apartment, where he murdered her. He then drove to Blythe, California, where he shot himself. The day prior to the crime, Ricky had made a chilling videotape in which he makes reference to his intent to kill Angela.
These events received substantial news coverage in the U.S., much of which attempted to place blame for Ricky's actions on either his upbringing in the Family or Angela Smith, whom he had known since his childhood. With this in mind we have created this resource of links and websites that portray a side to this story which has been largely overlooked and provides a balanced picture of our organization.
This is the official statement from the Family International concerning these events. It covers topics such as:
The Ricky Rodriguez memorial website remembers Ricky as he was before his estrangement from his family. It contains memories from those who knew and lived with him, a photo history of his life, a eulogy written by his mother, and a section dealing with the topic of suicide from a theological perspective.
Angela Smith's life is lovingly remembered at her memorial website. It contains many pages of happy memories from her friends, family, and acquaintances, a eulogy, and photo gallery.
The Family Dossier contains in-depth information on our group. Points of interest are:
MyConclusion.com was created by second-generation members of the Family International. Its primary purpose is to serve as a forum for second generation members to present their feelings and views. In their words:
"Our faith, lifestyle, and upbringing have been viciously slandered after a tragedy involving two of our former members. This website is designed to give us a public medium so that we can have a voice and our voice can be heard. We invite you to get a first-hand picture of the individuals that make up the second generation of this movement by reading the letters you will find here."
Photos are available at:
If you have any questions or comments, we invite you to contact us at one of the following addresses:
The Family International
PMB 102
2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20006â1846
USA
Call in the USA at:
1 (800) 4âAâFAMILY [1 (800) 423â2645], or
1 (202) 298â0838
E-mail: publicaffairs@thefamily.org
The Family International
Maxet House
Liverpool Road
Luton, LU1 1RS
England
E-mail: info@thefamilyeurope.org