
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 3, 1993                   TAG: 9305030136
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From The Associated Press and Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WACO, TEXAS                                LENGTH: Medium

BULLET TO FOREHEAD KILLED CULT'S LEADER, AUTHORITIES REPORT

Cult leader David Koresh apparently died of a bullet between the eyes before the fiery end of a standoff with authorities that killed scores of his followers, authorities said Sunday in announcing they had recovered his body.

Koresh's badly burned body was found in the ashes of the Branch Davidian compound, Justice of the Peace David Pareya said.

Koresh's skull had been broken into pieces.

Authorities would not say if Koresh, 33, had been killed or if he committed suicide. The bullet wound was in the center of his forehead, authorities said.

Dick DeGuerin, Koresh's attorney, said late Sunday he didn't know if his client would have commmitted suicide.

"I'm not surprised nor am I shocked by the thought that someone, or more than one individual, decided to end their life painlessly," DeGuerin said.

Authorities did not say at what point before the fire Koresh died.

His body was pulled from the compound on April 22, but it took several days to piece his skull together, Pareya said.

"The condition of the body was about the condition of the rest of the bodies that were there: extensive burning," he said.

His body was identified through X-rays and dental molds, Pareya said. It was in the room next to the kitchen, which served as communication headquarters, said Justice of the Peace James Collier.

Unlike his followers, who died mingled with one another, Koresh died alone, Collier said.

A deadly fire destroyed the Branch Davidian compound on April 19, after a 51-day siege with federal agents. The fire began several hours after agents sent tanks into the compound to dispense tear gas.

Independent investigators said cult members lit the fire, although some of the nine survivors said agents started it when a tank knocked over a lantern.

Koresh's body was the sixth to be publicly identified by investigators. All showed evidence of being shot. Nine others have been tentatively identified, although the identities were not released, Pareya said.

by CNB