Episode 5: Never Can You Run

School of Humans. This show follows the investigation of serial murders and contains material that may be disturbing. Listener discretion advised.

Late October twenty twelve, the trees were just beginning to bud. A series of homicides were now sending shockwaves through the small town of Krugerstorp, South Africa. The local papers run stories about satanic murders, citing police reports of brutal, seemingly ceremonial scenes. No charges were ever filed against Ria Grunevald, but as the trees blossomed, so did the doubts and

I was murdered. I couldn't and I looked. I didn't have to part with it because it feels like everybody in ron Jews keeping money.

Believing that Zach was devastated, Luke stuck around to help his friend grieve the loss of his wife, even if it meant staying in the same house where she was killed. Luke found Zach to be strangely unaffected by his wife's murder.

That the man didn't even cry about his wife.

Everyone had loved Michaela, Luke concluded. In her absence, Luke found himself slowly drawn into Cecilia's orbit. Then one day she popped the question.

She asked me, do you think zackscribable of murder?

Luke had growing doubts about Zach, but not enough to label him a murderer.

Saw below. I don't know, I don't think so, I don't know.

Cecilia assured him that Zach was a loyal soldier in her army, willing to do whatever it took to carry out God's word.

So she told me about how he killed Pendson with the X namon started every care program.

Right before his unbelieving eyes, it re enacted the murder. Luke was horrified. His worst fears confirmed his friend Zach was indeed a killer, and now Luke was suddenly profoundly scared for his own life. He'd gotten too close to Cecilia, and like Mikayla, he also knew too much.

And then the whole things started to make sense to you. What's going on and all every boys.

Involved from School of Humans and iHeart Podcasts. This is Queen Havoc and her murder cult. I'm your host, Kurt Kubachak, Episode five, Never Can You Run. One night in Cecilia's small, dimly little apartment, Zach Valentine tells the group he's received a sign, a vision just like the one Cecilia had about Natasha Ria Grunivald's son, Joshua should be their next target. Then Marinda chimes in. Turns out she also received a

So they cornered me, and they say that I must be Zach's right hand man. I must help him to murder Joshua.

In a matter of months, Zach had evolved from husband, friend and frequent host to a cold, calculating murderer, and Luke was being groomed to join their sadistic form of worship. To Cecilia's steying, I keep.

Myself cool that in the inside I was ripped the thought and day's night time to go with cry and stuff. Then I must get into this guide, thinking and praying every night how to avoid this.

Luke was having a crisis, realizing that his initial impulse to infiltrate the group was a bit naive. He placed himself in the crosshairs of real killers, and by the time he came face to face with this reality, the one in which he might very likely be murdered, he was in too deep. Now he was spending his nights in Zach's passenger seat, stalking their next victim and trying desperately to think of ways to thwart Zach.

Every night they went through and spied on this guy. Are we What's talk? A couple of times, driving to his house, and then he played volleyball day in Randburgh.

Jana Marx's book describes EPD placing hidden cameras in the trees outside Joshua's home. One evening, Zach trailed him into a bar and slipped something in his drink. J Zach's dismay. It seemed to have no effect, but they were getting closer and the walls were closing in on.

Luke to Nithis tonight, They're gonna kill him and then I'll just come up with excuses or all do anything in my pala to something.

When Joshua's active, outgoing lifestyle made him hard to track, EPD decided to try the same tactic they'd used with Ben Dixon. They would make an appointment. Luke made the first call to Internet Solutions, the company Joshua worked for, and requested a house call, but Luke couldn't get him to nail down a time, which makes sense. Joshua worked in systems, I not a help desk. So Marinda tried next.

I was doing everything in my power that I've worked with people. Luckily they believed all the bullshit I feeded them. It's almost like a split personality in the day when I'm with him, I'm this type of person, but I'm myself in.

Horrible Meanwhile, Joshua had become a bit suspicious something about this onslaught of house call requests felled off. Luke wanted no part in the murder, so he tried to get out of it by having an honest conversation with Cecilia. Luke thought he was dealing with a rational mind, and how do you think Cecilia responded well? She returned to scripture reminded them that they were God's soldiers, following in

You know, I started thinking like his wife ing it up.

Now, both Luke and Joshua's only hope for survival depended on Luke's bravery. He desperately needed to collect evidence to prove they were planning this murder. Then he could go to the police, but he had to do it before the hammers, knives, and axes came out for him.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I just paid and I asked the Lord. It gave me strength and everything and league meet because I'm gonna get caught. I'm gonna die like Makaya.

Court hearings revealed that Cecilia ordered LaRue to dig three graves, all in different locations. That way, EPD had options for where to bury Joshua's body. Luke, the infiltrator, was in over his head.

You are so scared, but you can't sherwance. She needed Suffici reaching in your insight, because if they can get a glimpse of something, especially as a cilio, is that it's game over for you.

All systems were go, and Luke wanted out despite his ever present fears, Luke kept searching for evidence to incriminate the members of EPD. He needed hard proof. Luckily, finding it didn't take too long.

The person that murdered McKayla, who Wonner White a we equipland and I found that thing Zacks couplet.

It was time Luke went to the police.

We ne got very hot. That's when I wented it.

The tip of that detective is Colonel the Yager, the one who was so fixated on the Satanic angle. The Yager was Luke's only contact in the Cruise Door Police at this time.

So I met this colonel one day and he gave me a type recorder because if they can get the confession on tape, it's a media erased.

It's now December twenty twelve, summer in South Africa. Dusk. Luke is now working under cover for the police, summoning all the courage he can muster. His plan is to record the killers from EPD, get them to confess to all four murders, Natasha and Joy, Pastor Reginald Bendixon and MICHAELA. Valentine. Once he gets them on tape, he'll step outside of Cassana Flats and signal to the police. At least those are the orders Luke's been given.

I had a pocketing my least rom of my biker jacket. The recorder was face.

He arrives at Cecilia's place. Nothing out of the order. They meet their regularly. Luke plays it cool at first. He has a plan to get them talking.

I leaded this whole conversation, and we spoke about everything.

You know, Luke reaches the subject of murder. It's a risky move. He asks how they did it. True to their nature as amateur cutthroats, Cecilia, Zach, and Mirinda openly confess, boasting about the kills.

What everyone day. I got everybody to confess about the murders and everything, and I planned the next murder.

That's right, all four murders, and the plans to kill Rhea's son Joshua. As the night wears on, a bad feeling creeps over Luke. This shroud of anxiety and adrenaline peeks as he looks around the room and he realizes Zach is missing.

While I was talking to Cecilia, we saw this appeared. And now are they work? And you just a little voice, he said, Bryan. He just just toat your stuff and go, Just get out of here.

Luke immediately wonders, did I ask too many questions? Is a silly onomy? Is Zach out there waiting for me in the dark?

No, I knew, what's my time?

I need to go now, Luke makes up a reason for why he has to bow out for the night. With the tape still rolling in his pocket, Luke steps outside. You have expects a flurry of police activity, but the night is quiet.

Now wein' outside leaves the y and he was indeed Haldin. I added one and one to gear.

Luke stands at the top of the Casana Flats complex steps. His breath quickens. On his way down the stairs, he glimpses a sign that reads danger. It's a private property sign. He's read it a million times, but this time it's different. That's when Luke hears that little voice once again.

I turned from my life. I was almost murdered th line.

First, he had to go back to Zach and Michaela's to get his stuff, but he only had his motorcycle.

So I got on my bike. I'll drive his Zack's house.

Fear rushes through him as he steps in his Zach's apartment. Zach isn't there, thank god. Luke springs into action, calling a friend to come get him. While he grabs what he can took.

Almost stuff like the get he like a split segund.

In his panic, he can't seem to find his ID card and some other personal documents. Could Zach have stolen them? Anything is possible with discord. Soon his friend pulls up and Luke sneaks out the back door. He jumps in the car and frantically tells his friend to drive fast. He's alive and that's what matters.

When I just got out of the gate into the bush. The worth the costs coming in? You know where mad your time course Montan.

After Michaela's murder, Detective Suset Kenotse was brought onto the case. With her background in the occult related Crimes unit, the department thought it was only apt for her to evaluate these suspected Satanic slayings and lend her expertise. Unlike Colonel di Yager and Captain ben Vick, Detective Susette didn't put much faith in the notion that Satanists were killing innocent people. She thought it was far more mundane than that. But

I were sitting like in a half circle around the table, and obviously I found that kind of odd. She told me they are praying because Celia is a which she can hear everything that Ria says. So while these people sit there praying, Celia will not be able to year.

Ria was wary of Detective suseid you could hear.

She trusted no one because Celia installed this in her.

Ria was traumatized. I mean, who wouldn't be. All Ria could do was lean on her faith.

She asked me the question, are you a Christian? I said, well, it's it's irrelevant what religion I am. I'm here to help you. There was murders that's taken place and apparently you can help solve them. So it's irrelevant what religion I am. But okay, I will tell you I am a Christian. But it's good nothing to do with this.

Whether the Satanists the police were after were real or imagined. Until Detective Susette confronted them, the police department would continue to fumble justice, so she would have to face the religious implications of these crimes objectively and head on. Lucky for the people of Krueger's store, Detective Susette is not someone who shies away from challenges. She's one of the

This is satanism. This is satanism because there is no blood on the scene and they took all the blood.

And I was like, what as we heard last episode. Colonel the Yager thought that the quantity of blood found at the scene didn't match the severity of Reginald Ben Dixon's wounds, which to him implied the killers collected the blood and drank it or used it in some satanic ritual. His theory didn't sit well with Detective Susette.

This guy's lying on the grass. What are you saying? And I said, sorry, are you? And he says, oh, I'm Colonel the Yacher. He says he's the expert on satanism. And I thought, huh, okay, sorry, where are you from? In my thirteen years of occult related crimes, I have never met him, never knew about him. Nothing. What he is saying is absolute.

Bullshit.

Can I say that.

Detective Susantte had actual science on her side. A blood expert she brought in agreed that the blood had clearly been absorbed by the earth and grass the victim was lying on, which blew holes into Yager's theories of satanism and witchcraft.

And ask him where did you hear this? And he says no, He's spoken to Conel Yonker, and obviously he does not know my connection to Colonel Yonker.

Colonel Yonker, founder of the Occult related Crimes unit, was practically family to Susette.

And I said, okay, just hang on a minute, and I went outside fund Colonel Yonker. I said, Colonel, who's Connel the orcher? He says, I don't know. I said, no, man, He said he's spoken to you and gave him a little of the Krugeys doorposis, Oh, that's correct. A guy phoned me. He says, listen, sir, I know nothing about the occult and I'm this guys and I need to get a cross calls in.

This Detective Susette was wholly convinced if the cops ever wanted to solve the growing number of murders in Krugersdorp and all over the country that have to give up the obsession with Satanism, they were sensationalizing these crimes. But perhaps that was on purpose. You see. The deeper Susette waited into the serial murder investigation, the more she began to notice how incompetent both the Yager and van Vic were as officers. For example, remember how Mirinda's fingerprints were

The reason for them not placing the case was the fact that the prosecutors said that Mirinda and Rea Runavald to the neighbors, and the thoughts of the prosecutor at the time was that real Runivald could have taken the paper from Mirenda's husband and planted it as evidence.

To framer, Wow, that's a bit of a reach. However, according to Detective Canotes, Mirinda was released from police custody for a procedural bungle. She still gets frustrated when she recalls how it all went down. Ria could have framed Mirinda. To her, that sounded like, well.

All shit, that's not how Mirenda got off. I can show you look in the.

Doggets That's what Bamvik said to us.

No, he's lying. He just doesn't want to bring that up. What happened was Van Vike wrote the wrong case number down, it went to courte and when it came in Courte Mirenda couldn't be placed in the skies because this guy's was something about theft or something, and I said, but she be connected to this guys. Van Weik wrote the wrong number down and she was let go. That is what happened.

With Detective Susette. Officially at the Helm, the police would be forced to stop chasing imaginary Satanists and it wouldn't be long before she gathered enough evidence to scare EPD in hiding.

It was after the Michaila story the police, you know, sort of came onto the scene and they were very suspicious.

While the hysteria of the nineties has long passed, the fear of Satanism still remains in the ether. Yet, according to Detective Susette, Canose, journalist Jana Marx, Detective Ben Boysen, Colonel Kobus Yonker, and almost everyone else we spoke to the fact that the police jumped to this conclusion that Satanists were behind the Grizzly murders only set the cops off course and in doing so placed far more lives

Freely? Yeah, that's one of those.

Bullship Rhea's mentor. The psychologist F. H. Haavinga agrees with Luke's assessment, havinga consulted the police on a cult and satanic cases for the majority of his career.

This is not psyche, this is something else. And that's what I said.

That was my advice to Colonel X, not knowing that Kuba jon Got said to him exactly the same.

Journalist and author Jana Marx had similar opinions.

I realized, I mean, I know Christianity, and CIA's idea of Christianity that she preached wasn't Christianity like Christians would know. It's almost a fabrication of Christianity. You know, there are different sects in Satanism. Which one is she following? And I realized, oh my goodness, she's she's following everything and nothing.

Cecilia has studied masters of manipulation, and she knew enough about the Bible to break together whatever she found to can't under the effect she was after her twisted form of faith created a shadowy kingdom, and Cecilia cast herself as the queen. And as Detective Susette discovered, this kingdom was built on some careful study.

When we went to search the apartment, we had a warren.

Early on in her investigation, Detective Susette was granted a search warrant based on her discussions with Rhea.

I went into Cecilia's room, started looking. I came upon to Colonel Yonker's occult books that he wrote. It was hidden the two books.

Suzette page through the books.

I saw on certain pages these little notes made in it as if she ah this I can use, Okay, this I can use. It was like she needed info from the occult to present to the people for them to believe that she was actually a Satanist. And that was how I picked up, she knew a thing about the occult.

Detectives Susette suspicions were confirmed when she spoke to Cecilia.

Started asking her some questions about the occult, and she couldn't answer me.

Then Cecilia told the detective that she had the power to shape shift, an ability left over from her days as a Satanist.

And I said, oh, so you can shape shift. Then she said yes, she can. Said okay, let me put you into handcuffs and then you shape shift into a little bird for me, and then you come out of my handcuffs. And then suddenly she jumps at the back of her couch and she sits there and she chips like a little you know, a little chip sounds. Now I'm thinking, oh, you look ridiculous, And I said, Celia, really, I'm talking shape shifting. You're still a human. You know,

That was when Cecilia's facade dropped. She stopped pretending and acted like nothing had happened. Su said, took off the handcuffs and continued her line of questioning she.

Was never a Sitanist. Maybe she dabbled as a thirteen year old, what even, But she knew nothing about occult. She just was pertaining.

Cecilia's only devotion was siss Cecilia. It was always about her, well, her and her other fixation.

I just want to do this. There is no satan mess some understint. It's bad shooting, nothing to do with it. It's pure revenge. So she lost them act for so.

I suppose the answer to our question is a resounding yes. The whole Satanism thing became a distraction because that's exactly what Cecilia wanted. That's how she avoided getting caught. But what about Colonel the Yager? Was he her willing ally? Perhaps he was afraid of her, Perhaps she paid him off. Perhaps he was just friends with Drees, Cecilia's husband, and was just doing his friend a favor. Whatever the case,

He did work, not shifts. At the time. So the possibility that he wasn't away of everything going on, but he's deafnically aware of some of it.

And here's Kobus Yonker again, Suzette's mentor and founder of the Occult Related Crimes Unit up till now.

I will never believe that he didn't know anything that was going on.

He denied everything.

He doesn't He didn't even know that Cecilia was involved.

That's the biggest life. I mean, he had to know something. It was all going on right under his nose. Plus Drees benefited from all the money that was coming in, the money that was certainly not going to an orphan. Suzanne and Ben put it into perspective for us.

Reece was a sergeant. Cecilia did not work. So sergeant's salary is to laugh about it's very low. Now you step into this three bedroom place, what'd you see? First thing you see is these two kids playing on a huge TV, big screen TV. Now, I'm a captain. I cannot afford that.

His wife buys him big skinn TV, she buys him.

Xbox, she buys him a motorbike. She doesn't work, she doesn't have income, and he doesn't ask a where's the money coming from?

And that money would soon run out. It's now late February twenty thirteen. Our friend Luke has been living in an abject terror for months. After his first attempt to work with the police failed, Luke tried again. He heard there was a new officer overseeing the investigation. When Luke met with Susette, he told her it was dire that they act fast. Susette immediately reached out to Joshua and

Those there about three to four times a week, and he always took gifts.

Plus, as far as Luke could tell, the cops had barely investigated Mikayla's death.

This colonel never even took fingerprints or anything at Macaylin's cos where she was planed.

Luke met with Detective Susette at a restaurant and went over the evidence he'd gathered. He told her about the Whig and the recordings of epd's candid confessions. He'd brought his friend Aria along, the one who had first introduced him to Cecilia. But then Luke was the victim of a suspiciously timed theft while he was meeting with Detective Suzette.

Sitting at a restaurant our conqatch startling with all our stuff and there were some evident pieces that he wanted to give to us. How the whole carqua's time that I'm absolutely sure it's planned.

Luckily, the tape recording of the murder confessions wasn't in the car. He had already handed them over to his friend Ariya, who had been supporting him through the sting operation and helping him communicate with Diager. Despite what had happened, she gave the tape to Diager, hoping he would get it into the right hands. Luke did bring Susette the wig he'd found in Zach and Machayla's house and laid out the whole story of all that he had witnessed.

To Suzette, fourteen fifteen pages of f and David telling me exactly how the group works. And then he was asked to help this conspiracy of murder with Rhea's son.

He was confident that tape was damning. Both he and Aria had listened to it before it landed in the yager's hands.

We took the tape and listened to it. There was nothing wrong with it.

Unfortunately, by the time that tape made it to court, it could no longer be played.

And it got too courte It was damaged. They couldn't use it. So I just this old saw for me that the police didn't follow up and do their.

Job, except for Detective Susette.

I knows she did an utmost based but if they just listened and did something, we could have prevented the rest of the murders kind and should have been the last one, and I would have stopped there.

Based on the evidence Luke handed her. Detective Susette felt confident the case would go to trial. She brought it to the state's attorney and it was passed up the chain of command.

She agrees that she's going to put this through to the senior style Avoca to say, give me the rast Lawrence.

Detective Susette assumed the serial murder case would be a clear priority. While she waited for a decision on the arrest warrants. Arrangements were made to protect Luke.

Sothing we told us Stormy or Trench, we can give us with this station to protective custody.

Luke finally felt safe out of Cecilia's reach. But then, and yet another unthinkable twist, the senior state attorney claimed there wasn't enough evidence to move forward on the case.

I just said enough, There's not enough evidence.

Despite everything Detective Susette had Luke's testimony, the recorded confessions, the wig, the various eyewitnesses, she was denied an arrest warrant.

The senior Stigne attorney said, no, it's not consistent, like aled wasn't consistent anybody in there. I'd mind going to have two lives at it consistent.

Everyone was floored.

It shocked me. It shocked that the other investigating officer. It shocked the state attorney. It was a decision, the senior stated Atturney made that nobody knows why.

Detective Susette argued that the members of VPD could be arrested on the charge of conspiracy to murder, then once they had them in custody, the police could find other charges or at least leads that they could follow to get out in front of the murders before they continued, but the state attorney claimed that they didn't want to risk losing the prime suspects if their arrest tactic didn't work.

They said, no, then we're going to jeopardize the murder. We rather take them on the murder.

In one of our earliest interviews with Detective Susette, we asked her about how she dealt with the fact that seven more deaths would occur before anyone would get justice. This was actually a huge part of the reason that she move to speak with us and help tell this story.

I don't think there's a lot of people out there that actually knows this, and that's a huge thing for me thinking about the families of number five to eleven.

Now a new question hung in the air. Could Cecilia's reach have extended to the Senior State's Attorney's office. She couldn't be that powerful, could she. On the next episode of Queen Havoc, eventually there was no money in emm.

He introduced the Mayers as victims for a robbery because he was under the impression they keep millions hidden in a.

Safe in cash zach Quin berserk and they had to tell him, listen, you have to finish now because we need to get out of.

Yet something really that is going to happen in the near future.

Queen Havoc and Her Murder Cult is a production of School Humans and iHeart Podcasts. Queen Havoc is hosted and created by me Kurt Kupachick, produced and written by Jennifer Takeny, Julia Chriscau, and Kirk Kupachick. Lead producer is Julia Chriskau. Story editor is Saren Burnett. Senior producer is Amelia Brock. Production manager is Daisy Church. Original music composed by Claire Campbell, editing, sound design and scoring by Jesse Niswanger. Associate producers are