Jeannie Mills

Jeannie Mills (birth name Deanna Mertle)^[1] was an early defector from the Peoples Temple cult, author of the book Six Years with God (A&W Publishers: New York, 1979), and co-founder of the Concerned Relatives of Peoples Temple Members organization and the Human Freedom Center.^[2] She and her family joined the Peoples Temple in 1969 but they left the group in 1975 when her daughter was beaten at least 70 times with a paddle. Before defecting she was head of the Temple's publications office; husband Al was the official photographer.^[3]

Murder

Jeannie Mills was murdered February 26, 1980, along with her husband Al and daughter Daphene, in their home in Berkeley.^[1][4] Despite their fear of retaliation after the mass murder and suicide of the Peoples Temple cult in 1978 (at one point they had sought police protection), police do not believe the murders were related to the Peoples Temple cult.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Loren L Coleman, The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines. Simon and Schuster, 2004, p. 71. Author identifies the couple as Elmer and Deanna Mertle.
2. ^ Neva Sly Hargrave, “A Story of Deprogramming”
3. ^ Eric W. Hickey, Encyclopedia of murder and violent crime. SAGE, 2003, p. 109.
4. ^ "No charges filed against son in 1980 murders" on The Rick A. Ross Institute

External links

Biography portal

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Name	Mills
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Date of death	1980
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