UNITED STATES
New York Magazine
By Catie L’Heureux
It’s hard to believe anyone could rape and brainwash so many people and get away with it for so long, but Victor Barnard did. The Minnesota religious cult leader convinced 150 people he was like God, invited them all to live on an isolated campground, and coerced the parents in the group into letting him rape their oldest daughters (his “maidens”) for years, all in the name of Jesus Christ.
Fifty-four-year-old Barnard fled the U.S. two years ago after two women accused him of abuse, sparking an international manhunt and landing him on the U.S. Marshals Service’s Most Wanted List. He was captured and held in Brazil for over a year until last weekend, when he was finally extradited back to Pine County, over an hour’s drive north of Minneapolis. On Monday, Barnard appeared in court for the first time, facing 59 counts of first- and third-degree sexual assault of minors from the two women who claim he raped them for years.
The judge set bail at $1.5 million. Prosecutors, who are preparing for Barnard’s next court appearance on July 5, say Barnard’s followers are now liquidating their assets to pay for his release.
How did this happen? Here, the horrifying story of Barnard’s cult, the “maidens” he allegedly assaulted, and how he might be brought to justice.
The cult: Before setting out on his own, Barnard was first a member of the Way International, a nondenominational Christian sect known for encouraging followers to interpret the Bible on their own terms. With tens of thousands of followers in 35 countries, the group fell apart in the mid-1980s. Its founder and his successor were both accused of brainwashing and having sex with female followers.
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