What Happened To Waco Survivor Kathy Schroeder
Kathy Schroeder appears in Netflix's Waco: American Apocalypse, and despite her experience, she remains religious and still defends David Koresh.
Contains mention of abuse, sexual assault, suicide, and real life violence.
Unlike some other survivors, Kathy Schroeder admits in the documentary Waco: American Apocalypse that she doesn't believe David Koresh was a bad guy. Schroeder joined the cult as a married adult with her husband and two children. While survivors like Heather Jones were born into Koresh's cult, Schroeder chose to join because of her belief in Koresh's message. One of the reasons the police were persuing Koresh was for sleeping with minors. In the Waco documentary, Schroeder said she doesn't believe Koresh was wrong because, as she reasons, girls come of age around 12 years old. Schroeder also compared having sex with Koresh, despite being married, to bible study.
Unfortunately, Schroeder's husband was killed during the FBI siege. While she made it out alive, she initially contemplated taking her own life as Koresh ordered her to throw a grenade and kill herself and everyone else in the room if the situation got any worse. Schroeder was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison, but her term was shortened because she agreed to testify about her experience in the Branch Davidians. While Schroeder still has respect for Koresh, she did not choose to stay in Texas like some other survivors.
Kathy Schroeder Moved After The Events Of Waco: American Apocalypse
While Schroeder seems to stand behind Koresh and his message, she didn't remain in Waco after the siege. According to The Cinemaholic, Schroeder left Texas and returned to Florida, where she was originally from. In 1999, six years after the siege, she welcomed her fifth child with her boyfriend. Schroeder currently resides in Tampa, Florida, where she's in contact with all of her children. Unlike Jones, who ultimately turned against religion, Schroeder still believes in God and considers religion a big part of her life.
In a YouTube video shared by Catherine Wessinger, Schroeder says she would have remained in the Branch Davidians had the siege never happened, however, if her children didn't want to stay with her, she wouldn't have forced them. Koresh had a massive impact on Schroeder that differed from some other victims. She seems to believe he was a good guy as her morals align with what he taught her and the rest of his followers and not what the majority of society believes. Schroeder was able to justify a lot of Koresh's actions, no matter how horrifying.
Why Kathy Schroeder's Story In Waco: American Apocalypse Is So Important
Schroeder's perspective differs tremendously from other survivors who speak out in Waco: American Apocalypse, David Thibodeau and Heather Jones. While Jones expresses a lot of trauma around the situation, and Thibodeau seems pretty neutral about Koresh as a leader, Schroeder defends him. Most documentaries showcase how drastically different individuals are decades after their experience. In Jones' case, she ran from everything she believed in as a child. However, Shroeder appears as if she hasn't changed much at all. She continues to stand by her religious beliefs and put her faith in God. Her story in Waco: American Apocalypse adds a fascinating angle exploring how each survivor dealt with the trauma differently.
