COVID-19 conspiracies turned this church into a deadly cult
Crime Story8 Sep 2025

COVID-19 conspiracies turned this church into a deadly cult

Kevin Smith seemed like your typical pastor. He was a respected member of his community in Montego Bay, preaching the Bible to hundreds of congregants each week. But he also preached conspiracy theories from his social media account. On October 17, 2021, Smith sent a message on Facebook instructing his followers to get to the church. He told them “the Flood is coming”. Members of his congregation packed their suitcases and rushed over. But when they arrived, that’s when the real danger began. Three people were killed, two of them, witnesses allege, as part of a human sacrifice.


Reporter Rachel Browne wrote about this story for The Walrus. Today she joins us to explain how a pastor’s pandemic conspiracy theories turned a church into a cult and a crime scene.


Read “Is Your Blood Clean?”: The Paranoid Pastor Who Turned His Church into a Violent Cult from The Walrus here.


Fill out our listener survey here. We appreciate your input!

Episoder(113)

Will the real William Woods please stand up?

Will the real William Woods please stand up?

A homeless man insisted his identity had been stolen. Another man, miles away, claimed he was the real William Woods — and had the documents to back it up. What followed is a story about more than fra...

6 Okt 202542min

The murder of a dirtbag climber: Who was Jesse James?

The murder of a dirtbag climber: Who was Jesse James?

In the early summer of 2017, police in Squamish, British Columbia discovered the body of a man in a burned out vehicle. It took little time for the police to declare his death a homicide. What took mo...

22 Sep 202534min

The weight of a life sentence

The weight of a life sentence

Maria Hinojosa first met David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez when he was serving life without parole — sentenced as a juvenile. What began as a chance visit inside a Pennsylvania prison grew into a decades-lo...

30 Jun 202538min

Ian Urbina reports on the most lawless place on Earth: Our oceans

Ian Urbina reports on the most lawless place on Earth: Our oceans

Not every journalist is willing to explore the darkest corners of humanity. It’s hard. It’s haunting. And not everyone can stomach what they would discover But Ian Urbina has made a career out of goin...

23 Jun 202546min

Movie set tragedy: Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, and Rust

Movie set tragedy: Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, and Rust

On October 21st, 2021, actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing a scene for his new Western film, Rust, when tragedy struck. The gun he was holding wasn’t supposed to have live ammunition. Both the director,...

16 Jun 202538min

The social media influencer who controlled her follower's lives

The social media influencer who controlled her follower's lives

At first, Kat Torres seemed like your average social media influencer. She was a young, Brazilian model photographed with Hollywood elites. She spoke about her life, relationships, and meditation, spo...

9 Jun 202529min

Leo Schofield spent decades in prison. Then another man confessed.

Leo Schofield spent decades in prison. Then another man confessed.

In 1987, Leo Schofield was convicted of murdering his wife, Michelle. Decades later, a different man confessed to the crime. Jeremy Scott’s DNA was found in the car Michelle was driving the night she ...

2 Jun 202539min

Populært innen True crime

avhort
insiders
krimpodden-vg
podme-krim
rss-avhort-aktuelt
krimarkivet-2
rss-pa-innsiden-av-psychohoder
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
rss-svarttrost
kriminalkrniken
verdens-verste
forsvinningsfredag-podkast
truecrimepodden-2
krimpodden-orderud
drapet-pa-tina-jorgensen-doden-er-en-mann-2
hold-pusten
dodens-gard
avhort-forfulgt
svartelista
rss-tause-vitner