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A religious sect is disputing claims made by friends about
events that led up to a weekend murder-suicide.
Angela M. Smith, 51, who was found stabbed to death Sunday, was never a nanny
for the man police say killed her, but she had recently visited him, said Claire
Borowik, a spokeswoman for The Family International.
Police said Richard P. Rodriguez, 29, fatally stabbed Smith in a Tucson
apartment hours before shooting himself in Blythe, Calif.
Recent media reports portrayed Smith as a criminal rather than a victim, said
Borowik, who knew Smith well but did not know Rodriguez.
"Both these deaths are cause of great mourning and grief to the members of our
fellowship and the families involved," Borowik said.
Earlier this week, friends and former members of the sect said Rodriguez's anger
toward Smith and his mother, who is the leader of The Family, was a motivation
to kill Smith and himself. They contended he had been sexually abused by Smith
since he was a toddler in the sect's "free love" culture.
Rodriguez was "an obviously disturbed young man," Borowik said, but added that
The Family gave him "ample financial and emotional support" to help him with the
difficult transition from the group to independence after Rodriguez left The
Family in 2000 to pursue his education.
He developed "violent tendencies" after contacting other former Family members
and became estranged from his mother, Borowik said. But friends said the former
members had served as a support group for Rodriguez to move on from his past.
Regarding claims made by his friends about the abuse, Borowik said The Family
has made efforts to reconcile with former group members for 10 years. In the
sect's publications, group leaders issued apologies and officially addressed
concerns about discipline, education and sexual misconduct, she said.
Leaders of The Family, formerly called The Children of God, also wrote
guidelines that mean excommunication from the group for any adult who has
"inappropriate contact" with a minor under age 21, Borowik said.
The guidelines were enacted in 1986. Rodriguez would have been about 11 years
old at the time.
● Contact reporter Becky Pallack at 629-9412 or bpallack@azstarnet.com. |