Richard Peter Rodriguez

From WikiYourFriends.com

Richard P. "Ricky" Rodriguez was born 1975-01-25 on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands of Spain to Karen Zerby and "Carlos" (a Hotel Belair in Santa Cruz de Tenerife employee Zerby FFed).

His mother, Karen Zerby, was the companion of David Berg (1919-1994), founder and leader of the Children of God / The Family, a high-demand, highly sexualised, apocalyptic religious movement. Nicknamed Davidito (his birth name was David Moses Zerby, later legally changed to Richard Peter Smith), Rick spent his childhood and early adult years living and travelling with his mother and Berg in Europe, Asia, and Canada. He was considered to be the adopted son of David Berg although no official adoption ever took place. He is also the half-brother of Techi.

In January 2005, he arranged a meeting with a long-time Family Member and close associate of his mother, Angela Marilyn Smith (formerly Susan Joy Kauten), and stabbed her to death in his apartment. He then drove to Blythe, California where he shot himself in the head. He released a videotape to be distributed to friends, family and former members explaining his actions. In this video, Rick says he saw himself as a vigilante avenging children like him and his sisters who had been subject to rapes and beatings. "There's this need that I have," he said. "It's not a want. It's a need for revenge. It's a need for justice, because I can't go on like this."

[edit] External Links

• Ricky Rodriguez - At xfamily.org