Yahweh ben Yahweh

Case record: Yahweh ben Yahweh

Background

Yahweh ben Yahweh was born and legally named Hulon Mitchell Jr. (October 27, 1935 - May 7, 2007). He was the leader of the religious sect Nation of Yahweh. Before Hulon Mitchell Jr. was born, he was the first of fifteen children in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His father was a Pentecostal minister who emphasized the Book of Exodus in his preachings. His childhood was described as one of relative poverty made worse by marginalization caused by Jim Crow laws.

After a period of military service and a period as a psychology major at an Enid, Oklahoma university, he became interested in spiritual movements. He also became interested in the Civil Rights movement, organizing sit-ins in Oklahoma. He quickly became disillusioned with this and, as “Yahweh ben Yahweh,” he denounced Martin Luther King Jr. as “that dead dog preacher.” This led to a growing interest in black nationalism and some study of the Nation of Islam. He later studied other groups.

By the late 1970s, he pronounced himself “Yahweh ben Yahweh,” meaning “the LORD Son of the LORD,” with Yahweh being related to the Tetragrammaton, or the name for God in the Hebrew Bible. He was married and had four children, and he was divorced by the time his religious sect was founded.

Leader of Nation of Yahweh

The Nation of Yahweh set up its headquarters in Liberty City, Florida. As Yahweh ben Yahweh, he emphasized a mixture of racial supremacy and violent separatism. God was described as black, and blacks would become powerful through him. He also emphasized whites and particularly Jews as infidels and oppressors. He increasingly emphasized loyalty to himself.

His organization cultivated loyalty described as extreme enough that members apparently pledged to kill his enemies. To become a member of the inner circle, applicants reportedly had to kill a “white devil” and bring Mitchell a body part (an ear, nose, or finger) as proof of the kill.

He was described as the living messianic ruler in the culture created around the group. As ruler, he was said to have been absolute and theocratic. Those who dissented could face beatings or, allegedly, death. At the time, his business and charity efforts earned him respect in the community.

Group activities in Miami

Between April and October 1986, court papers described “Death Angels” descending on Miami frequently to kill random white people. The group took over a series of buildings in Miami, which the record linked to the level of black separatism encouraged by the organization.

Loyalty and alleged requirements for violence

The record described inner-circle requirements as killing a “white devil” and bringing Yahweh ben Yahweh a body part as proof of the kill.

Civic recognition

On October 7, 1990, the mayor of Miami, Florida declared “Yahweh ben Yahweh Day.” This was described as occurring a month before his indictment for his crimes.

The offence

The legal proceedings were described as involving racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy in more than a dozen murders, along with violent acts that included beheading and severing of body parts.

A court document description provided the following:

Racketeering Act 5: Homicide of Leonard Dupree. Because Dupree was known to be a karate expert, Yahweh openly challenged him to fight Lightburn, the Yahwehs' resident martial-arts expert. The two men squared off in front of about 30-60 Yahweh onlookers. Dupree quickly knocked Lightburn down, at which point Yahweh ordered all present, including Ingraham and Maurice, to attack Dupree. Ingraham struck Dupree in the face with a tire jack. Dupree was literally beaten to death. During the struggle, Gaines locked the doors of the Temple at Yahweh's request. Yahweh allowed no one to leave and made everyone, including women and children, strike and kick Dupree's lifeless body. Dupree's body has never been found.

The trial-level description also stated that the indictment charged the sixteen defendants on trial with 14 murders by means such as beheading, stabbing, occasionally by pistol shots, plus severing of body parts such as ears to prove the worthiness of the killer. It stated that they were also charged with arson of a slumbering neighborhood using molotov cocktails, and that the perpetrators were ordered to wait outside the innocent victims’ homes wearing ski masks and brandishing machetes to deter the victims from fleeing the flames.

Investigation

No separate investigation facts were provided beyond the described court document and the later legal proceedings.

Trial

Yahweh ben Yahweh was indicted in 1990 with other Nation of Yahweh members. He underwent a five-month trial in 1992.

The record stated that Yahweh ben Yahweh was acquitted of first degree murder charges in 1992. It also stated that he was acquitted of racketeering charges and convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. The record also stated that he was convicted in federal court on racketeering conspiracy.

During the 1992 federal trial, he was described as dressing in white robes and a turban and often quoting the Bible. His sister and nephew testified that he ordered men, women and children to join in the beating death of a sect member. An ex-member testified that he ordered another follower executed for gossiping but spared his life after drawing blood with a machete. Police officers were among those who testified in his defense, via his attorney’s statements.

The record also stated that the testimony of Robert Rozier played a key role in the federal case. It described Robert Rozier as a former NFL player who admitted to several of the murders and testified against Hulon Mitchell Jr. in return for a lighter sentence.

It further described that Robert Rozier was later serving a 25-to-life sentence under California’s three strikes law after being charged with writing bad checks.

Alcee L. Hastings defended Yahweh ben Yahweh during the 1992 trial. The record described him as a former federal judge and current U.S. Rep. (D-Fla.).

Sentencing

Yahweh ben Yahweh received an 18-year federal prison sentence. The record stated that he served 11 years of the 18-year sentence on a RICO conviction for conspiracy in more than a dozen murders. From 1990 until release, the record described him as serving 11 years and being released on September 26, 2001.

Appeals

In 2006, as he became increasingly ill with prostate cancer, his attorney Jayne Weintraub petitioned the U.S. District Court for release from parole to permit him to “die with dignity”.

The record included a ruling in U.S. v. Yahweh Ben Yahweh (792 F. Supp. 104) beginning with the statement:

Violent crime cases are the exception in federal courts. The instant case is arguably the most violent case ever tried in a federal court: the indictment charges the sixteen defendants on trial with 14 murders by means such as beheading, stabbing, occasionally by pistol shots, plus severing of body parts such as ears to prove the worthiness of the killer. They were also charged with arson of a slumbering neighborhood using molotov cocktails. The perpetrators were ordered to wait outside the innocent victims' homes wearing ski masks and brandishing machetes to deter the victims from fleeing the flames.

It then stated that the attempt to end the conditions for parole eventually succeeded, and that Yahweh ben Yahweh only faced conviction for conspiracy.

Outcome

Yahweh ben Yahweh was convicted for racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy in connection with killings, and he was not convicted on murder charges in the way described for state first-degree murder charges. The record also stated that he was never convicted on murder charges.

He was acquitted of first degree murder charges in 1992 and was acquitted of racketeering charges in the federal case while being convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison and was released on parole in 2001 after serving nine or 11 years, as described in different parts of the record.

Aftermath

After release in 2001, he returned to Miami. His activities were described as strongly restricted until a few months before his death. He was prohibited from reconnecting with his old congregation and was restricted from any form of speech by telephone, computer, radio or television that could place him in contact with any congregational members.

The record stated that he was restricted from any form of communication to prevent contact with onetime disciples.

He died May 7, 2007 from prostate cancer.

A statement attributed to his attorney Jayne Weintraub said:

“Yahweh Ben Yahweh will always be remembered for the many charitable contributions he made ... as exemplified when he received a key to the city of Miami,” Weintraub said in a statement. “Yahweh will be remembered and mourned by the millions of people that he touched through prayer and teachings.”

Additional named individuals and details

• Leonard Dupree was described as the victim in “Racketeering Act 5: Homicide of Leonard Dupree.” His body was described as never being found.
• Lightburn was described as the Yahwehs’ resident martial-arts expert.
• Ingraham and Maurice were described as present attackers ordered to attack Dupree.
• Gaines was described as locking the doors of the Temple at Yahweh’s request during the struggle.
• Robert Rozier admitted to several of the murders and testified against Hulon Mitchell Jr. He later received a 25-to-life sentence under California’s three strikes law after being charged with writing bad checks.
• Jayne Weintraub was described as his attorney who petitioned for release from parole in 2006.
• Alcee L.
• Leona Mitchell was described as his sister.
• A father of Yahweh ben Yahweh was described in an attributed statement as saying:

“I was there when he was born, holding his mama's hand,” he said. “You can't get closer than that, and he is not the son of God.”

• The record included a quote from Yahweh ben Yahweh to a group of Miami business leaders:

“Egypt has her pyramids. India has her Taj Mahal. France has her Eiffel Tower. Miami has the son of Yahweh. The world's greatest attraction is in your midst. I'm here.”

• The record described that the Nation aired weekly programming combining Biblical study and discussion of the Nation itself.

Nation of Yahweh description and controversies

The record described the Nation of Yahweh as a predominantly African American religious group and a controversial offshoot of the Black Hebrew Israelites line of thought. It described the group as founded in 1979 in Miami by Hulon Mitchell, Jr. with the goal of returning African Americans, seen by the group as the original Israelites, to Israel. It described the group as departing from mainstream Christianity and Judaism by accepting Yahweh ben Yahweh as the son of God.

The record also described accusations of racism and the group being characterized as a black supremacist cult by the Southern Poverty Law Center and The Miami Herald. It described the SPLC criticism as stating that the group believed blacks were “the true Jews” and that whites were “white devils,” and that the group believed Yahweh ben Yahweh had a Messianic mission to vanquish whites and held views similar to the Christian Identity movement. It also described a quote attributed to Tom Metzger of White Aryan Resistance as saying groups like theirs were “the black counterpart of us.”

The record described Anti-Defamation League criticism and included a quotation attributed to the Anti-Defamation League:

“In 1987, ADL reported on Black sects holding these views [arguing that today's Jews are not the "chosen people" described in the Bible, ... instead that the label applies to people of African descent], such as the Yahwehs and the Original African Hebrew Israelite Nation of Jerusalem. Today, this form of Black supremacy is promoted on the Web by the 12 Tribes of Israel site, which cites hundreds of Biblical passages to prove that Blacks are the children of Israel and whites the Satanic offspring of Esau.”

The record stated that despite the leader’s death, the Nation was still active, with members claiming they abandoned past racism and that the leader’s daughter had stated that all people were children of God. It also described an attorney and group member, Wendelyn Rush, as insisting that their war with the U.S. government was a non-violent verbal battle.

The record described that the group was spread throughout the US and no longer concentrated in one location, and it described the earlier concentration as formerly Miami-Dade County, Florida. It stated that their present literature downplays and has nearly erased past racism, while also quoting an instructor at Christopher Newport University who disagreed:

“They're still distributing all their original tracts, so I don't know how they're going to get away from the hate message.”