Wayne Martin (Branch Davidian)

Douglas Wayne Martin (June 30, 1950 – April 19, 1993)[1] was an American Branch Davidian and attorney who left the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[2] He worked as an attorney in multiple fields, including contract, child custody, and real estate law, and provided the proceeds to the Branch Davidians.[3] He was nominally married to Sheila Judith Martin,[4] another Branch Davidian, but she was "carnally" married to David Koresh, the Branch Davidian leader. Wayne and Sheila had seven children, four of whom died in the 1993 fire: Wayne Joseph, 20; Anita, 18; Sheila Renee, 15; and Lisa Martin, 13.[5][6] Sheila Martin, who left Mount Carmel Center on March 21 in the middle of the siege, eventually won custody over the three surviving children: James, Daniel, and Kimberly Martin.[5] Wayne Martin was present at Mount Carmel Center when the February 28, 1993, raid occurred. He was the first person in the compound to call 9-1-1 to local authorities and asked to call off the raid for risk of harming women and children.[7] He was considered the second- or third-in-command at Mt. Carmel, behind or equal to Steve Schneider. He died in the April 19, 1993, fire with three of his children. Wayne Martin was a character in the 2018 miniseries Waco, played by Demore Barnes.[8]

  1. ^ Pressley, Sue Anne; Jordan, Mary (April 22, 1993). "'MIGHTY MEN' OF CULT ENFORCED KORESH'S RULES". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Branch Davidians: Thinking About the Followers A Harvard-Trained Lawyer, Not a Mindless 'Fanatic'". Baltimore Sun. June 6, 1993. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Verhovek, Sam (July 9, 1995). "NO MARTYRS IN WACO". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Benson, Eric (March 26, 2018). "At Bible Study With David Koresh's Last Followers". Texas Monthly. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  5. ^ a b England, Mark (February 8, 1994). "Widow plans to sue ATF: Branch Davidian lost husband, four children in April 19 fire". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  6. ^ Aron, Jaime (September 29, 1993). "Branch Davidian Woman Takes Son Home". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  7. ^ Burnett, John (April 20, 2013). "Two Decades Later, Some Branch Davidians Still Believe". NPR.org. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  8. ^ "Wayne Martin". WACO. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.