The Gatekeepers was a small apocalyptic group established in the early 1990s in Snohomish County, Washington, by Christopher Turgeon. The group began as a Bible study organization called Ahabah Asah Prophetic Ministries, with meetings held across Edmonds, Lynnwood, Everett, and Lake Stevens.
The group’s direction changed after Turgeon announced that he had received a direct revelation from God. He declared himself a prophet and a modern manifestation of the biblical prophet Elijah, whom he said had been called to deliver divine judgment. Following these claims, the Bible study developed into a sect organized around Turgeon’s authority.
Turgeon’s theology became increasingly apocalyptic. He referred to his followers as “Gatekeepers” and taught that capital punishment represented divine retribution for homosexuality, abortion, and support for gender equality. He also preached that the United States faced imminent divine destruction and predicted that the world would end on March 22, 2004. He instructed followers to target doctors who performed abortions, homosexuals, and advocates of equal rights.
Over time, Turgeon’s focus expanded beyond biblical teachings to include concerns about government surveillance. The group adopted survivalist and militia-style ideas, and by 1996, members had begun stockpiling firearms in preparation for what Turgeon described as an anticipated end-times conflict.
Cult researchers and a forensic psychologist who later evaluated the group described a gradual process through which Turgeon increased members’ dependence on him. He targeted individuals considered vulnerable and sought to separate them from their families and previous social networks.
Turgeon also asserted control over personal aspects of members’ lives, including their diets and sexual relationships. A forensic analysis later characterized him as a manipulative leader with an inflated sense of self-importance who used religious doctrine to establish a lifestyle supported by his followers while avoiding conventional employment.
To finance the group’s activities and preparations for the anticipated end times, Turgeon directed members to engage in low-level fraud, burglaries, and thefts. The targets included businesses and individuals whom he considered morally corrupt, and the crimes were presented as actions required by religious belief. Tensions within the group increased after a member named Dan Jess became dissatisfied with its criminal activities and left. Jess publicly denounced Turgeon as a false prophet.
By this point, the Gatekeepers had relocated from Washington to a rural compound in Pala, California. Jess later confronted Turgeon over a fraudulent check that had been written in Jess’s name. Turgeon feared that Jess would report the group’s financial crimes to law enforcement. He held a meeting with the other members and declared that Jess should be killed.
On March 29, 1998, Turgeon and follower Blaine Applin traveled from California to Jess’s residential trailer in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Applin shot Jess multiple times at his front door while Turgeon drove the getaway vehicle. After the killing, law enforcement identified Applin through witness testimony. Investigators then located the group’s Pala compound using database records connected to a member’s family.
The Gatekeepers continued stockpiling weapons and committing robberies while based in California. On July 13, 1998, Turgeon and Applin robbed a lingerie store in San Diego. Police pursued the two men after the robbery, during which Applin fired at an officer. Both men were subsequently apprehended. A search found Applin carrying the Glock 9mm handgun used in Dan Jess’s murder, directly connecting the weapon to the Washington case.
Turgeon and Applin were initially tried in California on 17 felony counts, including robbery and attempted murder of a police officer. Applin received a sentence of 101 years, while Turgeon was sentenced to 89 years to life. Both men were later extradited to Washington state to stand trial for Jess’s murder. During the Washington proceedings, their defense attorneys presented an insanity defense.
The defense argued that the defendants’ free will had been compromised by coercive control and their sincere belief that they were following divine commands. Expert psychological testimony was presented to explain how Turgeon had systematically influenced his followers, regardless of their intellectual capabilities.
The jury rejected the insanity defense for both defendants. Applin was sentenced to 39 years in prison for Jess’s murder, to be served concurrently with his California sentence. Turgeon received a sentence of 50 years and eight months, ordered to run consecutively to his California term. The combined sentences effectively ensured that he would remain imprisoned for life.
Key Sources:
The Associated Press. (2001, October 30). Sect leader sentenced to 50 years in prison for murder
Burkitt, J. (2001, May 4). Cult leader’s lawyer argues insanity. The Seattle Times.
Hayden, A. V. (2020, June 8). Religious militant group executes member who turned on ‘False Prophet’ leader. Oxygen.
North, S. (2000, July 11). Cult leader says he didn’t kill MLT man. The Everett Herald.