Docudrama: "Deliver Us From Evil"

Click here to watch the full episode of "Deliver Us From Evil."
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Saturday night, 6/10/17, Hubby and I watched ABC's 20/20: In An Instant. The episode, "Deliver Us From Evil," is about a young woman who escaped a cult. She was sexually abused by the leader from the age of thirteen through twenty-three. Her name is Lindsay Tornambe. She was not the only victim. The cult was River Road Fellowship originally located in Finlayson, Minnesota. Last I heard the cult, for the most part, is defunct.

The cult leader's name is Victor Barnard. Barnard is a graduate of the 14th Way Corps, The Way International's leadership training program. He left The Way International in 1990 and began his splinter group, River Road Fellowship, a few years later.

In 2010 Lindsay left the cult. In 2012, she began contacting authorities about her story. She was finally heard in 2014 when a local investigative reporter, Tom Lyden, contacted her and broke the story. The authorities started to listen. Barnard was already on the run. The US Marshals got involved. Barnard was captured in Brazil in February, 2015. He was extradited to the USA in June, 2016. He plead guilty in October, 2016, and was sentenced to thirty years incarceration. In January, 2017, he was severely beaten in prison which resulted in broken bones, a collapsed lung, and a traumatic brain injury.

Both Hubby and I thought the docudrama was really well done. Though I'd prefer less or no background, eerie mood music. And Barnard's character, much of the time but not all the time, comes across as the Hollywood, stereotypical cult leader with almost complete control over the followers, which in my opinion, is overly simplistic. The girls who play the roles of Lindsay and Jess do an excellent job portraying how children can be led into the grips of indoctrination and abuse.

Theatrics aside, the core of the content of the drama is realistic and comes through clearly, to me. Though there is one error stated by investigative reporter Tom Lyden. He states Barnard purchased land in Minnesota in 1985. It definitely wasn't 1985; The Way had not yet experienced its mass exoduses of followers. I think Lyden simply made an error and meant 1995. I've read the purchase was made in 1996.

Here's a link to a short article about the film-maker and the docudrama: Cult docu-dramatized: Duluth-raised filmmaker directed episode of '20/20: In an Instant'.

It's a heartbreaking and sickening story; "horrifying" is the word my husband used. But it's also a story of great strength - of a young woman coming forward in a situation where it seems authorities will never hear her. Lindsay Tornambe does a superb job in this film as she shares her story in her own words interspersed throughout the drama. She shines like a bright light exposing the darkness. And that darkness cannot put out her light.

One has to wonder how any parent could ever allow their child to be placed in such danger? How could they be so blind? And how could anyone end up following a man like Barnard?

One thing in common regarding people who join such groups, unless they are born into the group, they typically get involved when vulnerable. Something happens that throws life into chaos. and we look for answers. In the case of River Road Fellowship, many (most?) of Barnard's followers had left The Way International which was all encompassing and dominated their lives. After exiting a group like The Way, the former follower is often left with a gaping hole waiting to be filled; they are again vulnerable and even conditioned to follow and obey. Here's an excellent article that may help shed some light on Barnard's followers: Betrayed followers say sect leader Barnard’s abuse surfaced gradually.

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Below is a preview clip of the docudrama. In An Instant posts full episodes one week after airing on national TV. I will update this post with a link once it's available. (Update link to episode.)




Below is thirty-minute video compiling five different news clips from KMSP Fox 9 out of Minneapolis. The compilation goes from when the story originally broke in 2014 through the manhunt in early 2015.

Below is a seven-minute video from January, 2017, about a civil lawsuit filed by Lindsay against fifteen former leaders of River Road Fellowship.


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Links to posts on toss & ripple about Barnard:
3/01/14: Victor Barnard and River Road Fellowship (contains links to news articles up through the arrest)
4/19/14: More thoughts regarding Victor Barnard...and influence...and The Way...and...
8/18/2014: Victor Barnard: "Preaching Lies" to air on "The Hunt," Sunday, August 24, 2014
2/28/15: Victor Barnard is apprehended in Brazil... (contains links to news articles after the arrest)
6/11/17: Docudrama: "Deliver Us From Evil"
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