Murder at Ryans Run: exposing the cult of John Africa

Happy Independence Day: How July 2nd Changed the MOVE Narrative Forever

July 2nd resonates with profound significance – marking both the launch of this podcast four years ago and the day Pixie Africa broke free from MOVE with her five children. That courageous exodus, described as "driving a tank through a concrete wall," shattered decades of silence and control, allowing truth to finally emerge from within the organization. This date now stands as an Independence Day for MOVE survivors – a powerful counterpoint to the dates MOVE itself commemorates. When those born and raised inside finally said "no more lies, no more fear," they changed the trajectory of the organization forever and reclaimed their narrative. Their testimony revealed shocking truths about life inside MOVE: physical abuse, psychological manipulation, medical neglect, educational deprivation, and such profound despair that some children contemplated suicide. Yet MOVE continues operating openly – in classrooms, on campuses, and in political spaces. They're even collaborating with Hollywood figures like Lee Daniels and Regina Hall to adapt Mike's book into a movie, potentially burying victims' stories beneath a sanitized narrative. Their motto – "never give up, never back down" – isn't just a slogan but a warning that demands our vigilance and truth-telling. I'm expanding my platforms to continue this vital work.  Subscribe to my new Substack "Beth is Not Afraid" [https://substack.com/@bethmcnamara] for behind-the-scenes details and latest reporting.  Check out my merchandise featuring designs that spark conversations about MOVE's realities [https://murderatryansrun-shop.fourthwall.com/] – including the infamous "Ham Africa" moniker that exposes how leaders secretly ate meat while their followers and children subsisted on inadequate raw food diets. And their supporters praised them for being animal rights leaders on the scale of PETA.   To every source who trusted me with their story: I care for you, respect you, and am immensely proud of you. You showed extraordinary courage in speaking truth when it still cost you something. And to everyone listening – share this podcast, amplify these voices, and join me in ensuring this story that began with MOVE ultimately ends with truth and justice. Because the mirror MOVE holds up shows not just who they are, but who we are by what we choose to tolerate, ignore, or excuse. July 2nd, 2021 - put it on the timeline of MOVE's 50-year history as the day their victims exposed them as a dangerous cult.   Read Kevin Price's Blog post  [https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/2025/06/four-years-later.html] The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America. Support the show [https://bmc.link/murderatryansrun] Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara Additional research by Robert Helms Murder At Ryan's Run [https://www.podpage.com/murder-at-ryans-run-1/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murderatryansrun/] Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063717943971] Podcast Press [https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html] If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: murderatryansrun@gmail.com All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Hate Mail From A Cult Leader: inside MOVE's language of control

WARNING: disturbing language and content. Behind the veneer of revolutionary rhetoric and claims of natural living lies a darker reality that few have ever glimpsed. For decades, MOVE has carefully cultivated an image of a loving, principled liberation movement, but newly uncovered internal communication reveals something far more sinister. These never-before-seen letters—what can only be described as "hate mail" between MOVE members—expose the psychological warfare waged against anyone who showed signs of independent thought or questioning. They reveal how cult leader Vincent Leapheart (John Africa) maintained iron-fisted control through a sophisticated system of emotional manipulation, public humiliation, and threats. "You're a criminal motherfucker," reads one letter to a MOVE member who dared express doubt while imprisoned. "Prison is where you belong." Another eight-page tirade calls a recipient "a worthless bitch, a freak" whose "goddamn head should be cut off" for the crime of communicating with a family member who had left the group. These aren't isolated incidents but part of a systematic approach to thought control documented across multiple letters. What makes these documents particularly chilling is their perfect alignment with established criteria for thought reform and cult indoctrination. Every psychological manipulation tactic identified by experts appears within these pages—milieu control, mystical manipulation, demand for purity, confession, sacred science, loaded language, doctrine over person, and dispensing of existence. They represent the complete toolkit of coercive control. Meanwhile, contemporary MOVE supporters continue selling a narrative of love and liberation, seemingly unaware—or deliberately ignoring—the mountain of evidence proving otherwise. After hearing these letters, no honest person can maintain the fiction that MOVE was anything other than what these documents reveal: a destructive cult that weaponized progressive rhetoric to mask authoritarian control. Listen to the actual words MOVE leaders wrote to their followers, then ask yourself: would you support an organization that treated human beings this way? And if you've already voiced support, what responsibility do you bear to acknowledge the truth now that it can no longer be denied? Resources: Dr. Robert Jay Lifton [https://www.robertjaylifton.com/about] Dr. Janja Lalich [https://www.lalichcenter.org/] Alexandra Stein [https://www.alexandrastein.com/] The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America. Support the show [https://bmc.link/murderatryansrun] Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara Additional research by Robert Helms Murder At Ryan's Run [https://www.podpage.com/murder-at-ryans-run-1/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murderatryansrun/] Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063717943971] Podcast Press [https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html] If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: murderatryansrun@gmail.com All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Love Letters From A Cult Leader: inside MOVE's language of control

> “I love y’all so much. Ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for y’all.” > —John Africa (Vincent Leaphart), founder of MOVE Thanks to a confidential source, we gained access to dozens of private MOVE letters sent to incarcerated followers. At first glance, some of these letters appear warm, loyal, even loving - representative of what MOVE says they are - a chosen "family". But beneath the surface lies a deeply sophisticated system of control. Using Dr. Robert J. Lifton’s [https://www.robertjaylifton.com/about] landmark framework for thought reform—developed in his seminal book Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/549257.Thought_Reform_and_the_Psychology_of_Totalism]—this episode unpacks the emotional and psychological manipulation embedded in MOVE’s prison correspondence. MOVE’s founder, Vincent Leaphart (known as John Africa), fused affection with control, cloaking coercion in the language of love. We identify all eight of Lifton’s classic markers of ideological subjugation: 1. Milieu Control – Isolation from outside information 2. Mystical Manipulation – Events reframed as divine guidance 3. Demand for Purity – Eradication of doubt or dissent 4. Cult of Confession – Compelled vulnerability used against members 5. Sacred Science – Doctrine presented as ultimate, unquestionable truth 6. Loading the Language – Slogans replace independent thought 7. Doctrine over Person – Personal experiences denied if they contradict the group 8. Dispensing of Existence – Only true believers are granted moral or spiritual legitimacy Most disturbing is how MOVE weaponized parenthood. In letter after letter, imprisoned parents were told how strong, loyal, and “revolutionary” their children were becoming when the reality was neglect and abuse.  These so-called love letters were more than emotional support. They were tools of indoctrination, surveillance, and control, designed to maintain ideological loyalty even behind bars. To further understand how cults keep their hold through isolation and imprisonment,  check out the works of Dr. Lifton and Dr. Janja Lalich, whose powerful book Bounded Choice explores how seemingly rational people remain devoted to manipulative groups under high control. The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America. Support the show [https://bmc.link/murderatryansrun] Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara Additional research by Robert Helms Murder At Ryan's Run [https://www.podpage.com/murder-at-ryans-run-1/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murderatryansrun/] Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063717943971] Podcast Press [https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html] If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: murderatryansrun@gmail.com All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

MOVE lies about John Gilbride Part 2- Look Who's Talking

*warning: discussion of violence, threats, and the use of a racial slur that is explained but is censored.      What happens when a cult's carefully crafted narrative faces public scrutiny? The answer lies in this shocking exploration of MOVE's 2005 radio appearance and their confrontation with America's Most Wanted five years later. Following Fox 29's coverage of John Gilbride's unsolved murder, MOVE members secured two hours of airtime on Philadelphia's WURD Radio. What unfolded wasn't a defense or clarification—it was a masterclass in manipulation tactics. Through strategic deflection, character assassination, and veiled threats, they demonstrated exactly how high-control groups maintain their grip on both members and public perception. The broadcast reveals multiple layers of MOVE's operational playbook. When former MOVE member Tony Allen calls in to ask what happened to John Gilbride, he's immediately attacked as "nobody" and "a cop"—classic dehumanization techniques designed to silence dissent.   Tony Allen's Defector Blog  [https://antimove.blogspot.com/] Meanwhile, Gary Wonderlin (who married MOVE leader Alberta weeks after John's murder) calls in under an alias, and it seems that pretending to be someone else is kind of his "thing". Most revealing is what happened in 2010 when America's Most Wanted was producing an episode about Gilbride's murder and was seeking comment from Alberta and MOVE - a profanity-laden confrontation captured by multiple cameras that ended in a racial slur.  This pattern of deflection, intimidation, and narrative control isn't random—it's calculated. By examining these tactics through the lens of cult psychology, we gain crucial insight into how MOVE has avoided accountability for decades while simultaneously portraying themselves as victims. For those seeking the truth about John Gilbride's unsolved murder, this episode provides essential context for understanding why this case remains open. The question remains: if MOVE truly had nothing to hide, why go to such extraordinary lengths to shut down legitimate questions about the murder of someone they knew very well? If you have any information about the John Gilbride unsolved homicide case , The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office tip line email is tips@co.burlington.nj.us. This email address can be used to report information about a crime or incident. Additionally, you can reach the office through their website, burlpros.org, or contact the Victim Witness Unit at 609.265.5048.  The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America. Support the show [https://bmc.link/murderatryansrun] Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara Additional research by Robert Helms Murder At Ryan's Run [https://www.podpage.com/murder-at-ryans-run-1/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murderatryansrun/] Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063717943971] Podcast Press [https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html] If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: murderatryansrun@gmail.com All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

MOVE lies about John Gilbride Part 1: Play The Tape

When MOVE feels threatened, they turn to friendly media outlets to control their narrative. This episode takes you inside a revealing 2005 WURD Radio broadcast where MOVE members responded to a Fox News segment about the unsolved murder of John Gilbride. The previously unreleased audio exposes how cult propaganda works in real-time. Ramona Africa, MOVE's Minister of Information, leads a coordinated response where members employ classic manipulation tactics: denying involvement in John's murder while simultaneously casting doubt on whether he was actually killed, deflecting attention to a mysterious "Dominican wife," and portraying themselves as victims of media persecution. Most disturbing is their repeated suggestion that John's son was MOVE's property, not an individual with rights to know his father. What makes this exploration particularly powerful is hearing MOVE members' own words contradicting themselves over time. Mike Africa Jr, who in 2005 participated in MOVE's character assassination of John, portrays him as "a good dude" and even a friend in his 2024 memoir—claiming John's murder "fucked him up." These contradictions reveal how propaganda evolves when organizations fear losing control of their narrative. The episode also connects dots around Alberta Wicker's strange decision to change her surname to "Gilbridge" after John's death—matching a typo on his autopsy report—raising questions about possible financial motivations. Former MOVE members have alleged that they believe the group is somehow involved in John's murder. Their testimonies, combined with MOVE's own recorded words from 2005, paint a disturbing picture of how authoritarian groups weaponize media to intimidate critics, rewrite history, and maintain control over their followers. The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America. Support the show [https://bmc.link/murderatryansrun] Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara Additional research by Robert Helms Murder At Ryan's Run [https://www.podpage.com/murder-at-ryans-run-1/] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/murderatryansrun/] Facebook Page [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063717943971] Podcast Press [https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html] If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: murderatryansrun@gmail.com All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.