By 1997, the Buddhist teacher Michael Roach had amassed a following, the vast majority of whom were young women willing to treat him as a god. His teachings were compiled in a pamphlet containing 147 vows that his followers were required to recite six times a day for two years. Among the group's members was the young millionaire Ian Thorson.
Within the group, Michael Roach had intimate relationships with women, dressed in drag at the parties he hosted, drank alcohol, and had even married a young devotee named Christie McNally. Michael justified the marriage by claiming that she was not just an ordinary woman, but the incarnation of a powerful goddess.
By February 2012, Christie had divorced Roach and married Ian Thorson. The new couple organized a three-year spiritual retreat with Michael's blessing, but the situation became untenable under Christie's leadership, and soon after, she and her new husband were expelled from the retreat. Ian and Christie didn't want to abruptly end the three-year retreat, so they decided to camp in a cave near the retreat complex, located in a desert area of Arizona. There they endured freezing temperatures, and when the ice melted, they didn't hesitate to drink the water.
On April 22, 2012, Arizona authorities received a call reporting an incident at the cult complex. When they arrived at the nearby cave, they found Christie attempting to use her supposed goddess powers to resurrect Ian. The police investigation ultimately revealed that Ian and Christie had drunk water contaminated with bacteria, and tragically, Ian died. No charges were filed against Christie, and Geshe Michael Roach continues his career as a spiritual teacher.
Video about the brutal story of the Tibetan Buddhist cult of Geshe Michael Roach. The terrible death of Ian Thorson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BqCpmtTyVA