The Gatekeepers : Second trial for cultists to begin

Snohomish County prosecutors were one juror away from convicting self-proclaimed prophet Chris Turgeon and one of his former followers four months ago in the slaying of another of Turgeon's former devotees.

They get another crack at the pair beginning this week, as the second murder trial for Turgeon, 37, and Blaine Applin, 31, gets under way.

Attorneys are expected to make their opening statements tomorrow.

Turgeon, the charismatic force behind a now-defunct cult called the Gatekeepers, and Applin are accused of killing former cult member Dan Jess because he knew they had bilked money from local businesses and clients before they skipped town and resettled in a rural area north of San Diego.
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Defense lawyers argued Turgeon and Applin were insane. Turgeon has claimed that God speaks to him, and has said the world will end on March 22, 2004.

Applin was so influenced by Turgeon during his time in the cult that he could not tell right from wrong, said his lawyer, Pete Mazzone.

Mazzone said he will again argue that Turgeon's "continual mind control essentially incapacitated (Applin) to where he could not form a specific intent to do anything but carry out Turgeon's will."

After hearing about two weeks of testimony and deliberating for three days, the jury deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting the pair, and Superior Court Judge Joseph Thibodeau declared a mistrial.

Deputy prosecutor Dave Kurtz said he does not expect "significant changes" in the way prosecutors will argue the case.

Royce Ferguson, one of Turgeon's attorneys, said defense lawyers still plan to argue Turgeon was not guilty by reason of insanity.

They plan to call at least two additional witnesses during this trial — Turgeon's mother and daughter.

"Just to flesh out that he's a nut," Ferguson said.
They also plan to call Turgeon, who testified during the last trial, even though he insisted he's not insane.

Turgeon would like the defense to argue that he killed Jess in self-defense, claiming that Jess had come to believe Turgeon was the Antichrist, Ferguson said.

But Ferguson said the defense is unlikely to go that route.
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Applin and Turgeon were each sentenced to more than 80 years in prison last year in San Diego for attempting to kill a police officer and committing a string of robberies.
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