Re: "Real Suicide: Under Cover in a Cult Pact" (story by Brent Sidek, Exclusive of WPER News)

I have a feeling that a few of those in the Heaven's Gate cult were actually
murdered. I mean, they all took heavy doses of Phenobarbital but I am sure
that maybe one or two (or even more) of them would have pulled the bags off
whilst unconscious. This happens sometimes even with barbiturate overdoses.
And I'll bet that's why the authorities went after the cult leader before he
did himself in. I've heard of a couple of cases where people have pulled
bags off after taking weaker barbs like Phenobarbital and Cyclobarbital etc.
I doubt it would happen with stuff like Nembutal, Seconal, Amytal etc, but
you never know. We are talking about weak barbiturates here. Cyclobarbital
has sedative/hypnotic properties that are quite potent but it is actually
less toxic than phenobarbital (for reasons related to the CNS mechanisms of
this particular barb). Cyclobarbital is a very odd beast when it comes to
barbiturates and it is quite different from what you'd expect from a
short-acting barbiturate - it's barely lethal unlike other short-acting
barbiturates which are VERY lethal! It's really more like a strong benzo
than a barb. With plastic bags though, I must admit people tend to
drastically increase their chances of a completed suicide.

KD

> that's how Heaven's Gate did it, and they were prepared.
> from what I can tell they were responsible and ready.
> those who remained behind still had more for which to live.