"It takes a powerful, powerful church to host this symbol," said Don Rimer as he pointed to an image of the devil with a pitchfork on a slide show just outside the pulpit of the Farmville United Methodist Church (UMC). Rimer was the special investigator called in to aid in the investigation into the quadruple homicide on First Ave., where four bodies were found bludgeoned to death on Sept. 18 by suspect Richard Alden McCroskey. Rimer was back in Farmville for a special presentation on Sun., Nov. 15 to educate the community about the occult, which Rimer refers to as "the hidden," and ritual crimes. He called the message "An afternoon of awareness and recognition, not a cure."
The hope of a cure for what happened to small town Farmville is a stretch. The recent quadruple homicide in Farmville has brought the world of the occult to dinner tables. The Reverend Sylvia Meadows of Farmville UMC told the audience beforehand that the homicide case was not a part of the presentation and asked the 100 or so people in attendance to refrain from asking questions regarding the matter. McCroskey was convicted two weeks ago with six counts of premeditated murder and a single count of grand larceny. He is being held at Piedmont Regional Jail in solitary confinement.
Rimer opened his presentation with a disclaimer. "If you don't commit crimes, I'm not going to talk about you today." Clearly, that was the message Rimer stuck with throughout his four hour long presentation, which he called a "brief understanding" into the world of sects and ritual murders.
Rimer has a unique life in that he lives unlike any other member of society. Rimer spends most of his time as a retired investigator with the Virginia Beach Police Department following around Goths, Wiccans, Vampires, and Juggalos. He immerses himself in their lives to learn more about their subculture. Rimer said he tells these cult members that he is doing research in an effort to understand them better so society can do the same. Rimer stated, "I'm always threatened. But do I feel threatened? No." He always has his personal entourage in case things get out of hand. He quickly made the point that not all people associated with these particular sects are criminals.
He focused on a number of stories, many of which have made headlines, where members of these cults have violently murdered people for no apparent reason. Rimer cited the fact that these criminals are believers in what they practice. Nearly ever story involved teenagers who were entrenched in some sort of pop culture idea of killing. He attributed the image of Hollywood, which television shows such as HBO's "True Blood," and the music industry as a factor in the mindset of adolescents.
A hot topic during the presentation was a focus on the band, Insane Clown Posse (ICP). The band, founded in 1989, quickly became a top player in the hardcore hip-hop subgenre known as horrorcore. The music contains references to Satanism, cannibalism, murder, and rape. ICP followers call themselves Juggalos and are currently seen as a security threat group. They are also seen as an active gang in 22 states, including Virginia. Juggalos have taken responsibility for a number of murders across the nation, including one in Mount Vernon, N.H. on Oct. 4, where Kimberly Cates was murdered in her bed with a knife and machete to the back. Her 11-year-old daughter was also brutally attacked by the four teenage suspects.
Longwood University senior Paul Gorman said he felt Rimer's perception of the band may have been too one-sided. "If you look at YouTube videos, their latest song is Christian," said Gorman. McCroskey was a self-proclaimed "juggalo," and had paraphernalia related to both ICP and the horrorcore genre. He rapped under the stage name "Syko Sam" and rapped about murder and killing. McCroskey and Emma Niederbrock both shared a liking to horrorcore music, which led to their online relationship through MySpace.
Rimer's main goal of his presentation was to educate the many parents in attendance about the effects of these subcultures on teenagers. "I'm zero tolerance on dabbling," said Rimer. He made the point that if parents ignore what their children do; their lives may get out of hand. Many parents ask Rimer how long will their children be stuck in one of the sub culture fads, such as Goth. He shows them a picture of a midlife couple married dressed in black drag and Victorian lore.
Farmville resident Ashley Moore said a lot of what Rimer says "has been biased in the past. He's getting better about it." Moore personally invited Rimer to a discussion panel to better understand Wiccans, Paganism, and Satanic practices. "We need to differentiate what is media biased here," said Moore.
Rimer told the crowd, "What means most to me is you." He was very straightforward in his presentation, but was sure not to offend anyone who may have been a member of the discussed sub cultures. "Today, you've been introduced to my world," said Rimer. "I find those who guide me through the dark.
