THE ORDER OF THE SOLAR TEMPLE

Over a year after the first series of mass suicides, in a forested area near Grenoble, France, known as the Well of Hell, 16 people were found dead and burned on December 15, 1995. Fourteen of them were arranged in a wheel-like pattern, heads outward, which came to be regarded as a star. This night was chosen for its association with the winter solstice, and all of the dead were members of the Solar Temple. Three were children, and there was evidence that not all of the victims had willingly gone to their deaths. One woman's jaw was fractured, as if she had struggled. Most had drugs in their system that had induced lethargy and sleep, and four people had left behind suicide notes in their homes. They hoped to "see another world" and hinted at another mass suicide to follow. Two bodies lying not far away were a police officer and an immigration inspector (some reports say an architect). Reconstruction of the incident indicated that they were the shooters. They had also started the fire.
This incident was chalked off to the influence of the earlier deaths, although families of the victims wanted justice. They believed that others had been involved who were still alive and that those people should be held responsible for their part.
Another year passed. The police monitored known members of the order throughout 1996, during the solstice and equinox seasons, since most of the prior incidents seemed associated with these dates, but when nothing happened, they eased their vigilance.

Yet it wasn't over. On March 22, 1997, another mass suicide in St. Casimir, Quebec, brought the total deaths for this religious cult to 74. This one had nearly been averted. Five adult members and three teenagers (two sons and a daughter) had gathered during the spring equinox on March 20. When their incendiary equipment failed, the teenagers persuaded their parents that they did not wish to die. They were allowed to leave, while the adults, including an elderly woman, made a second attempt at burning down the house. This time they succeeded and were killed. Four of them had arranged their bodies in the shape of a cross. All had taken tranquilizers. The teenagers, drugged, were found next door and were taken to safety. A note was found which indicated that the victims believed they were transitioning to another planet.
In 1998, the police prevented a German psychologist from carrying out yet another mass suicide. She had gathered 29 people believed to be members of the Solar Temple in the Canary Islands. None of them died.
Piecing the tale together, experts believe that Jouret and Di Mambro had decided that several governments were persecuting the order. Prior to the night of the mass slaughter/suicide in Switzerland, Di Mambro and 12 of his followers had engaged in a "Last Supper" to affirm their spiritual ideals. Then the violence began. In Switzerland, the "awakened" 15 had killed themselves by poison, while 38 others were shot. Eight of those were considered traitors to the order, and were thus executed, rather than "transitioned."