A cannibal cult leader calling
himself Black Jesus, who slaughtered his 'Flower Girl' followers and
drank their blood, has himself been murdered in the jungles of Papua New
Guinea.
In flowing robes,
Stephen Tari, 40, a failed Bible student, once led 6,000 'disciples'
through the mountainous regions of the country, but was accused of
killing at least three young girls and, as their mothers were forced to
watch, drinking their blood.
Calling
himself 'the true Christ', he was convicted of only rape three years
ago - before the country brought in new laws that meant convicted
killers and rapists could receive the death penalty - and was among 48
prisoners who broke out of jail six months ago.
'Black Jesus': Notorious cult leader Stephen Tari after he was captured in Papua New Guinea in 2007
Since then he has been on the run
with a handful of faithful followers, but his bizarre life came to an
end when he was said to have murdered a village woman this week and
attempted to take the life of another.
Surrounded by furious
villagers on Thursday, he is believed to have been beaten and hacked to
death, along with one of his henchmen in the remote village of Gal in
the northern province of Madang.
A special investigation by the
Daily Mail six years ago heard from three women who said they had
witnessed Tari drinking their murdered daughters' blood in bizarre
sacrificial ceremonies in village huts as he led his followers through
the jungle.
Because of the remote area where he was murdered,
police have not been able to establish whether he allegedly murdered a
woman because he had started up his former cult and needed more human
sacrifices.
Madang provincial police commander Chief
Superintendent Sylvester Kalaut told the Post Courier newspaper that the
village where Tari met his death is several miles by foot along jungle
tracks from the nearest small town.
Capture: The feared Tari was beaten by villagers and tied up before being handed over to the police in 2007
'We are sending police and a doctor to the village to ascertain the cause of death.
'The
village where he was based is a four hour walk and from advice and
given reports of the state of his body, he will have to be buried soon
after the post-mortem is conducted,' said Superintendent Kalaut.
Followers: Tari gathered more than six thousand disciples with his preaching in the jungles (library image)
The
police officer warned that other prisoners who remain on the run and
who might be associated with Tari should give themselves up.
'He
is now dead and this could be the fate of the others who are also on the
run from the authorities. I am warning and strongly urging those
escapees to surrender themselves to authorities.'
At
the height of his infamy, Black Jesus wore long white robes as he stood
on a rock in a jungle clearing and preached his own kind of gospel to
his disciples. He told the crowds that they would receive gifts from
heaven if they followed him.
But behind his preachings was evil
intent. Luring young females he called his Flower Girls into huts, he
cut their throats and consumed their blood, mothers testified later.
One woman said she was ordered to drink her own daughter's blood on one occasion.
Police
were unable to capture him, despite knowing where he was because of the
constant the presence of his large 'flock' - he was guarded by henchmen
who carried rifles, spears and bows and arrows.
But villagers finally carried out a 'citizens' arrest' in 2007 and Tari was eventually jailed.
Now,
it is village power once again that has brought an end to his warped
teachings. It is expected he will be buried near the small jungle
community where he was killed.
dailymail.co.uk
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