Murder at Ryan's Run: exposing the cult of John Africa

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No one joins a cult. 17 year old John Gilbride gets lured into MOVE in the summer of 1985 after the deadly confrontation with police that resulted in a fire that destroyed 61 homes and took the lives of 6 adult MOVE members and 5 children who were inside MOVE headquarters on May 13, 1985. It would be years later when John's parents even discover that he has become a MOVE member which prompts them to seek out cult interventionists in the hopes of getting John to leave MOVE before it is too late.
Joe Kelley Cult Interventionist
International Cultic Studies Association
Cult News 101
Cult Recovery
Psychology Today article on Coercive Control
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) - Red Queen

The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

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Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
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If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected]
All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

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The shadows of Philadelphia's MOVE organization stretch far beyond the infamous 1985 bombing on Osage Avenue. Through an exclusive interview with Richard Garland—a former gang member who encountered MOVE while incarcerated at Holmesburg Prison—we uncover the cult's prison recruitment tactics and the mysterious figure at its center.
Garland reveals his extraordinary three-day encounter with Vincent Leapheart (John Africa) through prison cell walls, describing a "soft voice that commanded you would listen." His testimony provides rare insight into how MOVE maintained control over members, even those behind bars, through a sophisticated system of coded communications and psychological manipulation.
The interview raises disturbing questions about May 13th, 1985. Was Vincent Leapheart actually in the house when police dropped the bomb? Why did MOVE members tell Garland that John Africa was "still alive" afterward? And what explains the medical examiner's notation that "Body F"—presumed to be Vincent—was missing its head, which appeared to have been "sawed" off?
For decades, these questions have remained largely unanswered as MOVE members have pursued financial settlements rather than scientific verification through DNA testing. Garland's story serves as a crucial puzzle piece in understanding how MOVE functioned both in and out of the Pennsylvania prison system and how 40 years later, there are more stones to turn over in the MOVE story.
As we mark the 40th anniversary of the MOVE confrontation, this episode challenges listeners to examine all aspects of this complicated story—the victims, the survivors, the uncomfortable truths that continue to haunt everyone involved, and the questions that MOVE still avoids answering.

Materials for this episode are on the website - Page S3 Ep 5

Information on Holmesburg Prison:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holmesburg_Prison

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/988758.Acres_of_Skin

The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

Support the show

Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
Instagram
Facebook Page
Podcast Press

If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected]
All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Send us a text

MOVE likes to say that John Gilbride is still alive and living under an assumed name working for the US Government who is, of course, hell bent on destroying MOVE. John Gilbride is dead and we have obtained the Medical Examiner's Report stating exactly how he died on September 26, 2002. And we knock on the front door of MOVE leader's house and have a brief and bizarre interaction with her second husband.

The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

Support the show

Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
Instagram
Facebook Page
Podcast Press

If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected]
All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Send us a text

*cw: profanity and death of children
It's hard to believe that an organization like MOVE, which preaches about natural foods and healthy living, could be responsible for the neglect and abuse suffered by its children. In this episode we share exclusive investigative information about Shaeida "She She" Hollaway, who disappeared from the group's care in 1978 at the age of five. Through in-depth research, we learn about MOVE's secretive practices that made it challenging for authorities to locate and safeguard the children's welfare. This eye-opening episode details the group's obsession with isolation and privacy in order to conceal it's true nature, leading to catastrophic consequences for its members, most particularly the dozens of children who died, went missing or suffered decades of abuse. .
Where is SHAEIDA HOLLAWAY?
What happened to her in MOVE?
Will MOVE answer questions about SHAEIDA? If not, what could they be hiding?
Go to our social media for the MISSING graphic we made so that you can share on your socials with two hashtags #WhereIsShaeida #MissingInMOVE

The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

Support the show

Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
Instagram
Facebook Page
Podcast Press

If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected]
All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Send us a text

The haunting story of the MOVE bombing unfolds through the eyes of Philadelphia police officer Jim Berghaier—the Stakeout Cop who rescued 13-year-old Birdie Africa, the only child to survive when authorities dropped explosives on a West Philadelphia rowhouse on May 13, 1985.

Standing in the same narrow alley where it happened, Berghaier walks us minute by minute through his experience of that day. His visceral recollections take us back to the moment a satchel of explosives—meant to disable a fortified rooftop bunker—missed its mark. A fire quickly spread, engulfing the MOVE compound and surrounding homes. Through the smoke and chaos, Berghaier spots a young boy emerging from the flames. Ignoring warnings that it might be a trap, he sprinted into the water-filled alley to save him.

The emotion in Berghaier’s voice is unmistakable as he recalls Birdie’s first words: “Don’t shoot me, don’t shoot me.” Followed by the painfully ordinary: “I’m hungry. I want something to eat.” These moments cut through the political narratives that have long defined the MOVE bombing—revealing something more human, more immediate.

What makes this account especially powerful is Berghaier’s candor. Officers had been told there were no children in the house. They expected the fire to be extinguished. They thought MOVE members would come out. But they didn’t. Eleven people—six adults and five children—died inside 6221 Osage Avenue. Sixty-one homes were destroyed in a predominantly Black middle-class neighborhood.

This episode offers a first-hand account—but doesn’t claim to provide a definitive conclusion. Forty years later, many questions remain. But hearing directly from those who were there adds a crucial layer to understanding what happened that day.

Let It Burn - Michael and Randi Boyette https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31202750-let-it-burn

Temple University Archive - MOVe https://digital.library.temple.edu/digital/collection/p16002coll18

The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

Support the show

Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
Instagram
Facebook Page
Podcast Press

If you have questions, comments, tips, or media inquiries, please reach out on social media or via email: [email protected]
All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.