Straight Outta Holmesburg -MOVE’s Prison Recruiting—and One Inmates Encounter With Their "God"
Explicit content warning
05/12/25 • 43 min
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.
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.
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.
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.
Previous Episode
Mike Africa Jr.'s Tales of Richmond - Factchecked
When memoir meets mythology, what happens to historical truth? This gripping episode investigates Mike Africa Jr.'s vivid account of his childhood in Richmond, Virginia, revealing a remarkable disconnect between his published narrative and documented reality.
Through painstaking research, including interviews with the retired detective who led the 1980 operation, the prosecutor who brought charges, and the attorney who represented MOVE women, we uncover the actual circumstances surrounding the removal of 14 malnourished MOVE children from a Richmond house. Medical reports, court documents, and newspaper accounts directly contradict Mike's dramatic tale of police sirens, an orphanage with cruel nuns, and a daring escape.
The investigation places Mike at just 16 months old during these events, not the nearly three years he claims in his memoir. Photos taken during medical examinations show a distended belly and no dreadlocks, contradicting key elements of his story. Most significantly, there were no orphanages in Richmond at that time—the children were taken to a hospital and placed with foster families.
Beyond fact-checking, this episode reveals the profound connection between this little-known Richmond chapter, a lawyer who, if he had made a different choice, might have prevented 6 children from being with MOVE on May 13, 1985. You will hear that Pixie Africa, who escaped MOVE in 2021 with her 5 children when this podcast launched - she was not the first to attempt that - there is a woman that MOVE never speaks of because she got away and took her two children.
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.
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.
Next Episode
May 13, 1985: A Police Officer’s Account from Osage Avenue
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.
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.
Murder at Ryan's Run: exposing the cult of John Africa - Straight Outta Holmesburg -MOVE’s Prison Recruiting—and One Inmates Encounter With Their "God"
Transcript
This episode is for all the listeners who have sent me questions about whether I am going to go deeper and whether I'm going to go into some questions related to Vincent Leapheart and May 13th 1985 . This episode is for you .
Speaker 2Okay , I'm currently I run a nonprofit called Reimagine Reentry , working with men and women coming out of th
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