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Cult expert Janja Lalich speaks at Ulysses Roberson murder trial

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Wednesday November 11, 2009

Despite objections by defense attorney Monica Lynch, El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury allowed a cult expert to testify in the Ulysses Roberson murder trial this week.
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Roberson is accused of first-degree murder in the disappearance of Alexander Olive — his 4-year-old son — from a Tahoe Keys home in December 1985 or January 1986. The exact date Olive, who was known to the Roberson clan as “Salaam,” disappeared isn’t known.
Tuesday afternoon, California State University, Chico sociology professor Janja Lalich testified about often misunderstood mindsets of people involved in groups with an undying devotion to a charismatic leader.
During a hearing Tuesday morning to determine if Lalich would be allowed to testify, prosecutor Patricia Kelliher said the sociologist’s testimony would help the jury understand why the women — who have testified about their previous involvement with Roberson in a cult-like communal living situation — did not immediately tell police about Roberson’s alleged abuse or the disappearance of Olive.
Members of cults and cult-like groups — which Lalich described as “self-sealing systems” on Tuesday — are often afraid to speak out against the group’s beliefs and make decisions they know will keep them in good standing with a group’s leader, Lalich said.
“Yes, they have choices, but they know exactly how they’re supposed to choose to remain in the system,” Lalich said.
Prior to the start of the trial, Lynch successfully motioned to have the term “cult” excluded from the proceedings and Lalich was required to not use the term during her testimony.
Lynch argued that Lalich’s testimony about the mindsets relating to some of the witnesses in the case was irrelevant to the primary matter at hand.
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