Episode 3: Bad Grandpa
REAL
Naomi Channell
4.8 • 725 Ratings
🗓️ 29 January 2025
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ricky Rodriguez was Davidito. The story of his childhood had been shared in a book produced by the 'Children of God' called 'The Story of Davidito' - a 'childcare manual' sent to thousands of families in the cult, detailing the abuse this child had endured, disguised as religious teachings.
As Ricky grew up, the abuse he suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to protect him continued to hurt him and he wanted revenge. Ricky had a plan. In 2005, Ricky sat in his apartment, facing a camcorder, surrounded by deadly weapons, and he hit record...
This is Bad Grandpa.
WARNING: This series contains descriptions of abuse against minors, sexual abuse, suicide and murder. Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra care whilst listening.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, please see the organisations below who can help and support you:
https://www.mind.org.uk/ - Mental health support
https://www.spuk.org.uk/ - Suicide Prevention UK
https://www.samaritans.org/ - The Samaritans
https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/ - For people who have been the victim of sexual abuse (UK)
https://www.rainn.org/ - Sexual Abuse Support USA
https://988lifeline.org/ - Suicide Prevention USA
https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory - Sexual Abuse Support Australia
https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/ - Suicide Prevention Australia
https://www.rcni.ie/useful-links/ - Sexual Abuse Support Ireland
https://www.pieta.ie/ - Suicide Prevention Ireland
https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/ - Support for cult survivors (UK)
https://www.peopleleavecults.com/services/support-groups - Support for cult survivors & Intervention (global)
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Warning, this is a true crime podcast and is not suitable for all audiences. |
| 0:05.5 | Please use discretion. |
| 0:07.9 | This series contains descriptions of sexual assault against minors, murder and suicide. |
| 0:15.3 | Whilst the descriptions are not explicit, please take extra care whilst listening. |
| 0:21.8 | This is the third episode of a six-part series. |
| 0:25.0 | If you haven't listened to the two prior episodes, |
| 0:27.8 | please go back to the beginning so you can follow along. |
| 0:30.8 | I want people to know that even though some of the things that I'm going to try to do a rally shocking and maybe not write in a lot of people's books. |
| 0:45.3 | I want to explain some of the reasons behind them. |
| 0:49.3 | This is my weapon. It's about choice. The K-bar knife. I only want it for more purpose, |
| 0:58.8 | and that is teaching out the scum. Ricky Rodriguez's abuse that he suffered at the hands of his |
| 1:05.5 | parents and other adults in the Children of God cult had been documented into a story called the story of Davito. |
| 1:14.4 | He had escaped his abusers and tried to live a normal life. |
| 1:18.8 | But the trauma he suffered never went away. |
| 1:22.9 | His abuse was written up like a story and published in a book, alongside pictures of him, naked, being abused. |
| 1:32.3 | And in 2005, people around the world were still accessing it. |
| 1:38.6 | And he wanted revenge. |
| 1:41.2 | I'm Naomi Channel, and this is episode three of Bird Grandpa. |
| 1:46.0 | I'm Naomi Channel and this is episode 3 of Bird Grandpa. The |
| 2:03.6 | The Ricky Rodriguez's birth mother was a woman called Karen Zerby. She met Children of God |
| 2:32.6 | Leader David Berg in the late 1960s. She had been raised by disciplinarians. |
| 2:39.9 | Her father would beat her with a belt if she did wrong, and her father was also a Presbyterian |
... |
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