Newly released Love Has Won cult members Ryan Kramer and Kristin Raymond were interviewed by CBS4 Denver’s Rick Sallinger. All seven arrested members appeared in Saugache County court on Wednesday.
Be Scofield is a prominent cult reporter whose work has led to coverage on Netflix, Dr. Phil, VICE, Playboy, The Guardian, Daily Mail, CNN and elsewhere. Contact: bescofieldreporter@gmail.com / Follow on Facebook
- “Love Has Won” Cult Leader Found Deceased Near Crestone, Members Arrested
- Inside the Crestone Cult Raid that Led to a Deceased Body
May 7th, 2021
Two Love Has Won cult members, Ryan Kramer and Karin Raymond, were filmed leaving the Saguache County jail today. Speaking to CBS4 Denver’s Rick Sallinger, Kramer said, “God is a woman and this whole planet will know.” When asked how Amy Carlson died, Kramer responded, “I do not have an answer for that. Sincerely. I do not know.” He refused to comment about the Christmas lights found wrapped around her body. Sallinger asked if Carlson would be reincarnated. “You tell me,” he said. “God is a woman,” Raymond interjected. “Amy is the God?” Sallinger asked. “Yes,” Raymond replied. “She’s been reincarnated 534 times, so maybe she’ll come back to life,” Sallinger said. “Maybe she’ll come off a starship,” Kramer responded.
Kramer and Raymond were arrested on Thursday, April 29th along with five other members in a pre-dawn raid of the cult’s home near Crestone. The body of Amy Carlson, the cult leader, was found mummified, wrapped in Christmas lights with glitter on its face. Authorities estimate she had been dead for around a month. They were tipped off after member Miguel Lamboy alerted police to the presence of the body in the home.
In other developments, Sallinger spoke with a neighbor of the Love Has Won compound in Casita Park near Crestone on Wednesday. “We have to sleep in shifts because we are so scared to go to bed,” the neighbor said. He described them as “very scary people.”
Oxygen.com spoke with Sheriff Dan Warwick who told them “There was some makeup on the corpse and some essential oils, incense — stuff like that to control the odor of the remains.” Warwick also told them, “[She] was partially mummified to the degree that the skin was dehydrated and up against the skeletal structure of the body.”
Amy Carlson’s son Cole spoke out telling FOX that he found the details of her death “very disturbing.” Her former lover Andrew Profaci also spoke to FOX. “Amy or Mother God had other ideas and told me I was going to be the vessel for this Father God consciousness to come into the planet,” her said.
Love Has Won Court Hearings
On Wednesday the seven members appeared in court via video link for a preliminary advisement hearing where they were told what crimes they were being investigated for. A second advisement hearing will inform members what crimes they are being charged with. The Deputy District Attorney Alex Raines told the court he will be filing charges imminently, but has until the 12th to do so.
The first defendant, Ma Obdulia Franco Gonzales, appeared in front of Judge Ulrich via video link at 9:30 a.m. Gonzales is the owner of the vehicle that authorities believe transported the body from California to Colorado. Her attorney, Mr. Hirsch, did not request release on personal recognizance bond but rather deferred to a later May 12th court date that is designed to set bond. She remains in custody on a $2,000 bond.
Jason Castillo, aka “Father God,” who was co-leader of the cult and Amy’s partner appeared next. He was skinny and tired looking, dressed in a yellow and orange jumpsuit.
Deputy District Attorney Alex Raines told the court that Castillo has a criminal history from California, Florida and Nevada. He reminded the court that “a body was transported across state lines and kept in possession of folks for several days.”
“I would ask the court to not set bond based on rumors, baseless allegations, heresay or anything else,” Castillo’s court appointed attorney David Hoag told the judge. “He is charged with a low-level felony, he is not a flight risk, he is not a threat to the community.” Hoag explained to the court that Castillo had planned to stay on one of the group’s properties in an RV if he were to be released. “He strikes me as an extremely honest and earnest person who does what he says he is going to do,” Hoag told the court.
Deputy District Attorney Raines interrupted Hoag telling the court that he would be charged with a more serious class 3 felony, not the low-level abuse of a corpse charge that was initially filed. Raines stated that Saguache County police were not aware of the existence of the “tampering with deceased human remains” charge at the time of arrest and the affidavit was later amended.
Several members, including Castillo had been held on a $50,000 bond, but the commander of the Rio Grande Jail told me that was due to a filing error. The initial charge was “abuse of a corpse,” a class 6 felony, and thus their bonds have been reduced to $2,000 each until the 12th over this technicality.
Judge Ulrich denied Castillo’s request for release on personal recognizance bond.
Christopher Royer was represented by prominent Denver area attorney Ann Roan and co-counsel Greg Greir. “He’s being held in detention unconstitutionally,” she argued saying he should be released immediately. “Your honor would you please clarify how this court prefers to proceed in terms of lawyers interrupting each other?,” Roan asked after D.A. Raines interrupted her. Royer was denied release and must return to court on the 12th.
John Robertson known as “Hilarion” in the cult also appeared. He was seen being abused on camera by Amy Carlson and Jason Castillo when they fled to Kauai last year. The D.A. informed the court of his previous charges of “failure to appear” from July 16th, 2010 and a traffic offense from 2016. He told the court Robertson would be charged with the more serious class 3 felony of tampering with deceased human remains. Robertson remains in custody and is being represented by Sam Weiman.
“Mrs. Raymond is in a bit of a different situation than her co-defendants,” said Raines speaking of Kristin Raymond. Her attorney Riley Selleck told the court she was a 47-year-old woman with no criminal history and a lengthy employment history of being a home health aid in Pennsylvania for 20 years and working at a residential treatment facility for people with mental illness. Her daughter was present in the home at the time of the raid and is now with family in Pennsylvania according to Selleck. The judge released her on a personal recognizance bond.
Sarah Rudolph was represented by Chip Cutler. He told the court she is a 35-year-old Colorado resident who moved to Saguache County within the last 2-3 months from Salida where she was gainfully employed. She did so to “enhance her spirituality and for the good of humanity.” Cutler told the court that Rudolph did not have a lengthy stay at the Lamboy residence and that she was not involved in the movement of this cadaver in any way. He listed a friend in Colorado Springs whom she had worked at McDonald’s with as a person she could stay with if released. Cutler also told the court that Rudolph is a mother with a daughter who lives with the father in Florida.
DDA Raines told the court Rudolph had a misdemeanor battery charge in Nevada along with 5 other misdemeanor charges between 2009-2017 in Wisconsin. There were also two violations of probation. The more concerning charge for the DDA was the “take and drive vehicle without consent” in Wisconsin and her being listed as “some sort of designator of habitual criminality.”
Rudolph was denied release on personal recognizance bond and will appear again in court on May 12th.
Ryan Kramer’s court appointed attorney Raymond Miller argued for his release. He told the judge Kramer could not afford the current bond, and that he is a resident of 4 Alcedo court and “has been for the last couple of years.” This home legally is in Miguel Lamboy’s name but several members have lived there on and off in previous years. Miller said Kramer “has never not appeared in court in the past.” He did mention a prior case in 2011 involving mushrooms but Kramer has appeared in court and the issue had been resolved. “He works for a colorado non-profit called Love Has Won. He’s a trustee for a 501c3 non-profit. He has no family in the valley he has been in the valley since 2018. He assists individuals throughout the community. He has an individual who resides with him that can help assist him to get to court.” Miller told the court Kramer would return to the 4 Alcedo address if relased.
“Mr. Raines are you in agreement that Mr. Kramer has no Colorado or other state criminal history?,” judge Ulrich asked the DDA. “The state’s position is that he has no criminal history,” he replied but added that Kramer would be facing the more serious tampering charge. “Court will grant Mr. Kramer’s request for a personal recognizance bond,” Ulrich stated.
Love Has Won members are due back in court on May 12th.
