Day 14 of the Waco Standoff

March 13, 1993


Between midnight and 8:30 a.m., the negotiators had two conversations with Steve Schneider. Schneider, still very angry about the electricity having been turned off, stated that three people had been prepared to come out; however, he did not think that would happen now. Schneider also complained that the people were cold and freezing inside the compound. The negotiators placed the blame on "their bosses" and urged Schneider to continue to work with them. In a conversation at 8:55 a.m., Schneider once again claimed that the government wanted to kill all of them and burn down the building.

At 11:35 a.m., the FBI negotiation team discussed the fact that letters had been sent from two attorneys claiming to represent Koresh and Schneider. These attorneys were Richard DeGuerin and Jack Zimmerman. It was decided not to allow the attorneys to speak to Koresh and Schneider at that time, since neither of them had requested an attorney. Nevertheless at 12:44 p.m., the negotiators advised Schneider that his sister had retained an attorney for him.
At 1:24 p.m., the negotiators offered to allow Judy Schneider to come out, receive medical care for her wounds, then return to the compound. In return, the FBI asked for the exit of three individuals. This offer was rejected at 2:30 p.m.
[Material redacted as required by statute.]

(The Myth: The Davidians didn’t get any lawyers!)

[The Truth: Sure they did. This myth comes from early in the standoff when the FBI refused to let attorneys for Vernon and the Davidians confer with their clients in the compound. The reasons were twofold: 1. the Davidians and Vernon had not asked for them; 2. there was already a lawyer among the Davidians. Once again, it is the DAVIDIANS that claim the government will kill them all and set fire to the place.]

S. Olson