2005

• January 08 — Angela Marilyn Smith is murdered by former member Ricky Rodriguez.
• January 09 — Ricky Rodriguez subsequently takes his own life.
• January 17 — xFamily.org is established as a collaborative effort to document and collate information on The Family.
• January 18 — Family spokesperson Claire Borowik states that the sexual abuse of children was made an excommunicable offense in 1986.
• January 23 — The Family International states that the sexual abuse of children was made an excommunicable offense in 1988.
• March 03 — Recent photographs of Karen Zerby and other top leaders are made available publicly, by xFamily.org, for the first time in decades.
• March 26 — A memorial for Ricky Rodriguez is held in San Diego.

Press coverage

• San Francisco Chronicle: Murder-suicide case in desert evangelical sex cult — 2005-01-11
• Tucson Citizen: Police probe ties between victim, killer — 2005-01-11
• Arizona Daily Star: Stabber's friends blame decades of abuse in sex cult — 2005-01-12
• Tucson Citizen: Murder suspect, a suicide, raised by cult to lead — 2005-01-12
• Arizona Daily Star: Sect rebuts claims in murder — 2005-01-13
• New York Times: Murder and Suicide Reviving Claims of Child Abuse in Cult — 2005-01-15
• San Francisco Chronicle: Rage turns to vengeance against "Family" — 2005-01-15
• Los Angeles Times: Fringe Group at Center of Deaths — 2005-01-17
• Northern Virginia Daily: Obituaries - Susan J. Kauten — 2005-01-17
• San Francisco Chronicle: Ex-sect members fear new violence — 2005-01-17
• CNN Anderson Cooper 360: Murder-Suicide Leads to Secretive Cult — 2005-01-18
• San Jose Mercury News: Group, P.A. woman's slaying intertwined — 2005-01-18
• KVOA TV: Professor talks about nanny murder, suicide — 2005-01-20
• San Francisco Chronicle: On tape, son of 'prophet' declares war on mother — 2005-01-20
• London Times: Revenge of a son on cult of free love — 2005-01-23
• The Observer, UK: Sex cult's messiah turns killer — 2005-01-23
• AP Spanish Online: Video de homicida-suicida renueva polémica sobre secta comunal — 2005-01-25
• ABC News: New Focus on Fringe Religious Sect — 2005-01-27
• San Francisco Chronicle: Common Thread of Sexual, Spiritual Abuse Among Cult Defectors Who Killed Themselves — 2005-01-27
• San Francisco Chronicle: IRS documents show ties between charity, sex cult — 2005-02-06
• London Times: 'After my mother, all I need is one bullet for myself' — 2005-02-09
• San Francisco Chronicle: Hewlett grant went to cult-linked charity — 2005-02-12
• San Francisco Chronicle: Flora Family Foundation donated money to charity with ties to infamous cult — 2005-02-12
• Boston Globe: A Family Argument — 2005-02-25
• San Francisco Chronicle: Mixed Memories of 'The Family' Sex: Ex-member believed abuse 'normal' — 2005-02-27
• San Francisco Chronicle: Mixed Memories of 'The Family' Love: Current sect members think so — 2005-02-27
• Evening Standard: The Little Girl Seduced in the Name of God — 2005-03-09
• Los Angeles Times: Tragic Legacies of a Sex-Based Religion: Murder and Suicide — 2005-03-13
• Irish Times: Helping to Take the Cult Out of the Man — 2005-03-21
• Marie Claire: "Killing Myself is the Only Way Out of the Cult" — 2005-04-19
• Rolling Stone: The Life and Death of the Chosen One — 2005-06-30
• People Magazine: Was the Family Doing God's Work - Or Unspeakable Harm? — 2005-07-18
• Cosmopolitan: A sex cult stole my childhood — 2005-08
• Humble Observer: Charitable donation or cult income? — 2005-08-03
• Dateline NBC: A message from beyond the grave — 2005-08-19
• Harper's Magazine: Family Values — 2005-09
• IRE Journal: Records, sources help show link between charity, religious sect — 2005-09-01
• UC Berkeley News: The accidental activist: Daniel Roselle — 2005-09-16
• California Patriot: Courage and self-reliance — 2005-10
• London Times: Band on the run with rock'n'roll in their blood — 2005-10-29
• Houston Press: Family Ties — 2005-11-17
• The Courier Mail: FBI investigates Coast sex cult — 2005-11-19
• The Courier Mail: Family Website Accepting ‘Charity’ Donations — 2005-11-19
• The Courier Mail: Rebirth Of A Controversial Sect — 2005-11-19
• The Guardian: After the 'Family' broke us apart — 2005-11-26

Television coverage

• Montel Williams: Sex Abuse and Mind Control: Raised In A Cult (40:56, 128.8MB) — 2005-10-24 – (Transcript)
• 60 Minutes Australia: Sinful Acts (15:59, 64.8MB) — 2005-10-16 – (Transcript)
• CBS Local News San Diego: 'The Family' Religious Sect Has Ties To San Diego (3:16, 5.9MB) – 2005-10-03
• Dr. Phil: The Family Cult Escapees (36:59, 93.8MB) – 2005-10-03 – (Transcript)
• Dateline NBC: A Child Lost (17:24, 46.5MB) – 2005-08-19 – (Transcript)
• FOX: A Current Affair (11:05, 31.6MB) — Tabloid overview of The Family and Ricky Rodriguez – 2005-05-09
• CBS Local News San Diego: FBI Launches Investigation Into Sex Cult (2:56, 5.3MB) – 2005-04-04
• CBS Local News San Diego: People Raised In Sex Cult Gather For Memorial (2:03, 3.7MB) – 2005-03-26
• CBS Local News San Diego: Religious Sect Has Ties To Two Local Charities (4:00, 7.2MB) – 2005-02-17
• CBS Local News San Diego: Cult Member Responds To Abuse Allegations (3:38, 6.5MB) – 2005-02-11
• CBS Local News San Diego: Dulzura Charity Funded Accused Child Molester (3:21, 6.0MB) – 2005-02-10
• ABC Primetime Live (18:36, 46.7MB) — Ricky Rodriguez murder–suicide – 2005-01-27 – (Transcript)
• CNN Anderson Cooper 360°: Murder-Suicide Leads to Secretive Cult (20:43, 52.5MB) – 2005-01-18 – (Transcript)
• Good Morning America: Family International Cult Under Scrutiny After Murder-Suicide — 2005-01-18

See also: Previous Year - 2000s - Next Year