Devil's Workshop: The Ultimate True Crime Tale

Section 2: MASTER DISASTER

CHAPTER 5

Amy got a call from Catherine Brownhouse, heiress to the Brownhouse alcohol company. "My daughter Clair joined this group a while back, Lexter, a feminist personal development group. Recently she has cut off her relationship with me, before that she was complaining that I have ruined her life by giving her so much money, spoiling her in the process. She has been making large donations to that group and has all but devoted herself totally to it. I fear that she may have gotten herself into a cult."

Amy did a Google search. Lextus had been founded by New Yorkers Hal Robern and Heather Salterman. The Lextus website billed itself as "a company whose mission is to raise human awareness, foster an ethical humanitarian civilization, and celebrate what it means to be human." The site had many videos and articles about itself, such as statements from the founders and from group members. Nearly all photos showing members had only women, and most of them were white. There were also many pictures of famous celebrities, business and political leaders from around the world among their ranks.

Amy came across a Wall Street Journal article from a few years back. It reported that many former members had come forward about how cult-like the group was. They stated how they were made to view Robern as a god with high intellect and to obey his every demand without question or hesitation. Failure to please would result in them being subject to verbal or physical abuse, such as being locked in a room for several days.

Amy searched for more information to follow up on. She came across a video that had been taken not long after the article had come out. It was Robern and Salterman hosting the Dalai Lama himself at a seminar. Someone asked His Holiness about the accusations against Lextus. "I know Hal very well, he is a very smart man and the media should be wearing long noses!" The crowd laughed. After this incident there were no more mainstream media articles painting Lextus in a negative light as far as Amy could find. So she changed tactics and went after the individual founders.

Hal Robern was an Ivy League alum who began his career in multi-level marketing, rising up the ranks like a rocket. At a young age he was seen as a prodigy. He scored high IQs and was very competitive. When his parents told him at a young age that he was gifted, he believed them. He was forever changed by this, believing he was too smart for this world, and would often bully other kids. But at the same time he was also very charismatic and popular with girls. He would hook up with many of them, often with several at the same time, but they were none the wiser. He would take them to dates and proms, and also have long conversations with them on the phone. As soon as he would finish a phone call with one girl, he would have a call with another girl and act like she was the one. He would tell them all that they were his one true love. And they all believed it without a moment of doubt.

He joined Ivy League universities and entered the Indonesian Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest IQ score in the world. In his interviews he scarcely missed out a chance to tout his score, even though the they metric used was later put into question. Even after the controversy, Robern never had himself re-examined. As far as he was concerned, he was perfect. It was the world that needed to be fixed.

Heather Salterman was a nurse who was experienced in hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming. She placed herself as the front for Lextus, selling herself as someone who could help women overcome their emotional hangups. Salterman also sat on the boards of several prominent feminist groups such as Times Up, NOW, and the New York Feminist Association. On the Lextus website, she was labeled as The Perfect, that is the second-in-command in the organization.

Amy signed up on the Lextus website under the name of Amy Thompson. She signed up to an upcoming class in New York City, which was the place that Claire Brownhouse was known to visit. Soon after she signed up she reached out to Claire on Facebook, also using the alias. Amy explained her plan to her husband. They kissed, with tears in their eyes. She gave him her wedding ring and went off to the Lextus building.