Shivangi Sinha
In Hulu’s episode of ‘How I Escaped My Cult’ titled ‘Tony Alamo Christian Academy,’ Desiree Kolbek shares her experience growing up in the church of Tony Alamo and the various abuses she endured. A significant figure in her story is her father, John Kolbek, whose actions and responses deeply impacted her. She reflects on the love she had for him and how his retribution ultimately shifted her entire perspective on life and served as the final push she needed to escape.
John Kolbek’s Daughter Feared That He Would Kill Her
John Kolbek became involved with the Alamo Christian Foundation, founded by Tony Alamo when he was just 19 years old. His wife, Jennifer Kolbek, had been raised within the church, and after meeting her, he fully embraced its teachings. The couple had four children together, and their eldest daughter, Desiree Kolbek, was only eight years old when she was taken in as a “spiritual wife” by Alamo. John did not oppose these practices; instead, he rose to a high-ranking position within the church. He was regarded as almost a right-hand man to the Alamo and was frequently described as the “enforcer.”
According to numerous former members, physical abuse and beatings were commonly used as methods of coercion within the church, and John was often the one who carried them out at the leader’s command. He was known to carry a six-foot-long wooden paddle, which he allegedly used to discipline members. When John discovered that his daughter had begun questioning her faith, Desiree alleged that he beat her so severely she genuinely believed he would kill her. By the time she escaped at 15 in 2004, the person she feared most was her own father.
This was especially painful for her, as she had once been the daughter he loved the most. In 2008, authorities built their case against Tony Alamo based on statements from Desiree and other former members. An arrest warrant was also issued for John. Former church members Seth Calcagna and Spencer Ondirsek accused both him and Alamo of battery, false imprisonment, and conspiracy. They later filed a civil lawsuit against them, seeking over $75,000 in damages.
John Kolbek Was Wanted by Authorities When He Passed Away
In 2009, when Tony Alamo was arrested on various charges, authorities also searched for John Kolbek. However, he had already fled alongside his wife, Jennifer Kolbek, and six children from the church—three of whom were not biologically theirs. The children’s mother stated in 2009 that she had signed them over to the Kolbeks because she was leaving the church and feared that DHS would take them. For two years, little was known about John’s whereabouts until 2011. That year, emergency responders in Lawrence County, Kentucky, answered a call regarding a man who had passed away.
The woman with him claimed that he had come out of the bathroom, mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well, and then requested an ambulance. The woman was none other than Jennifer, who had provided a false name to authorities at the time. The man with her was John, and he had passed away on July 14, 2011. His wife was with the six children when it happened. She quickly disappeared as soon as the coroner took over his remains. His cause of death was determined to be natural causes. At the time of his death, John was a wanted fugitive in Sebastian County, Arkansas, for unlawful flight from prosecution.
Read More: My Fatal Social Following: Is it a True Story? Is The Family a Real Cult?
