News: Russell Johnson Cult Story to be Adapted

Fingerprints received this press release from Russell Johnson, who relayed the martial arts cult story in a previous post here. Please join Fingerprints in wishing Mr. Johnson success with this new project.

Long time Vail Valley local Russell Johnson has signed a co-author agreement with English novelist, Matilda Wren, to write his memoirs. The autobiography, Deceived, will detail his coerced involvement in the notorious martial arts cult known as Chung Moo Quan. Known in the 1970s, 80’s and 90’ as a cult of greed and violence. This is a true crime story with many twist and turns.

Bullied throughout childhood, a vulnerable and confused teenager thought he had finally found the security and protection he had been searching for in the martial arts fraternity, however, the following eight years were to be a journey into a darkness Russell never knew existed. Brainwashing, deception, and fraud were only the beginning. Murder, cover-ups and physical abuse left him fearing for his life.

In 1988 Russell left Chung Moo Quan and despite numerous threats and attempts to silence him, he has spent the last 20 years advocating just how destructive the cult is, but even with the incarceration of cult leader John C Kim, it didn’t put a stop to Russell constantly looking over his shoulder; even more so now Kim has been released and is still running cults today.

Co-author Matilda Wren lives in the UK and is the author of crime thriller When Ravens Fall and her new book, Lowlands which will be released later this year. Matilda is a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Psychology and writes about the abnormal and anti-social behaviours of society. She wanted to write this book with Russell because his story is harrowing yet exceptional at the same time. It’s not about being a victim. It’s not about being a survivor. It’s about strength, character and power.

The book is to be published in 2014 and is expected to be adapted to film based on the life of Russell Johnson.