Melanie Wilking Denounces Threats Made to Sister Miranda Derrick After Release of “Dancing for the Devil” (Exclusive)
"We never wanted any sort of violence to come her way," Wilking tells PEOPLE, adding that "our only intent was to save her from an unsafe environment"
Courtesy of Netflix
Melanie Wilking and Miranda Derrick in 'Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult'.Melanie Wilking has denounced threats made to her sister Miranda Derrick following the release of Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult.
On Monday, June 10, Miranda, 27, came forward with a video on Instagram, explaining that she and her husband James "BDash" Derrick have received death threats and have been stalked following the release of the Netflix docuseries, which insinuates that they are part of an alleged cult overseen by Robert Shinn, the founder of the Shekinah Church.
“Of course, we never wanted any sort of violence to come her way, and I'm very sorry that she has experienced that because our only intent was to save her from an unsafe environment and to give her love and know that we're here to support her,” Wilking tells PEOPLE exclusively about her sister's Instagram video.
Wilking says listening to Miranda’s videos about the docuseries “saddens her."
“She's been under this control for over three years, and so the person that's sitting in front of her camera and making these posts, that's not my true sister,” she says. “I know that this is from the church and from Robert. She's so loving and kind and loved our family, and so for her to point fingers at us, it's just not her true self.”
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Just a few years ago, Wilking shared a joint social media account with Miranda called “The Wilking Sisters,” and joined her at the Shekinah Church. However, it didn’t take long for Wikling to recognize something wasn’t right.
“I think the difference is I didn’t have a significant other in the group,” she explained. “James, Miranda’s boyfriend at the time, was extremely involved, so therefore in order for my sister to see him, she would have to also be going to these services and dinners. I didn't have that, so I was kind of disconnected in a way and was able to listen to outside influences a little more, confirming the red flags that I was seeing.”
Over time, Miranda's relationship with James and the Church changed their family dynamic, Wilking says.
“When I would see my sister, it was very surface level. We couldn't talk about anything in depth because that trust was broken on both sides,” Wilking says about her relationship with Miranda.
Wilking says her and her parents' participation in the docuseries came with risks.
"To have a genuine relationship again with my sister, I knew we had to continue to speak out," she adds. "I care more about her safety and her well-being, and so doing the documentary meant that we could progress that in a positive direction instead of just pretending like things weren't happening when we know the truth about the organization that she's a part of. We couldn't just be bystanders."
Responding to her sister’s claim that “My parents and my sister have focused so much on this documentary that they have forgotten about working on any relationship with me,” Wilking says she believes this is a tactic from Shinn and the church.
“I think from her statement, it's very clear that she did not watch the documentary because if she did, she would know that it's so much bigger than just our family situation and it goes deeper, 25 plus years of Robert controlling these people,” the 25-year-old says.
Wilking elaborates, “Of course, we want a relationship with my sister. That is why we did this from the start. But once we started to learn about other people, it was also that we did not want other people to fall victim to this group, and we knew we needed to use our voices and share this.”
“All the steps that we've taken, trying to resolve it quietly for a year, then going live and then having all of these dancers and members leave because we used our voice... all of these things have resulted in positive outcomes, so I have to believe that my gut and intuition has been correct,” Wilking adds.
Courtesy of Netflix
Melanie Wilking in 'Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult'.Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Wilking hasn't spoken to Miranda since the release of the docuseries but has "reached out, just saying, ‘I'm here whenever you're ready to talk.’ And I honestly was not expecting a response."
However, Wilking and her family will “never lose hope” about things going back to the way they once were.
“My hope for the future is we are all hanging out, having family parties, talking on the daily like we used to and just being there to support each other," she says. "That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”
Miranda and the 7M organization have not responded to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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