. Decker told NBC 12 News that one wife (who could have been Barbara Jeffs) was diagnosed with cancer, and in response Jeffs told her that she was being punished for having an evil spirit. Decker alleges that the wife was locked up in solitary confinement and only fed through a door until she died. Warren Jeffs is said to have had over 70 wives, but one, in particular, had a special place in his heart. Jeffs had over 80 wives and was sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault in 2011. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. WATCH THE FULL STORY ON "20/20: BREAKING POLYGAMY" TONIGHT AT 10 ET. American criminal and religious leader (born 1955), Sex crimes allegations and FBI's Most Wanted, The FLDS Church was founded in the early-20th century when the founders deemed the renunciation of, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, predicted in December 2012 that the world would end, Temecula Valley International Film Festival, Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs, Mormon abuse cases#Fundamentalist abuse cases, "Polygamist Charged With Felony Accomplice Rape of a Minor", "Warren Jeffs gets life in prison for sex with underage girls", "Polygamous Community Defies State Crackdown", "Have You Seen This Man? DNA evidence presented during the trial proved Jeffs had fathered a child with a 15-year-old child bride. [62], Current FLDS members continue to consider Jeffs to be their leader and prophet who speaks to God and who has been wrongly convicted. All FLDS women were forced to wear conservative prairie dresses, and were assigned to men at Jeffs leisure. In 2017, both the trust and Jeffs were sued by a woman alleging she was sexually abused by Jeffs when she was a child. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. 56 of the girls were each other's sisters and 24 were under the age of 17. Eight years later, Decker fled the compound and changed her name, her social security number, and was legally adopted in Tennessee. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking news? It was a melancholy feeling. It is said that Rulon had around 20 wives and 60 children, out of which Warren became his successor. She wanted a baby very much.. Per Deseret News, there are likely wives who are still loyal to Jeffs, as two separate women were caught trying to smuggle contraband to him in prison. Within years of ascending to power, Jeffs reportedly had 78 wives in addition to his legal spouse, and as of 2011, 24 of them were under the age of 17, per the Washington Post. During the trial Jeffs called just one witness - an elder from the church who read from scripture. 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. The latter concerned being head of the organization of all adult male church members who were deemed worthy to hold the priesthood, a tradition carried on in the Latter Day Saint movement. Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, oversaw a 'cult' that advocated for its male followers to have at least three wives, which included girls under the age of 16. Learn how your comment data is processed. I am so grateful to be the wife of our holy prophet, and he has blessed my life so abundantly, Naomie said at age 19 in a haunting recording featured in Preaching Evil.. Jeffs was charged in Utah with rape as an accomplice and fled with Naomie. Naomie Jessop, through whose point of view the entire documentary series, Preaching Evil, will be shown, is the former wife of both Warren Jeffs and Rulon. In one tape, he is heard telling the girls they 'need to be excited'. Naomie admitted she was somewhat disappointed in the pairing because she had always wanted to be a mother herself, but tried to tried to make the most of the marriage. 0. In a cruel irony, the girls were encouraged by Jeffs by being told their compliance would help atone for the sins of their community. Millie was just 13 when she was forced to marry the 48-year-old Jeffs. She was the wife of Jeffs father Rulon but married Jeff when Rulon died. Jeffs also made her death about himself: He turned it into, Oh, Im so poor because my wife died, Rachel told the Tribune. We cant say their name. When Rulon died at the age of 92 in September of 2002, Warren Jeffs decided he wanted to acquire his fathers wives and secretly married seven of themincluding Naomiein early October of that year. In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest and conviction. Polygamist Warren Jeffs guilty of sexual assaults on girls; Jeffs, said to have had 78 wives and more than 50 children in the Utah church, was jailed for life in 2011 after being convicted of . There is not much data about her professional income on the internet. [5] He is serving a life sentence plus twenty years. "I grew up having moms that were 15 years old," Jeffson told Insider. Within a week he had married all but two of his father's wives; one refused to marry Jeffs and was subsequently prohibited from ever marrying again, while the other, Rebecca Wall, fled the FLDS compound. The officer, who serves at the county jail where Jeffs was held awaiting trial, said he would pleasure himself about 15 times a day in full view of the jailers. [13], Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail in 2007 in Utah. Preaching Evil: A Wife on The Run with Warren Jeffs,is available to stream now on Peacock. The FLDS, which has at least 10,000 members, is a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism and believes polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. [66], In a 2001 sermon, Jeffs stated that "the people grew so evil, the men started to marry the men and the women married the women. His religion states that a man must have at least three wives in order to be saved. Combined with the pending charges against Jeffs in Texas, Smith concluded that "it would be impractical and unnecessary" to try Jeffs in Arizona. He said, The reason Im having you be my scribe, is because the Lord told me to and he did give me a blessing, she said of being asked to document his daily activities, sermons and teachings. Although he was behind bars, Jeffs continued to lead the group from his prison cell. [32] In an email to the Deseret News, Jeffs' attorneys made the following statements: "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc." The statement did not address his ecclesiastical position as prophet of the FLDS Church, and many in the FLDS communities still regard him as the prophet and their current leader. "They were the only way we were going to get to Heaven. [29] Jeffs also admits to what he calls "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old. [53] He was sentenced to prison for ten years to life and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison. Jeffs was housed in Utah's Purgatory Correctional Facility in solitary confinement for the duration. Naomie was never charged in connection to his activities and said in the docuseries she hoped people give her the benefit of the doubt., I love to help people, she said. Naomie said she had loved Rulon but described the relationship as more like a father-daughter relationship, adding that most of the romantic part of their relationship was done through words rather than physical acts. So she knew why her cousins distrust men. Filmed largely from the point of view of his favorite wife Naomi Jessop and former wife Vicki Thompson, the four-part series explores the culture of sexual abuse that Jeffs fostered at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), a polygamy-centric sect of the Mormon Church created in 1930 and designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was a surprise because I didnt think that I would marry the prophet, but I had been taught my whole life that was such an honorable thing to do and I tried to look at it that way, she said in the docuseries. [11], Jeffs was extradited to Texas,[12] where he was found guilty of sexual assault of a minor, for raping a 15-year-old he had married; and aggravated sexual assault against a child, for raping a 12-year-old he had married; for which he was sentenced to life in prison, plus twenty years and fined $10,000. The FLDS is not affiliated with the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. [8], In 2006, Jeffs was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for his flight from the charges that he had arranged illegal marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls in Utah. The explicit tapes, when played in court, caused shocked jurors to break down in tears. When she was 14, Warren Jeffs forced her to marry her first cousin. "Everything would flourish more if this thing . Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. The state of Texas has a big house too, and that is where Warren Jeffs should spend the rest of his days,' Assistant Texas Attorney General Eric Nichols told the jury during closing arguments. His father and predecessor, Rulon Jeffs, who became the president of the FLDS Church in 1986, died with roughly 20 wives and 60 children. Haunting: Jeffs kisses one of his child brides in one of the pictures to emerge from the trial, Abuser: These are just some of the shocking images that show convicted child sex cult leader Warren Jeffs with one of his child 'wives'. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be force-fed at the Arizona jail. She stayed close to the polygamist leader, known to his followers as the prophet, even joining him on the run from law enforcement after Jeffs was accused of arranging the marriages of underage girls. The audiotape from 2004 was played in court before another, made within hours of the first, in which prosecutors say Jeffs can be heard having sex with all the girls at the same time. Are Nicole And Chad From Ex On The Beach Still Together? CBC News:. Now, his relationship is perfect. By Amanda Richards June 10, 2022. And then it showed the modern rock group, The Beatles. As a member of the FLDS and prized partner to Warren Jeffs, Naomi Jessop reportedly took secret trips with him across the country. She subsequently went ahead to turn it into a global non-profit refuge organization by the name of The Dream Center. Per The Salt Lake Tribune, Barbara died in 2004 from cancer. Kriti Mehrotra Updated June 4, 2022 As the title suggests, 'Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs' chronicles the tale of the infamous Mormon fundamentalist through the eyes of his closest confidant Naomi Jessop. I think Warren felt like it was such a big step that the people would kind of revolt against it.. Warren's 'favorite wife,' according to reports. Softly telling five girls to 'set aside all your inhibitions', the convicted paedophile was heard giving the young girls detailed pointers during a graphic ten-minute tape played for the Texas jury. The three were fleeing their home in two separate vans when a flash flood hit. Naomi Jessop was one of the first of Rulon's wives to take Warren as her husband, and she subsequently became his favorite wife. Jurors also heard him tell the girls that if they refused to please him in what he dubbed the 'heavenly sessions', they would be 'rejected by God'. Within a few months of the marriage, Jeffs asked Naomie to become his scribe, a request she described as being an honor.. Defectors and followers of imprisoned polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs were briefly brought together by their terrible deaths. For a man to become a god, he must have a plurality of wives. These words were spoken by notorious cult leader Warren Jeffs, the subject of Peacocks new true crime docuseries Preaching Evil. And what happened then? Naomie Jessop was Jeffs fathers wife, but married Jeffs when Rulon died. When he took over as leader of the FLDS, he ruled with an iron fist,. Huntsville: The Byrd unit is used to house death row inmates and those on life sentences without parole. They went worldwide. STEPHEN Don't just stick to the Malbec! 'Warren Jeffs made himself into something that harms each and every person he touches,' he added. [55] Elissa subsequently wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS Church and with Jeffs entitled Stolen Innocence. We had to submit.". [35][36][37][38] Brent's brother Clayne committed suicide after accusing Jeffs of sexually assaulting him as a child. The FBI began investigating Jeffs and put him on their 10 Most-Wanted list after he fled the state of Utah in 2006. She died alongside seven children in a flood that occurred in Utah in 2015. Allegedlly, at the time of his arrest in 2011, Jeffs had 70+ plus wives, and 20 or so were under the age of 17. He even married Naomi's sister Merrianne Jessop at the age of 12. Various other church members testified against their former leader, including his nephew, niece and one of his father's former child wives. [56], Jeffs was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona. One of Jeffs's nephews testified that he was raped by the supposed prophet when he was just five-years-old. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Her sister was married to Jeffs father, Rulon Leffs, and she was turned in by her father when she was 18, meaning she was given to Warren Jeffs without her consent. He was briefly the de facto leader of the FLDS. Jeffs possessed four computers, sixteen cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and twelve pairs of sunglasses), and more than $55,000 in cash. This conviction was overturned by the Utah Supreme Court in 2010 due to flawed jury instructions. Naomi Jeffs, the wife of Warren Jeffs, the general supervisor of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, reportedly died in 2015, along with 8 others, including 7 children, during a horrific blaze in Utah. Warren Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison in Texas on Tuesday, after being convicted of sexually assaulting two child brides, ages 15 and 12, the Christian Science Monitor reports. They settled near Eldorado, Texas, where only a select group of chosen FDLS members would be allowed to live on the property, known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch. So when you enjoy the beats, the rock music maybe even toned down with an orchestra you are enjoying the spirit of the black race. Women make textbooks at the FLDS publishing house in Colorado City, Ariz. A portrait of Warren Jeffs looks down on them. State witness Rebecca Musser - a former FLDS member who was married as a young girl to Jeffs' father - told the court she had received training about how beds in the temple were to be used in sexual rituals before it was built. [62] On July 9, 2008, he was taken from the Mohave County, Arizona jail in Kingman, Arizona to a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital for what was described as a serious medical problem. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. "[44], On June 8, 2006, Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child-bride marriages. Millie Blackmore: Who is Warren Jeffs wife? Jeffs's wives were both the victims of his abuse and the accomplices, subjected to a cruel world of worship and sexual abuse, while also proving their worth to their leader by holding down their peers while they were assaulted. Jeffs' wife and brother were questioned and released. She was later called back to his family but she said others continued to distance themselves from her and in 2017, Jeffs ousted her from the community for good. [57] He had entered a not-guilty plea on February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenaged girls to older men. [33] In early 2011, Jeffs retook legal control of the denomination. Miryam Holm, a nurse, tends a family at the Hildale Maternity Clinic. The elder Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic," but his son was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. Warren himself grew up within the FLDS community and saw the tradition of polygamy, or plural marriage be carried on. 'Warren told me to come sit on his lap and I didn't know why,' she told ABC News while fighting back tears. Warren Jeffs own father, Rulon Jeffs became the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1986, he changed the entire structure of the community and eliminated the council so as to make himself the sole leader. Polygamy '' TONIGHT at 10 ET, out of which Warren became his successor and one of his father former... 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