Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Jeffs's conviction stems from a highly publicised raid on the sect's Yearning For Zion compound in Eldorado, Texas, in which authorities took temporary custody of some 400 children. Merrianne Jessop is the wife of Warren Jeffs, the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 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. They went worldwide. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. Top nutrition scientist says you should drink as many varieties as possible UK's electric car revolution stalls: Britain falling behind US and Europe in race to become an EV Charles evicting Harry and Meghan is the act of a King putting his country first: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals A royal princess at Eton? "[16], Prior to his father's death in 2002, Jeffs held the position of counselor to the church leader. All three women, along with nine of their children, died, per NBC News. Speaking about the reunion, Jessop said in the docu-series: It was the same year that Warren ended up on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Joe Jessop's family harvesting cane. While Jessop was an FLDS or Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints member and valuable partner of Warren, she allegedly took several secret trips with the cult leader all over the country. Per The Salt Lake Tribune, Barbara died in 2004 from cancer. Some have questioned whether Naomie should have been charged for her role in helping Warren throughout the years. I was like Why would you even want that to happen? she said, describing the incident as confusing.. His 65th wife, Brielle Decker, who had run away after she was forced to marry him at the age of 18, ended up getting the keys to his 3-acre property in Colorado City, Arizona, after his sentence. Described as a hard-hitting but compelling watch, the new Netflix documentary Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey . The Texas jury took less than half an hour to decide on his fate. [28] On November 7, the Washington County, Utah, Attorney's Office released video of jailhouse conversations between Nephi and Jeffs, in which Jeffs renounces his prophethood, claiming that God had told him that if he revealed that he was not the rightful prophet, and was a "wicked man", he would still gain a place in the celestial kingdom. It is reported that he is married to around 87 women and has fathered more than 50 kids himself. Despite not having TV. Several times in his journals, Jeffs wrote of God telling him to take more and more young girls 'who can be worked with and easily taught'. As an intensely secretive sect, there is scant information about what has happened to all of Warren Jeffs wives. One of his many wives is Merrianne Jessop. Learn how your comment data is processed. During the trial Jeffs called just one witness - an elder from the church who read from scripture. Merianne Jessop - Naomi's sister also married Warren. [41] On July 14, he was sentenced to three years' probation and a $2,500 fine. 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. But while Warren proclaimed himself to be the holy leader of the FLDS, former members describe in "Preaching Evil" his predilection for disturbing sex actsincluding forcing his wives to perform group sex acts and marrying very young underage girls. Along with his fathers wives, Warren had others as well. [15] Warren was born more than two months prematurely in Sacramento, California. [13][14], Warren Steed Jeffs was born on December 3, 1955, to Rulon Jeffs (19092002) and Merilyn Steed (born circa 1935). The synopsis released by the streaming network says: While waiting for the arrival of the 4-episode docuseries, Preaching Evil, let's find out all about Warren Jeffs' wife Naomie Jessop and the flood-incident. In fact, her father was briefly even regarded as the de facto leader after Warren Jeffs arrest, that is, until the latter removed him in 2011 to run the denomination from behind bars. Colorado City is a desert town on the border of Arizona and Utah. Straddled to the back of his motorcycle, Jessop would travel with the church leader on covert vacations and even accompanied him when he fled from the FBI after winding up on their most wanted list (per The Daily Mail). Warren Jeffs, who was once on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list, was found guilty in 2011 of sexually assaulting two of his "kid brides" and was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years. She remained close to the polygamist leader, dubbed the prophet by his followers, and even joined him on the run from law enforcement after Jeffs was suspected of arranging underage girl marriages. Please logout and login again. 'All of his rules were to be obeyed. But we are trying hard to collect all the information about him and will update you soon. Jeffs was convicted in Utah of rape as an accessory, although the conviction would later be overturned by an appellate court. His religion states that a man must have at least three wives in order to be saved. [51], Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail and a Utah state board has expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, so therefore did not cooperate. It is reported that he is married to around 87 women and has fathered more than 50 kids himself. Warren Jeffs is known for marrying underage girls, raping family members, and sexually abusing children. Naomi Jessop was one of the first of Rulons wives to take Warren as her husband, and she subsequently became his favorite wife. Nolita Collen Blackmore: Who is Warren Jeffs wife? Astonishing pictures have emerged showing the Texan polygamist, who was sentenced this week to life in prison for sexually abusing children, dressed in mainstream clothes while on the run with one of his favourite young wives. Soon the Lord will overthrow our nation and the priesthood people will rule over this land because the priesthood people will be the only ones left., While in prison, he made several end times predictions. Naomi Jessop was one of the first of Rulon's wives to take Warren as her husband, and she subsequently became his favorite wife. Little information is known about his many other wives. Jeffs allegedly suffered a mental breakdown in the summer of 2019, leaving him unfit to give a deposition in the sex abuse case against him. In one tape, he is heard telling the girls they 'need to be excited'. But her detailed logs of Jeffs words, travels, and illegal actions also helped create a roadmap for criminal activity that prosecutors later honed in on for his arrest. She had first married then-president Rulon Jeffs, a man many years her senior, only to marry his son shortly after his death in 2002. He even married Naomi's sister Merrianne Jessop at the age of 12. The FBI began investigating Jeffs and put him on their 10 Most-Wanted list after he fled the state of Utah in 2006. The religious leader, who defended himself for most of the trial, had walked out on the sentencing portion of the case in protest after reading out a statement threatening a 'whirlwind of judgement' from god if his 'humble servant' was not released from custody. REVEALED: Roald Dahl books were neutered by woke consultants aged eight to 30 - led by 'non-binary, asexual, After one school says it is families' responsibility to police their children's social media spats, Jenni Do not sell or share my personal information. [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. Read more about Elissa Wall and her book "Men were in charge of us," Wall said. As his former step-mother and a scribe for the church, Jessop knew of the inner workings of FLDS and was considered a close confidant. The new documentary from director Rachel Dretzin tells the horrifying true story of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist Mormon denomination led by Warren Jeffs. A few of his wives, who are Canadian natives and were forced into marriage with him when they were just kids, still appear to be loyal to him. And so the manager of their group called in this Negro, homosexual, on drugs, and the Negro taught them how to do it. [52] In May and July 2007, Jeffs was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual misconduct with a minor and incest. She was forced to marry him at the age of 18. . While Naomie wouldnt get into details in the "Preaching Evil" about Jeffs asked her to do, she said her husband got very angry when she refused to tell him she was feeling the heavenly fire and agree on the telephone to do what he wanted. They later returned them to their families after an investigation and DNA tests. In August 2006, Warren was finally arrested for good. Merrianne argued that these marriages were lawful despite the fact that it was a crime. Naomie said she had been conflicted about the marriage but she knew you just didnt question the prophet., She wanted to marry Warren. 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. Although he was behind bars, Jeffs continued to lead the group from his prison cell. After a lifetime of abuse and indoctrination, reaction from the women is 'both elation and fear at the same time', Flora Jessop, a former member who escaped from the church in the 1980s, said. The call to an abuse hotline that spurred the raid turned out to be a hoax, and more than 400 children who had been placed in protective custody were eventually returned to their families. Preaching Evil: A Wife on The Run with Warren Jeffs,is available to stream now on Peacock. When addressing his father's widows he said, "You women will live as if Father is still alive and in the next room." 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. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a polygamous splinter group of the Mormon church based in Colorado City, Ariz. Their leader is Warren Jeffs, who continues to lead the church from prison, where he serves a life sentence for sexually assaulting children. According to the Biography page about Warren, he is said to have married at least 78 women and has more than 50 children. As sect leader, Jeffs 'documented everything he did, keeping track of every marriage he performed, every young woman he wed, even recording his intimate moments.'. We had to submit.". Attorneys representing the UEP community trust contended that forcing him to testify would be futile. The plaintiff's attorney said there is a lack of evidence to support a claim of Jeff's incompetency, accusing the trust of being "understandably very fearful" about Jeffs' testimony since it is liable for his actions as the past president of the FLDS. 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. Jeffs called himself a 'sinner' in jailhouse conversation", "Mystery note: Jeffs may have abdicated polygamist prophet role", "Released video shows emotional Jeffs in jail", "In Recordings From Jail, Polygamist Had Doubts", "Polygamist Jeffs tried to hang himself in jail, documents say", "Warren Jeffs resigns as leader of the FLDS Church", "Polygamy Files: The Tribune's blog on the plural life", "Sources: Jailed polygamist retakes control of church, ousts 45 members", "From Polygamist Royalty To FLDS Lost Boy", "Insider accounts put sect leader on the run", "Warren Jeffs' son, daughter allege sexual abuse", "Polygamist's Brother Pleads Guilty to Harboring a Fugitive", "Seth Steed Jeffs Sentenced for Harboring Fugitive Brother", "FBI Announces New Top Tenner: Warren Jeffs", "Leader of Polygamist Mormon Sect Is Arrested", "Fugitive Polygamist Sect Leader Arrested in Las Vegas", "Polygamist leader: Jeffs bound for Utah", "Police academies consider future of officers in polygamist towns", "Authorities concerned about Jeffs' ties to border officers", "Polygamist Leader in Utah Convicted of Sex Charges in Arranged Marriage", "Jeffs is now an inmate at Utah State Prison", "Picks and Pans Review: A Brave Escape from Polygamy", "Polygamist prophet is now a criminal defendant", "Polygamist 'Prophet' pleads not guilty in Arizona child bride case", "Judge dismisses Ariz. charges against Warren Jeffs", "Harsh rules, sex assault described inside Jeffs' sect", "Nephew, niece allege polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs abused them", Lawyer: Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs has mental breakdown, "Jailed polygamous leader Jeffs hospitalized in Las Vegas", "Convicted polygamist leader in medically induced coma", "Warren Jeffs tells FLDS faithful world will end before 2013", "Warren Jeffs Gives the World Another Apocalypse to Worry About this Weekend", "Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints", "Seven documentaries and movies that tackled life in the FLDS church under Warren Jeffs", "New Netflix Docuseries Digs Into Warren Jeffs' Infamous Polygamist Cult", "Comparing Mormon founder, FLDS leader on polygamy", Corporation of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 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