"Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run with Warren Jeffs" takes a look at one of the most notorious cults, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) founded by. Family portrait: Naomie Jessop, circled, among dozens of Warren Jeffs's brides, lined up together as if they are posing for a school photograph. Jeffs made his money mostly through real estate and construction, according to Distractify. Source: Vimbuzz.com Their innocent enthusiasm is focussed on one goal alone - worshipping the man framed behind them, who has cruelly bred them for manipulation. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()), Where Is Clay Starbuck Today? She said she was very happy being married to Jeffs, although the second marriage also didn't result in children. 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. 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. Age of Naomi Jeffs: How old was she? Women make textbooks at the FLDS publishing house in Colorado City, Ariz. A portrait of Warren Jeffs looks down on them. Born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), Naomie Jessop seemingly always believed in its extreme polygamous teachings with no issues. Huntsville: The Byrd unit is used to house death row inmates and those on life sentences without parole. In 2004, Warren Jeffs' nephew, Brent Jeffs, filed a lawsuit, alleging his uncle had raped him. [30] Other records show that while incarcerated, Jeffs tried to commit suicide by banging his head against the walls and trying to hang himself. We had to share them with other women. Along with his father's wives, Warren had others as well. After being convicted last week of two counts of sexually assaulting a child - one 12 and one 14-year-old - Jeffs was sentenced on Tuesday to the maximum possible time behind bars for his crimes. [2] Shortly after, on May 6, the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a $60,000 reward. Its believed that Warren Jeffs had more than 70 wivesbut one held a special place in his heart. He is a convicted sex offender. [53] He was sentenced to prison for ten years to life and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison. He was briefly the de facto leader of the FLDS. Stars Naomi Jessup Nate Carlisle Sarah Thompson See production, box office & company info Watch on Peacock S1 with subscription Add to Watchlist 4 User reviews 1 Critic review Episodes 4 Top-rated Tue, Apr 26, 2022 S1.E2 Heavenly Sessions Since Jeffs arrest, the series is the first time that she's come out in front of cameras. Naomie Jeffs has been described as Warrens favorite wife. Its no secret that the FLDS Church president was on the lam for a while before eventually being apprehended for sexually assaulting and abusing minors, but whats lesser-known is that Naomie was beside him. It is said that Rulon had around 20 wives and 60 children, out of which Warren became his successor. November 25, 2021. [29] Jeffs also admits to what he calls "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old. Smith said that the Arizona victims no longer wanted to testify and that Jeffs had spent almost two years in jail awaiting trialmore than he would have received had he been convicted. The story will be recounted through the eyes of Naomie Jessop, Warren's favorite underage wife and a former wife of Warren's father. [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. All UEP assets were put in the custody of the Utah court system pending further litigation. Who is Warren Jeffs spouse Naomi Jessop? [6] In 2007, Arizona charged him with eight additional counts in two separate cases, including incest and sexual conduct with minors. Warren Jeffs may have had between 70 to close to 80 wives and 60 children. 1 of 2. 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. Be the first one to comment on this story. 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. It is like murder. Texas says dont mess with Texas, but somehow Texas messed up, Naomie said in Preaching Evil of the conviction. In the series, Jessop mentiones that his father had six wives, and she assumed that it was a normal thing to do. He fled with Jessop and changed their lifestyle to blend in with the public. Jeffs specifically taught that a devoted church member is expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven, and the more wives a man has, the closer he is to heaven.[24]. Jeffs' wife and brother were questioned and released. The move placed him at the center of a series of lawsuits brought on by former members and Jeffs went on the run for the first time, with Naomie by his side, to find a new refuge for the community. But as has become very clear in recent weeks, there was one rule for his community and quite another for himself. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. A 10th child, Tyson Lucas. 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. Heres everything we know about his wives who have publicly spoken out. But we are sure that it is not available and his spouses name is not available. Various other church members testified against their former leader, including his nephew, niece and one of his father's former child wives. He owned $100 million worth of property by 2006. In my mind, I just thought at the time, you know, if Warren was taken he would have no justice, so I didnt look at it as a bad thing, Naomie told Preaching Evil of her decision to go on the run with the prophet, calling it a privilege to accompany him. 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. 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. 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. Kids in England had to wear masks at school because No10 'didn't want an argument' with Nicola Sturgeon - Health ministers knew there was no evidence to justify making kids abide by rule of 6 - but No10 'didn't Education secretary Gavin Williamson said teachers 'hate work' and were looking for 'an excuse' for time off Holiday home owners in Scotland face new SNP tax hike under plans from front-runner to be new First Scotland should just self-identify as an independent country, one SNP member proposed. Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts, Dan Lesin Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. It appears the religious leader's sexual hunger has not abated behind bars. Joy Nielsen holding her baby at Hildale Maternity Clinic. Truthfully, it's difficult to pinpoint an approximate number, and all sources end up with a different total. They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. Warren Jeffs watches the proceedings during his trial on September 19, 2007 in St. George, Utah. Along with the FLDS, Warren had property in several . The octogenarian had prostate trouble and was no longer able to have children. [25] The women and children who were suspected of being minors were returned after Texas courts established that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of abuse to have removed them. Jeffs sent her away to lone living, a punishment that forced members to live on their own with no contact with anyone else, for two years. There is now no obvious heir to Jeffs's role as prophet. 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. One of Jeffs' wives, Naomi Jessop, and his brother Isaac were with him. A former FLDS member said schools teach that Jeffs is President of the United States -- his face is on every child's school notebook -- and that man never landed on the moon because God guided Neil Armstrong away from it. Naomie Jessop was Jeffs fathers wife, but married Jeffs when Rulon died. He was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault a decade ago and is now serving a life sentence plus twenty years. 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'. "Everything would flourish more if this thing . She would even accompany Jeffs when the notorious cult leader ran away from the FBI after he ended up on the FBI's most wanted slate. "[45] On May 27, 2008, The Smoking Gun website released images of Jeffs with two underage wives, one of whom was 12 years old, celebrating first wedding anniversaries in 2005 and 2006. 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. [39] Two of Jeffs' nephews and two of Jeffs' own children have also publicly claimed to have been sexually abused by him.[40]. Her father, Warren Jeffs, is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as FLDS a man believed by his followers to be a prophet. Miss Musser said beds inside the temple were arranged so that witnesses could see the abuse and that a special seat was placed for someone to record the sexual acts. Others allege Jeffs still wields power over his followers from his cell, even to this day. [21] Naomi Jessop, one of the first of Rulon's former wives to marry Jeffs, subsequently became his favorite wife and confidant. Eight years later, Decker fled the compound and changed her name, her social security number, and was legally adopted in Tennessee. What Was Rulon Jeffs Net Worth at the Time of His Death. According to Preaching Evil, Naomie helped instruct her sister on how to be a heavenly wife to Warren. Jeffs was given life behind bars for the first count of aggravated sexual assault and an extra 20 years, to be served consecutively, for the second count of sexual assault - the maximum allowed for each count. This includes where they were each day, his every encounter, and his thoughts/plans apparently even when he was on the run in 2005 following allegations of sexual assault. [23], In January 2004, Jeffs expelled a group of twenty men from the Short Creek Community, including the mayor, and reassigned their wives and children to other men in the community. Born December 3, 1955, Warren Steed Jeff is the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) Church, a polygamous Mormon denomination and one of the strictest American religion factions. [5] He is serving a life sentence plus twenty years. Following his father's death in 2002, Jeffs assumed the job of the prophet in FLDS Church. When the elder Jeffs died, his son took an aggressive . 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. The three were fleeing their home in two separate vans when a flash flood hit. Jeffs became principal in 1976, the year he turned 21. He was arrested in 2006, and in 2011, Jeffs was found guilty of assaulting two girls and was given a life sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justices Louis C. Powledge Unit. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. His religion states that a man must have at least three wives in order to be saved. She was reportedly Warren's. Jeffs's niece has since described in detail the way in which Jeffs cruelly assaulted her and swore her to silence with the promise of a place in heaven. Now, as a member of the Mormon church, Naomie is studying to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse and said she has no hard feelings toward he now ex-husband Jeffs. One of them had refused and was forbidden ever to marry someone again, and the other had fled the compound. 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. 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