Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 23 | One of the Most DISTURBING CULT LEADERS Ever | Warren Jeffs

Episode Date: November 28, 2024

On today's episode, let's deep dive into the shocking story of Warren Jeffs, the infamous leader of the polygamous FLDS sect. From forced marriages to systemic abuse, we uncover how Jeffs used religion to control and exploit his followers, leading to his eventual downfall and life imprisonment. A chilling look at power, faith, and manipulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It began in a whisper, spreading across the isolated desert towns like a dust storm. Warren Jeff's was unlike any other FLDS leader anyone has ever seen before. He wasn't just their prophet. He was a man who seemed to hold the key to heaven itself. And the power to cast souls into eternal damnation. Today, we are talking about Warren Jeff's. Crime! Conspiracy, serial killers, cults, and murder. all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too.

You sweet, delectable, delicious, crumpet, crumbly, in a good way, intellectual, beautiful freak. You look great today. And I'm glad you look great today because I'm going to make you feel a lot worse with what we're talking about today. I'll tell you that. This is a story of Warren Jeffs, aka the leader of the FLDS Church.

His history from an obedient son in a polygamous fit. family to an unyielding ruler of a secretive sect. It's a story of control so absolute that it shattered lives. And of a fall so public, it forever altered the narrative of modern religious movements. So what drove him to the height of power? How did he manipulate those around him with such precision? And what remains of his legacy now that his kingdom has crumbled? That's what we're going to be talking about today. Warren Jeffs. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbouts. Let's go Mach 5 down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust through the windshield into this insane, crazy, creepy cult together. All right, so before we get into who Warren Jeff's is and how he became the POS that he is today, the POS FLDS cult leader, he is today.

I kind of want to go over who the FLDS is and who the LDS church is as well. I'll just give like brief descriptions. If you want to know more about the LDS church, you can actually go to this video. I go into it in depth. Uh, it's also, it's also kind of fun. Also, you probably have heard of Warren Jeff's and maybe the FLDS church through Netflix.

Of course, there's lots of documentaries on Netflix. There's multiple shows about this cult, but the one that stands out is keep sweet, pray, and obey. And I remember a couple years ago when I saw that title, I grabbed my popcorn and was sat. I sat and I did not eat that popcorn because this shit is disgusting. But I wasn't really doing the stuff back then and I came across it again recently and I was like, I really want to deep dive on this mother trucker.

Let's get into who the FLDS is or what I should say. So the FLDS, otherwise known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, I will not be saying that again. Far removed from the polished image of the mainstream counterpart, the LDS Church. Polygamy was their bedrock, isolation, their shield. And for decades, they lived on the fringes bound by faith and tradition. But under Jeff's reign, the FLDS would become synonymous, not just with polygamy, but something far darker. So the FLDS, the fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, that is, I said it twice, but that is the last time I'm saying it.

Alright, is like I said, a breakaway sect from the more mainstream Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, often referred to as simply the Mormon Church. And the FLDS emerged in the 20th century as a response to the changes within the LDS Church. Specifically, it's abandonment of polygamy. And for those of you who don't know, polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. More often within the FLDS religion, it is men having multiple wives. A lot of wives.

And at its core, the FLDS represents a group of individuals who sought to preserve what they viewed as pure original teachings of Mormonism. And most notably, the practice of plural marriage, otherwise known as polygamy. Because polygamy was a foundational tenet of the early Mormon theology. It was introduced by the man, Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and institutionalized by his successor, Brigham Young, as part of the church's doctrines in the mid-19th century. However, mounting pressure from the U.S. government, including legal crackdowns and threats to Utah's statehood, led the LDS Church to legally renounce polygamy in 1890 under its then president. Wilford-Rudruff. Wilfrid Reddrift.

But this shift marked a pivotal moment for the Norman community. And while many members accepted the new direction, a minority rejected the change, believing it had been a betrayal of the divine revelation because in the original theology given by Joseph Smith, he had said that like, plural wise would be a cool idea, hey. And everybody's like, yeah, that sounds great to me. I mean, makes sense, you know? So this dissenting group eventually splintered into smaller communities, including the FLDS, which formerly organized in the 1930s. And the FLDS established itself as the most prominent fundamentalist sect dedicated to continuing the practice of polygamy as a spiritual imperative. I'm going to pause. I'm going to pause.

again because I am putting zero judgment on anybody that is okay with practicing this and is consensual and is at the consensual age to do so, both parties. I'm only going to absolutely shit on the people that are doing it illegally. And unlike the mainstream LDS, which increasingly sought integration with broader American society, the FLDS embraced isolation. And members of the FLDS lived in insular communities, primarily in remote areas in Utah, Arizona, and later, Texas. And I actually found out recently that even British Columbia Canada, shout out. Kind of. But this is where they could practice their beliefs without outside interference.

Or where they could be controlled, because we're getting culty. That's the first little cult tick off here. And under the leadership of self-declared prophets, the FLDS emphasized strict obedience to religious with the Prophet holding absolute power over spiritual and temporal matters. And this structure allowed leaders like Warren Jeffs to consolidate immense control, shaping every aspect of the community's life, from marriages to dress codes to social interactions and even education. So the FLDS worldview is deeply rooted in apocalyptic beliefs.

Teachings that only the most faithful members, those who adhere to the Prophet's directives, will achieve salvation in the afterlife. So let's get into the life. to who the Frigg Warren Jeffs is and how he came to become the person he is. So let's go back to Little Warren Jeff's and his childhood and young adulthood. All right? In the quiet suburbs of Sacramento, California, on December 3rd, 1955, this piece of shit, I mean, Warren Steed Jeffs entered a world already brimming with expectation.

He was born, two months premature, should have let him cook longer. He needed some developmental, some developmental shit to happen. I could say this because he's a piece of shit. anyway, into a family where the sacred and the authoritarian were intertwined. A family led by his father, Rulon Jeffs, a commanding figure who stood as both patriarch and prophet within the fundamentalist church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. And in this large polygamous household, faith was more than a guiding principle. It was the law, and obedience was its highest virtue.

And from an early age, Warren stood out among his siblings, among his many, many siblings. At the end of this, I think Rulon had like around 60 kids. We'll get into that number in a minute, but one amongst like 60. But he was quiet yet resolute, and he carried himself with a maturity that was beyond his years. He was an old soul, if you will, earning a reputation as someone who commanded attention without having to raise his voice. And while others played or sought their father's fleeting approval, Warren just observed,

learning nuances and authority and control. And he absorbed the lessons of the FLDS theology like a sponge. Not as a passive student, but as a future leader in the making. He just grew up very manipulative. Like every other cult leader I've gone over, basically. Like, not necessarily book smart, but just socially smart. Sociopsychopathic, basically. Just like learning everybody, how everybody works,

and how he can manipulate everybody, because he truly does not give a shit about how anybody feels. This man has zero empathy. And his mom, Marilyn, was also very pushy, very pushy with Warren being very close to his father. And she would go on to tell Rulun that Warren was very special due to his miracle of him being born two months premature and surviving. And she also said, hey, uh, Rulon, I woke up.

I had a dream. I had this crazy dream that all the prophets ever of the FLDS and LDS church came to me. And they said that Warren Jeff's was the next prophet, which is crazy. I know, but it came to me in a dream. I think it's real. Mother Maryland always told this story about how Warren was close to death at birth

and that previous prophets came to her and revealed to her that he would survive and that Warren would be a very special person. I love what people can just say like, I had a dream about this and they're like, yeah, that seems legit. I wish I could do that, you know? I wish I could say like, you know, I had a dream that I passed this math test and I don't need to study for it. And you should probably just pass me now

because I had a dream about it and then I passed math. I failed math. So the Jeff's family existed in a world sharply divided from the outside. The FLDS saw mainstream society as corrupt. A temptation to be avoided at all costs. Very culty. Very culty. Don't want to go outside there

because somebody might talk to you and put some sense into your brain, you know? But this us versus them ideology was drilled into them. and into Warren from a young age, absolutely shaping his worldview. So as he grew older, he began to embody these beliefs, not just by living them, but by enforcing them. So obviously, part of this is nature versus nurture. I think it is absolutely a mix of both.

In this case, I think if Warren Jeffs was born into a family that wasn't in the FLDS, I don't think he would become this cult leader, because he was basically given this opportunity. Maybe he would grow up to become somebody else. Maybe he grew up to be a decent guy. I really do think nurture was a big, big part of this, so I will give him only that at this point. And among his siblings, he became an enforcer of his father's strict rules,

a disciplinarian who demanded compliance. And to those who observed him closely, his rigid adherence to the FLDS doctrine and his need for control hinted at the leader he would become one day. And Warren's first brush with the outside worlds came from a public school, a fleeting exposure to secular,

that only seemed to deepen the divide between his upbringing and mainstream society. And recognizing the potential dangers of outside influence, his father, Rulon, quickly intervened. And Warren's education was redirected into the insular environment of the FLDS-controlled Alta Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah. And the Alta, Alta? Alta? As a Canadian, I want to say Alta. And the Elta Academy was more than a school. It was a crucible of indoctrination. Its purpose was to fortify the...

FLDS community molding young minds to accept the absolute authority of the church and its prophet. And for Warren, this was the absolute turning point. Here, under the careful watch of his father and other FLDS elders, he delved deeply, deeply into scripture, theology, and the inner workings of the church. He wasn't just learning, he was preparing, building the foundation for what he believed to be his predestined role as a leader. And his peers often remarked on Warren's intensity. He immersed himself in the doctrines of the FLDS, discussing scriptures with an eagerness that set him apart. And even as teenagers, Warren saw himself not as an ordinary member of the community, but as someone destined for greatness, aka a f f***ing narcissist.

We're just describing what has come to be a narcissist, maybe not a psycho, a psychopath, if you will. But ticking all those boxes, we have the Jim Jones tick of the narcissist that thinks he's better than everyone else and that he's destined for greatness, along with every other cult leader. We've talked about Children of God, guy, that guy, I can't remember his name. Doesn't matter, he's a piece of shit. But yeah, Warren Jeffs was basically just that kid in the front of the class that always had his hand up and just called other kids out for, like, talking in the back of the class or cheating

or whatever, just a bitch. And in 1976, Warren's first formal position of power came at the Elta Academy at the age of 21, where he started as a teacher before rising to the role of principal. And this position wasn't just administrative, it was strategic. As principal, Warren wielded significant influence, transforming the academy into a training ground for the next generation of LLDS followers. And he would carefully craft the curriculum, ensuring every lesson reinforce the church's ideology and the prophet's authority,

because he knew that one day he was going to become the prophet, so he's just really trying to drill that shit into these kids. Under Warren's leadership, Alta Academy became a microcosm of authoritarian rule he would later exert over the entire FLDS community. Rules were rigid, discipline was harsh, and dissent was unthinkable. And former students and staff were called a suffocating atmosphere of control, where Warren's word was quite literally law. He oversaw every detail with meticulous precision, using the school not only to educate but to indoctrinate. In many ways, his time at the Academy was just a rehearsing. for his eventual role as the FLDS prophet.

He honed in his ability to command loyalty, enforce order, and suppressed dissent. And the traits that would later define his reign, his obsession with control, his intolerance for opposition, and his unyielding belief in his own authority were all on display during his tenure as principal. And Warren's relationship with his father, Rulon Jeffs, was a study in ambition cloaked in reverence.

To the FLDS community, Rulon was a near mythical figure, a prophet whose authority was believed to come directly from God. And to Warren, he was both a father and a model of power he one day hoped to wield. And to me, Rulon just looked like a little old guy. And as Rulon would age, his health would decline because he was a mere human.

He wasn't that special. And Warren's role within the family and the church begin to shift. Settily, but deliberately, Warren positioned himself as his father's right hand, the hand of the king, if you will, for my Game of Thrones fans, taking on increasing responsibilities

and solidifying his place as the heir apparent. He became absolutely indispensable, aligning with Rulon's vision, while quietly building his own base of influence. And within the sprawling competitive Jeff's household, populated by numerous wives, allegedly 65. 65 wives Rulon had, apparently, allegedly. They don't know exactly.

And also, 62 children, allegedly, again, there's some that say like, oh, it's 59, it's 63. Most things that I saw said 62, so I think 62. Warren's rise was not without tension, because there was a lot of people in this family, a lot of people that could potentially take the prophet throne, if you will. And his siblings saw Warren's ambition and strict enforcement of their father's rules

as a calculated attempt to outmaneuver them, which was absolutely what Warren Jeff's plan was. And resentment kind of started to simmer, but Warren seemed unaffected because he doesn't care about what other people think is he lacks empathy. because he's a narcissistic psychopath, in my opinion. Anyway, his focus was fixed on the prize. The leadership of the FLDS, aka the prophet.

And by the time Rulon's health failed completely, Warren has positioned himself as the inevitable successor. His disciplined, demeanor, strategic mind, and unshakable belief in his defined purpose had him set apart, not just within the family, but within the entire FLDS community. And the seeds of his eventual rise to power and the control he would wield with such devastating effect

had already been sewn. So in 2002, the FLDS faced a pivotal moment that would alter its course forever. The death of Roulon Jeffs, and he died at the age of 92. That's, I mean, it's pretty old, it's pretty old props to that, I guess. He's kind of a piece of shit though too,

so I don't care. But for years, Rulon had reigned as the community's prophet. The man revered as God's living mouthpiece. I don't like the way that sounds. His passing left, not just an emotional void, but a spiritual and organizational chasm within the church. Say chasim? Is it chasm?

Chasm? Chasm? Chasm? Kind of like chasm. In the FLDS, the prophet was more than a leader. He was the axis upon which the entire existence turned. And with his death, the question of succession loomed large. And tensions simmered as the community sought to discern who would take up the sacred manel.

Also, at his funeral, they took pictures with his dead body, with Rulon's dead body. And they're all just like, I won't show Rulon in it, but I'll show the girl beside him, which I believe is one of his wives. And she's just like, it's my dead husband. Anyway, who wants to take me as a wife? But anyway, Warren stepped forward,

not with overwhelming charisma and popularity, but with a calculated plan already in motion. And for years, Warren had positioned himself as Rulon's confidon and enforcer, like we had said. And he kind of stood by his father's side as he was declining over those days. And in the days following Rulon's day, death, Warren made a bold declaration through divine revelation his father had named him as the next

prophet. It was kind of like a, like a House of Dragons episode. Has anybody seen that? And two, the devout members of the FLDS conditioned to see such revelations as absolute truth. This claim was undeniable. And to challenge Warren's ascension was to challenge the will of God itself. Aligned few dared to cross. And Warren's swift and decisive self-appointment bypassed any traditional processes, solidifying his role as the undisputed leader of the FLDS. And unlike democratic transitions of power, the FLDS relied entirely on the perceived legitimacy of divine selection. A fact Warren exploited to devastating effect, declaring himself the sole conduit for God's will. He placed himself beyond scrutiny.

And in a single move, Warren did not only claim the leadership, but also reshaped the very structure of the FLDS, ensuring absolute authority over every facet of the community's spiritual and temporal lives. And following Rulant's death, Jeff told the high-raking FLBS officials, quote unquote, I won't say much, but I will say this. Hands off my father's wives. You women will live as if father is still alive and in the next room. And within a week, he had married all but two of his father's wives. Gross, his moms.

He married his moms. I just thought of that. That's gross. That's gross. Anyway. That was really messed up. That was hard for people like me to swallow. And there's a lot of people that had a problem with that. I mean, who marries your mom?

One refused to marry Jeff's and was subsequently prohibited from ever marrying again. How convenient. We'll see down the line warrant Jeff's holds a bit of a grudge a little bit. And Rebecca Wall fled the FLDS compound altogether. And Naomi Jessup, one of the first of Roulon's former wives to marry Jeff. subsequently became his favorite wife and confidante. But once Warren assumed power, he wasted no time in transforming the FLDS

into a tightly controlled monolithic organization. And the first step in consolidation of power was to dismantle the church's traditional leadership councils. Because he didn't want anybody else in charge. He's like, I'm the guy, all right, I'm the guy that's gonna be up here. God only talks to me, doesn't talk to anybody else, only talks to me. I'm not meaning to do a Trump impression, but I'm... impression, but I'm kind of taking it. It'd be kind of funny that. I have no political opinions.

Okay. Anyway, these bodies, which had once served as checks on authority, were replaced with hand-picked circles of loyalists who owed their positions entirely to Warren. So, he basically just picked a bunch of fucking brown nosers that were going to be like, oh my God, anything you say, Warren, you're like, you're an oddler, you're like a pop star. I love you. Sign my boobs. Or whatever. And their allegiance was unwavering. And with decision-making, centralized, Warren eliminated any potential for dissent within the church's hierarchy. Warren would impose rigid dress codes. Very guilty.

Yeah, we see this in cults a lot. We see it a lot. Women were required to wear ankle length dresses and intricate braids. Crazy braids. I don't even understand how they did these braids. It's not an easy braid to do. Like, to do that every morning is a bitch. Like, that guy.

Straight up. While men adhered to plain uniform clothing. And these outward symbols of conformity were more than just rules. They were declarations of loyalty to Warren's vision. And social interactions were carefully monitored as well. And deviations from prescribed norms were met with severe consequences, ranging from public humiliation to permanent excommunication. And one of the most extreme expressions of Warren's control was his management of marriages. He alone determined who would marry whom, often without consent, like a lot without consent. Or even knowledge.

of what the fuck's going on. Like you could just be sitting in your house and Warren Jeffs could kick down your fucking door and be like, you're marrying Tom, bye. And you're like, how old is Tom? Who is Tom? I'm 12. But truly, families were torn apart as Warren reassigned spouses and children

in the name of spiritual purity in obedience. It's what's called the placement principle. You didn't court and decide who you were gonna marry. Only the prophet could choose who you married. And this practice not only reinforced his dominance, but also served as a powerful reminder that no relationship existed outside of his reach. This was just like the perfect way for him as a cult leader to control everyone. Any couple that seemed like they were strong together, he ripped them apart and put them with somebody else.

If there was a very independent man, he would kick him out of the cult completely and marry his wife off to a guy that he hated. Like anything to make him seem the most desirable. and wanted man, he did. And any woman he wanted, he would take as well. And what's fucking disgusting and what we will talk about more as well is that so many underage marriages happened as well. He would marry off daughters. He himself would have multiple underage wives,

but again, we'll get into it. But I just want to reiterate how much I fucking hate this man. Anyway. And to deepen his hold over the community, Warren enforced strict isolation. from outside world. Members were forbidden from consuming mainstream media at all, engaging with outsiders or even discussing church matters

beyond the FLDS borders. We didn't really leave our property in Salt Lake City. We didn't go to movies. We didn't go to theme parks. We were any kind of large gathering places. So there wasn't a lot of exposure to the outside world. Jeff's band, television, movies, popular music, and fictional books. So just basically, it just,

You could like have a stick, basically. And he also executed strict mandates on behavior, dress, and language. Women were told to keep sweet and suppress emotions and feelings. Keeping sweet is an exertion to remain clean and pure. And if you're not keeping sweet, then you're not pure. If some man told me to keep sweet, I swear to go. I swear to go. I swear to go.

Keep sweet meant to suppress emotions and, obey their husbands and above all obey Jeff's. The all-knowing prophet. Oh! Actually, just the all-knowing, just the non-unknowing piece of shit. That wasn't funny. But I stand by it. And Breel Decker, Jeff's 65th wife, told ABC,

Keep Sweet meant you could have no emotions except for sweetness. That was the only emotion allowed. And this isolation just created a bubble where Warren's teachings were the only source of truth. It's the only thing that anybody knew. So like, I don't even put it. blame on people that are born into these cults or are, you know, absorbed by these cults because

most of the time, they just don't know anything else or any better. They're just living in the shit because of this one piece of shit. But for members, survival, both spiritually and physically, was tied to the FLDS, leaving them with no choice but to submit entirely to Warren's rules. And the daily life under Warren Jeffs was a carefully choreographed to blend of prayer, labor, and indoctrination. Every moment was accounted for, ensuring that members remained deeply entrenched in the FLDS way of life. And the more I read about it and research about it, the more I just, I think of Jim Jones. Like, it's so similar. Like with his, with Jim Jones camps and he would have his sermons playing all the time, and so did Warren Jeffs. And he would be like, okay, this is like,

labor all day, every day. And when we're not doing labor, you're praying. And if you're not praying, you're listening to me pray, like, nobody had a minute to think in the FLDS, in this specific sect of the FLDS. I wasn't scared of death. I was scared of disobeying the prophet. Think about what I said, because I would have rather died than disobey. And prayer and religious study dominated their schedules, with Warren's sermons serving as a centerpiece of their spiritual routine. These sermons could last for hours, similar to Jim Jones. And they were very apocalyptic in tone, warning of impending doom for the disobedient and promising salvation for the faithful.

Again, it's like Jim Jones and Warren Jeffs just got together and they're like, hey, what if? Like, it's so similar. Even, and also, like, children of God leader, again, can't remember his name, but very, very similar. And Warren's words were treated as divine mandates, shaping every belief in behavior within the community. And they were also told that they had to pray every single hour. So you would do everything in groups? Yes, like the whole day is scheduled. Hour, you have to be there. And if you're late, you do get punished.

The wives were required to pray every hour, getting down on their hands and knees and holding hands. Talking was not permitted. On the chimney, it says pray and obey. Right. And that's the message you'd see every day. And also, the women specifically had a book of purity, basically. And it was was the FLDS's set of rules and guidance specifically directed at women and girls within the community. And it basically dictated their behavior, appearance,

and role in the church and community. Reinforcing patriarchal control and absolute obedience to the FLDS prophet, particularly Ward Jeff's leadership. It was just a basically a convenient book where he's just like, hey, you're not acting right, go read it again. Go read that book, okay? Go read that book and then come back to the kitchen, make me a sandwich.

That was, honestly, pretty much. That was pretty much the book, on top of other awful shit. They had behavioral expectations. Women were taught to be submissive to their husbands, and the husbands were seen as spiritual leaders. Warren had a saying, perfect obedience is led by a hair, meaning hair is so thin,

and true obedience meant that you could be led by a hair, and you would not break it. And they were forbidden from speaking out against male authority figures or questioning their prophet's directives, and the social interactions between, unmarried women and men were heavily restricted with most marriages arranged by the Prophet and the Prophet alone. Then we had the purity and chastity. Women were expected to remain virgins until marriage and to be completely loyal to their husbands when they were married. And any perceived deviation from these rules could lead to severe punishment, including public humiliation and excommunication.

And women specifically were prohibited from watching television, reading secular books, or consuming any media not approved by the church. and there was zero contact with outsiders or any non-FLDS members. And the focus was mainly on motherhood with women's primary role to bear and raise children within the FLDS communities. They were expected to have as many children as possible as polygamous families with numerous offspring were seen as spiritually superior. So basically, FLDS women were basically seen as just pieces of meat, like brood mothers that just cooked,

cooked and cleaned and were not speak unless spoken to like just less than. Like it's just so sad. In the book, A Purity had profound psychological and emotional and social consequences for the women of the FLDS. But knowing you pleasing your husband, your head, brings you a heaven. But realize, young ladies, the best thing is to leave your life in the hands of God through his prophet. They lost like all autonomy. woman had little control over their personal choices, from who they married, to how they dressed, to how they interacted with others. Obviously, they had an incredible amount of fear and anxiety.

And there was just, with the reinforcement of gender inequality, I just feel like they all felt trapped. And I know that some were fine with it and felt like that was for them and that that represented them well. But I know for a lot, majority, this was not the way of life that they wanted. Or they were just so brainwashed that they thought it was the way of life that they wanted, but if they were to see the outside world, they'd be like, we can have jobs and eat pizza and have boyfriends? What? And while his followers lived very modestly sacrificing their time and possessions for the church, Warren's life, on the other hand, was one of luxury.

He resided in sprawling homes, traveled by private yet, and amassed a fortune funded by the tithes and unpaid, labor of his followers. And to the FLDS, this opulence was justified, proof of his divine status. So everything was just working out for Jeff's. But to the outside world, it revealed the deep exploitation underlying his leadership. And polygamy, a cornerstone in the FLDS beliefs, became an instrument of unparallel power in Warren's hands. He claimed at least 78 wives. Okay, 78, potentially more. But through everything I read, most of the them said 78 wives and 24 of them, I'm going to try not to throw up in my mouth, were underage

girls. And insisting these marriages were divinely ordained and that's how he justified them because they were divinely ordained. Jeff's performed these marriages under the guise of celestial marriages. A concept derived from the FLDS theology, which ties plural marriages to spiritual salvation. Basically, fucking bullshit. And this wasn't just about spiritual duty. It was a method of control, obviously. Warren also dictated marriages across the community, often dissolving existing unions to assert his dominance like we were saying before. He would take pluck this wife from this man and put that wife with that man, take that wife from this man, and put her over here,

take that man, throw him completely excommunicate him. He was just like using them like they were little pawns on his chestboard. And these practices ensured the loyalty to Warren remained paramount and with no bonds stronger than those he approved. And children within the FLDS grew up in a world where questioning authority was absolutely unthinkable. Their education limited to church doctrine left little room for independent thought. From a young age, they were taught to revere Warren as a prophet and to see the outside world as a place of corruption and danger. They were basically just fearmongering these children day in and day out. You give this lesson today young people. We have to teach you how

to think and how to live in a pure way. You purify your heart by first cleaning up your mind. And the upbringing created a cycle of dependency, ensuring that future generations remain loyal to Warren's vision. So it's just brainwashing every single day. And he would house his wives and children in an insanely large compound home in Hilldale, Utah, or Short Creek. And Short Creek is basically where the FLDS originally kind of all came together. This place was 28,000 square feet, 42 bedrooms and two giant kitchens, and also a secret locked room behind a storage closet

where Jeff's kept secret and private documents regarding the church. And we will figure out what the fuck's in those documents later in this, so stay tuned. And it also sported on the outside the words pray and obey on the chimney just in case you forgot to do that. you know, in case it wasn't already drilled into your brain. And beneath the surface of Warren Jeff's rule lay a chilling reality,

as his grip tightened disturbing accounts began to emerge from the FLDS community, stories of abuse, exploitation, and fear. And survivors recounted being forced into marriages, often as underage brides, under the guise of divine will. Told me that the prophet has called, my name was brought up and I was to be married. and physical and emotional for widespread, justified by worn as necessary for spiritual purification. And Jeff's daughter, Rachel Blackmore,

who alleged her father essayed her for years during childhood, said, quote unquote, When your parent does something like that, it feels shameful on you too. And then it kept happening, which is just heartbreaking. And at age 14, Alyssa Wall was married off to her 19-year-old first cousin. And Wall said she had no choice but to go through with the the marriage, which was officiated by Jeffs, which is fucking disgusting. And also Ruth Stubbs, another member of the FLDS community, was married off when she was only 16, and her husband Rodney

Holm was 32, literally 16 years older. Oh, and he was the police officer in Short Creek and was already married to two other women. So fear became a cornerstone of Warren's control. Members lived under the constant threat of excommunication and punishment that extended beyond banishment. And to be cast out of the FLDS meant losing everything, family, community, and salvation. And for the faithful, the prospect of eternal damnation was too terrifying to contemplate silencing dissent and reinforcing obedience. And financial exploitation compounded the sphere completely. Members were required to tithe large portions of their income, often to the point of personal hardship.

And they also provided unpaid labor for the church process. and enriching Warren while they struggled to make ends meet. And this economic dependency made it nearly impossible for the members to leave, trapping them within the FLDS both spiritually and materially. And to the members of the FLDS, Warren Jeff's wasn't just their leader. He was the voice of God, quite literally to them. This belief created an intense, often coercive loyalty driven as much as fear as by faith. And members were taught that obedience to Warren was their only path to salvation.

And to devine him was a risk of eternal damnation. But excommunication was the ultimate weapon for war. Those who questioned his authority faced not only spiritual condemnation, but also the loss of their homes, families and livelihood. So by the early 2000s, the once impenetrable walls of the FLDS began to crack. Finally. And underworn Jeff's authoritarian rule, the community had operated in near total secrecy,

its practices hidden behind a veil of isolation and control. But as whispers of abuse and exploitation grew louder, the FLDS found itself under increased scrutiny. Law enforcement, journalists, and advocacy groups turned their attention to the insular group, and they were determined to expose the truth. And survivors who escaped the FLDS began to tell their stories, shattering the myth of the church's purity. They spoke of forced marriages, child abuse, and financial exploitation, painting a damning picture of the life under Jeff's rule.

And among these voices was Flora Jessup, former FLDS member who had endured years of abuse before escaping. And Jessup became a vocal advocate for others trapped within the community and her courage inspiring others to come forward. I was born and raised in the FLDS. I have 28 brothers and sisters. My dad was married to my mom and her little sister. And it's not brainwashing.

It's indoctrination. My sisters would sit around and talk about how they wanted to have 30 kids because that was your only worth. There is no compassion, no empathy. It's all fear-based. I was by my dad. Which she says ran rampant. Saw it all the time.

It's that open. It's normal. That's the sick part. And each story added weight to the mounting allegations against Warren Jeffs. And the public's outrage grew. And media outlets amplified these accounts, producing documentaries and exposés that captivated national attention. And the stories of coercion and control, once hidden in the shadows, now played out on television screens and newspaper headlines. Advocacy groups seized the moment, providing support to survivors and pressuring authorities to act.

And the once private world of the FLDS was now a subject of national conversation. And the walls of secrecy warned Jeffs had so carefully built were crumbling. M-womp-womp. So in August 2003, Jeffs announced in a sermon that the blessing of the priesthood had been removed from Short Creek. And he declared the community's spirituality unworthy and ceased all religious meaning there, though tiths and offerings were still collected naturally. Because the spirituality's gone, but I'll still take it to it. Jeff's began directing resources and followers to isolated properties he called the lands of refuge, where he

believed the FLDS members could practice their beliefs in secrecy and shield them from external forces, aka fain justice. And this is when he would purchase the YFZ ranch in 2003. If you got a problem with me saying Z, I'm from Canada, I say Z not Z, so deal with it. All right, the YFZ ranch. And in 2003, under the alias YFZ land LLC, the FLDS purchased the 1,700 acre ranch near El Dorado, Texas for $700,000.

And the property was initially described as a corrupt hunting retreat. Or corrupt. It was corrupt technically. But the corporate hunting retreat to avoid arousing suspicion. And Jeff referred to the ranch as the R-17, a code named to maintain

its secrecy. So he was doing everything in his power to like not let people know that this is where a bunch of terrible shit was going to go down because he planned to do a bunch of terrible faked shit. And it quickly became the cornerstone of his vision for the new FLDS refuge. So the development and relocation kind of took place between 2004 and 2005. And by 2004, construction was underway at the YF said ranch, including the building of homes, meeting halls, and central temple, which Jeff's formally dedicated on January 1st, 2005. And hundreds of FLDS members, primarily women and children,

relocated from Short Creek to YFZ Ranch between 2004 and 2005, with Jeff handpicking the families allowed to settle there. And unlike Short Creek, where FLDS members could interact with outsiders to some extent, the YFZ ranch was designed to completely be isolated. Jeff's used it as a stronghold to tighten his grip

on the FLBS community and practice the most extreme aspects of his leadership, including the enforcement of strict purity laws and the arrangement of underage marriages. And in 2006, formal charges were brought against Jeff's finally, including allegations of SA and arranging illegal marriages involving underage girls. And rather than face justice, Warren fled, sparking a nationwide manhunt. And his flight would actually turn him into one of the FBI's 10 most ones. wanted fugitives at the time and a $100,000 reward was offered for information leading to his capture. And as the search intensified, it became clear that Jeff's days of unchecked power were coming to an end.

And on August 28, 2006, Warren Jeff's life on the run came to an end in an unassuming way. A routine traffic stop in Las Vegas, Nevada led to the arrest of one of the nation's most wanted fugitives. Traveling in a red Cadillac escalade with his brother Isaac and another passenger, Warren had been a vexasks. hating law enforcement for months at this point. And when Highway Patrol officers noticed the vehicle's temporary registration tags, they pulled it over. Unaware that they were about to capture the leader of the FLDS.

Yes! And inside the vehicle, officers discovered a startling cash of evidence. Alongside $55,000 in cash, and multiple cell phones were disguises, laptops, and documents that detailed Jeff's activities while on the run. And most damning were recordings and records that provided explicit evidence of his crimes, including his involvement in underage marriages.

And we'll get to the recordings a little bit later, and they're fucking disgusting. So trigger warning there. It'll be in a bit. I'll warn you before I talk about them, but my God. But these discoveries not only ended Jeff's time as a fugitive, but also solidified the case against him, ensuring that justice could finally be pursued. And the arrest marked a turning point, not just for Jeff's, but for the FLDS as a whole. The veil of invincibility he had cultivated was completely shattered.

And the materials seized during the capture would play a pivotal role in dismantling the power structure he had built. So we'll get to his trial in 2011, the one that kind of everyone talks about. But he was actually convicted on September 25, 2007. And he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for being an accessory to two counts of grape, when he forced a 14-year-old follower to marry her first cousin, who was 19-year-old at the time. And the prosecutors had maintained that Warren Jeffs, who was 51 at the time, used his religious authority to compel the girl into marriage and sensual acts against her will. So he's already in prison for 10 years at the time,

but there were so many other crimes that were uncalled for at this point, because the evidence wasn't there yet. Other charges would come to follow him in 2008, And on February 27, 2008, Jeffs would enter a not guilty plea on child-susual charges out of Arizona. And he would then be taken to the Mohave County Jail to await that trial. And then something insane would happen in April of 2008. Texas law enforcement rated the yearning for Zion, which was the YFZ ranch, which I don't think I said. But YFZD, uh, standard for yearning, yearning for Zion.

I'm not perfect. I'm sorry. But this was near El Dorado, Texas, and they would get raided after a 911 call alleged abuse of an underage girl within the FLDS community. And though the call was later revealed to be a hoax, the raid uncovered extensive evidence of systemic abuse. Investigators would find records of spiritual marriages involving girls as young as 12 years old, many of whom were pregnant or already mothers at that time that they found the records. And the temple on the ranch was revealed to be a central location for these ceremonies, with evidence such as beds and detailed marriage records seized. And over 462 children were removed from the ranch by child protective services, aka the CPS.

Though later rulings determined that not all the children were in immediate danger. But the raid exposed the secretive practices of the FLDS under Ward Jeff's leadership and guarded widespread attention, sparking controversy over both state's handling of the children and the abides within the community itself. And the evidence collected during the raid significantly impacted Warren Jeff's 2011 trial. And this is the recordings that I'm talking about. There were recordings found in this car in 2006 as well, but those were used in his other trial, but these ones specifically were used in his 2011 trial. And prosecutors used this evidence, such as the church recordings,

and recordings of Jeff, to demonstrate his direct involvement in the criminal activities. So this trial of Warren Jeff's was a spectacle that gripped the nation. It was more than just a legal proceeding. It was a public reckoning with the abuses that had taken place under his leadership. And charged with multiple felonies, including SA of minors and facilitating illegal marriages, Jeff faced overwhelming evidence against him. And survivors took the stand, recounting harrowing stories of coercion, abuse, and manipulation, and their courage brought the hidden horrors of the FLDS in stark focus. And Jeff's defense, or should I say self-defense due to him burning through seven high power attorneys, relied on the argument of religious freedom,

claiming that his actions were protected as part of the FLDS faith. And this reminds me of Ted Bundy. He's actually, he's so similar to Jim Jones and Ted Bundy. He's like both of them combined. He literally represented himself in this trial because he thought that he's so smart, that he's so much better than everyone that he would be protected by his faith because that's what he has experienced his whole life. So why would it be any different in a court of law? Or none of that f***ing matters because you're a freaking creep. But yeah, he represented himself and thank God he did because he got what he deserved. But this justification crumbled under the weight of the prosecution's evidence. And recordings, documents, and survivor testimonies painted a very very

chilling picture of the systemic exploitation, all orchestrated under the guise of divine will. And during his trial, Jeff famously declared, I am not the one on trial. It is God's will being tested here. Well, God's will be done. But Jeff was on trial at this point of two counts of essay of a child, and he was accused of forcing two teenage girls into spiritual marriage. And fathering a child with one of them when she was only 50. 18 years old. It makes me want to f*** vomit. And the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. And Jeff, who was acting as his own lawyer, began his defense by speaking at length about his

religious freedom, like I said before. But Judge Barbara Walther interrupted him and said Jeff's clearly wasn't prepared to enter a defense. And Walder told Jeff's he had two choices. Rest his case or begin calling witnesses. And he would call one witness to the stand, and it would be a church elder who would literally just read the Book of Mormon. as evidence. If we're calling religious books up, let's call the Bible up. Let's get somebody to read the Bible. Let's bring stoning back.

Throw Jeff's in the middle of a field and let's just go at him. It's all metaphorical, by the way. I don't wish death upon anyone in any sense. But if he were to metaphorically get put in a field and metaphorically people were able to throw rocks at him until he metaphorically died because he did do awful things, I would metaphorically not care. metaphorically. And trigger warning, going to start talking about the tape stuff, so if you're going to be triggered in any way,

I'm not going to go into explicit detail, but even just talking about it makes me feel sick. But I think it's important because I hate him so much and people deserve to know how much of a piece of shitty is. But anyway, on top of the mountain of evidence against Warren Jeff's, the most shocking was an audio tape played at the trial by the prosecutors. And jurors heard the religious leader having a sensual encounter with a 12-year-old girl telling her to feel the spirit of God. And the tape is one of several seized by the police and submitted as evidence in the case against Jeff's. And prosecutors played three other tapes

that prosecutors say prove Jeff's married and essayed underage girls. And in the recordings, Jeff's is heard saying also that a good wife is trained for her husband and follows the spirit of peace. He also makes reference to drawing clothes or being clothes, which is how church remembers refer to intercourse, and two females can be heard responding, okay. I'm not going to play these specific tapes because they're just so awful.

And according to Jeff's journal, the tape was made the night after his wedding to a 14-year-old girl, and when Jeff's took his new bride and another wife for a car ride to instruct them on their new responsibility as wives. And he told them they were honorable vessels, property of your husband's kingdom and of the kingdom of God on earth. And the 14-year-old girl is the same girl who, according to expert testimony on DNA evidence, Jeff later impregnated. Stoning. Let's bring it back. Like metaphorically. Like, I'm not even like. And on the tape, they heard Jeff's telling the girls, quote unquote, you have to know how to excite sensually and be excited. And telling the girls to shower and wear white robes when they come to him, as well as telling them to shave their

downstairs area. He concluded by singing the prayer, Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost in the courtroom. Jeff's remained standing in objection through the playing of the tape. And Jeff continued to interrupt the trial by making frequent objections, often on the grounds of religious freedom. Each objection had been overruled by the judge, though, naturally. And lastly, Jeff's wrote in 2005, according to one of the thousands of pages of notes seized along with the audio recordings from his Texas ranch. And it would say, the world knew what I was doing, they would hang me from the highest tree. Hanging sounds good, too, but stoning sounds a little bit better to me. Sounds like it'd take longer, um, metaphorically. Like, there's a way to say it in a, in a more glazed over way, but I don't think it should

be glazed over because this is happening. Like, it's happening not even just in the FLDS, maybe still happening in the FLDS, but just around the world. And I feel like these people need to be held accountable for, and I just, I can't wait for this man to just burn in the fiery depths of hell. But anyway, in August 2011, the trial reached its conclusion, and Warren Jeffs was convicted of two counts of SA of a child, 12 and 15, one of which he impregnated, and sent it to life in prison, plus 20 years. And for his victims, the verdict was a long overdue moment of justice. And for the FLDS, it marked the end of an era defined by one man's unchecked power. And there were some notable correlating arrests, including many of his confidants and higher-ups in the FLDS, including Raymond Jessup,

who was a son of the sex de facto leader Frederick Jessup. He was a convictive essay of a minor and bigamy. Merrill Jessup, he was a high-ranking FLDS bishop investigated for officiating illegal underage marriages. Barbara Jessup, briefly detained in connection to custody issues during the Yeth. Zed Ranch investigation. Lyle Jeffs, Warren Jeff's brother, arrested for welfare fraud and other charges. Rulon Jeffs, although deceased, was scrutinized for systematic abuses in the sect as well. Naomi Jeffs, who was Warren Jeff's scribe and confidant, who became a person of interest in the investigation, but was not formally charged with major crimes, although I feel like probably knew more than she should have.

And the list goes on. Alan Keat, sentenced for S.A. of a minor as well. So many giant pieces. of shit in the FLBS. And just people that took advantage of other people, and it's just awful. But these arrests stemmed from the evidence obtained during the 2008 raid on the YFSAD ranch, as well as further investigations into the FLDS operations and Warren Jeff's leadership. And they highlighted systemic criminal activities, including SA of minors, underage marriages, and polygamy. And the imprisonment of Warren Jeff's sent shockwaves through the FLDS.

And for his most loyal followers, it was seen as a divine test. And a trial meant to strengthen his faith and their faith. And from the prison cell, Jeff worked tirelessly to maintain his grip in the community, issuing commands through diaries and written letters. And he framed his incarceration as part of God's plan, urging his followers to remain steadfast. Hello, everybody. Wonderful to see you. Hope you're not through with me.

I'm excited. That's right. His life is just a few minutes of time. Yet for others, this marked a turning point. Doubts that had long been suppressed began to surface, and the communities once unquestioned loyalty to Jeff began to waver. As his control weakened, fractures appear within the FLDS, and a revival factions emerged,

each claiming legitimacy and the one monolithic organization splintered into competing groups. And the absence of a central figure in the FLDS left the FLDS in a disarray. Some members remained fiercely loyal to Jeff's, while others sought new leadership or left the group entirely. And the infighting just drained the FLDS of resources and influence, leaving it a shadow of its former self. And the power vacuum created by Jeff's imprisonment exposed the fragility of the system built

around a single authoritarian leader, aka, does work. This is why all cults, well, not all cults, but a lot of cults just crumble, because the bullshit starts to seep through the cracks. But the experiences of Warren Jeff's family reflect the broader struggles faced by all those affected by his leadership. While some remain loyal to the FLDS, others have found the strength to leave, exposing the abuses of the past and reclaiming their lives.

And their stories are a testament to resilience and the ongoing fight for justice and healing in the aftermath of Jeff's reign. And that is the case of Warren Jeff's and the FLDS cult, in my opinion, not church. I'd say it's a cult. But crazy. in reading about it and watching so much about it, it just, I don't know. It's crazy that this is happening in the world, and I think it just kind of opens your eyes up to the fact that there is bad out there,

and it's not all just rainbows and sunshine, not that everyone's lives is rainbows and sunshines otherwise, but I don't know, just make you aware, you know? And just my heart goes out to all the families involved, to anybody that faced any sort of abuse, from this horrible man and any other adults. But yeah, I just want to say, you know, always reiterate, be safe out there, you know.

Continue to educate yourself as always. And if you have any other cases that you want me to deep dive in and learn about and tell you about, let me know in the description below. This was one that was highly requested, so that is thanks to you guys. But until then, I will see your beautiful face in the next video, okay?

Bye.