Where is Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey's Warren Jeffs now?
Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual misconduct and suicide that some readers may find upsetting.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey – Netflix's latest true-crime documentary offering – lifts the lid on life inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)... and the sinister paedophilia and coercive control that came from the top of its ranks.
The most prominent discussion point is Warren Jeffs, who was eventually charged with child sexual assault and rape as an accomplice.
A loose off-shoot of the Mormon church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), the FLDS was formulated in 1890 to continue polygamy, which was outlawed within the Mormon church.
Believing numerous wives made men closer to God, the FLDS created bases of their own, with the most prominent areas being in Utah's Salt Lake City and Short Creek.
Within these communities, which became cult-like in their nature, the leader – or 'prophet' as they were referred – was considered the absolute voice of control over all aspects of their sect, and those within the group were instructed to treat them as the voice of God.
This even boiled down to who the women would marry when they were "turned in" to him. His decision was considered God's decision.
From a young age, women were told to "keep sweet" – meaning to keep a level head, pray and obey their Prophet and men, and fulfil their every need without question, including sexually.
As the prophet, Rulon Jeffs (Warren's father) had 23 wives of his own. In Keep Sweet, Alicia Rohbock, one of his ex-wives and survivors, revealed he was 86 when she married him, and she was only 20.
She was also so uneducated about sex and adult life that she believed babies were made through kissing, only corrected when instructed by Rulon to spend the night with him for "a little lovemaking". This is later corroborated by another of his wives, Rebecca Wall, who was 19 when she married him.
When did Warren Jeffs take over the FLDS?
Rulon died in 2002, with his son, Warren Jeffs, taking over as the prophet. Everyone interviewed in Keep Sweet regard this as when the FLDS took an even more sinister turn, with child brides as young as 12 becoming more and more commonplace.
Warren had 78 wives, including most of his father's former wives (which are considered his own 'mothers' within the group). 24 of Warren's wives were under the age of 17 at the time of their marriage. The youngest was only 14 years old. As their husband, they were commanded by their teachings to obey him "as a wife would".
Men were instructed that without at least three wives they wouldn't get into Heaven. There was no discussion as to what would happen to the women in the afterlife.
Over time, Warren's control over those within his congregation grew deeper, with the prophet acquiring all their properties, some even handing over their businesses, in order to prove their loyalty and commitment to God and the church.
However, this also bound them closer to the FLDS and Warren, who could kick them out of their homes with no notice as he was technically the owner, and reap the profits of the businesses he acquired.
As more people began to question his motives, anyone he felt would be in a position to overrule his authority was excommunicated or pushed down the social rankings of the community. In 2004 this included a mass public cull of 20 senior men to reassert his authority, including powerful businessmen and the mayor of their town.
Due to the surplus of boys in the community (as the girls were considered commodities and could only marry once), they were often thrown out of the town. Anyone who left the FLDS was considered an apostate and had contact entirely removed from their family.
In the time since, Jeffs has been accused by many male and female members of the congregation – including some of his own family – of sexual abuse, rape and misconduct.
After a while, Short Creek, Utah was almost completely run by the FLDS and Warren. Those interviewed in Keep Sweet dubbed it a "lawless" town as Warren often dictated who was hired in the police force and emergency services, and they would do as he said.
Teenage girls considered 'unruly' were suddenly married off at a younger age in order to keep them under control of the FLDS, even if they weren't "turned in" to him. They would then be passed off to men to marry without their consent, at times with their outright refusal, with these men being all significantly older than them.
In June 2005, Elissa Wall finally came forward to the police outside of the city limits after being forced to marry her 19-year-old cousin at the age of 14. She was in the marriage for four years and suffered several miscarriages. She had previously begged not to marry her cousin, but it was overturned. She later accused him of rape, for which he was arrested, but not convicted, having accepted a plea bargain of 'solemnizing an illegal marriage' instead.
Warren fled the town and went on the run with some of his wives to escape detection. During this time he was instructing his congregation to continue sending him money, which was then funnelled to him via his brother Seth. Warren would then use it on lavish trips such as Disneyland and expensive parties.
In April 2006, Utah State issued a warrant for his arrest for being an accomplice to the rape of two girls aged 14 and 18. When he continued undetected, he landed alongside Osama Bin Laden on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted list with a reward of up to $100,000 to his name.
During this time he continued to conduct marriages between adult men and underage girls.
He was finally caught in August 2006 and in the months that followed, multiple charges across Arizona and Utah were made against him, including a large number of assaults, accomplice to rape, incest and sexual conduct with minor indictments.
In 2007, he was convicted on two accomplice to rape charges, only to have them overturned shortly after as there "wasn't enough proof that by orchestrating the marriage between a 14-year-old and a 19-year-old there was expectation of rape".
More sex charges collapsed in Arizona in 2008, when victims no longer wanted to testify in court and after two years in prison awaiting the trial, it would have overrun his potential sentence.
Finally, in August 2011, Jeffs was convicted on two counts of sexual assault on a child, and sentenced to life in prison.
Where is Warren Jeffs now?
Warren Jeffs currently remains in jail as part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He will be eligible for parole in 2038, at which point he will be 82 years old.
During his time in prison, he has made several attempts on his life, including one in 2011 where he was temporarily placed into a medically-induced coma.
However, the FLDS continues to function, with Warren still considered their prophet and leader. It's believed that his brothers are helping with the day-to-day operations under his instructions while he's in jail.
Jeffs has also written a book Jesus Christ, Message to All Nations, with more messages of his doctrine.
Many of the congregation have been advocating for his release, believing him to be innocent of the charges.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey is available now on Netflix.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02. Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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