Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of sex crimes. Reader discretion is advised.
Convicted polygamist Warren Jeffs, once a Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints leader (FLDS), is now in prison with no release date. Over the years, Jeffs and the FLDS church have become the subject of multiple true-crime documentaries for their controversial practices. As the head, Jeffs gained fame in the 90s and eventually made it to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted List. He had nearly 80 wives, many of whom were minors, including his legal spouse. Then, in 2011, a long-dragged case against him resulted in sexual assault convictions.
Reportedly, Warren Jeffs had eluded the law and remained a fugitive until 2006, when authorities arrested him in Las Vegas. Before that, in 2005, Jeffs had faced charges in Arizona and was also convicted of accessory to rape in Utah in 2007. However, the Supreme Court overturned this conviction, after which he was extradited to Texas.
Then, in 2011, the case against Warren Jeffs landed him in prison for the sexual assault of two minor girls, his so-called “spiritual wives.” The convict then received a life in prison with an additional 20-year term. Jeffs will likely remain in jail until he gets parole after becoming eligible in 2038.
Netflix’s hit documentary series Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey chronicles the crimes of the Mormon polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. Other works include Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs, Warren Jeffs: Prophet Of Evil, and The Man with 80 Wives, among others. ABC’s The Doomsday Prophet: Truth and Lies is the latest special to cover the case.
Warren Jeffs now: Is the cult leader still in prison & what is his release date?
FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, who is still in prison, is in the Louie C. Powledge Unit. According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Jeffs will become eligible for parole on July 22, 2038. He does not have a projected release date. The records also reveal that his sentence includes a life term on the count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The second count is sexual assault of a child, for which he got an additional 20-year prison sentence.
According to ABC News, Warren Jeffs started serving time in prison in 2011 despite being on FBI’s list for years. Jeffs first faced criminal charges in Arizona for sexual conduct with a minor, one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Elsewhere, he faced one count of rape as an accomplice in Utah, which resulted in a conviction in 2007. However, the legal proceedings continued despite the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn his conviction.
Warren Jeffs’ extradition to Texas around the same time resulted in his ultimate downfall. During the trial in 2011, prosecutors proved that Jeffs had sexually assaulted two minor girls, per The Independent. The prosecution introduced substantial evidence against the polygamist leader in court. Former US Attorney Special Prosecutor Angela Goodwin said that under his leadership, the FLDS had conducted “marriages of 67 underage girls to FLDS men.”
Additionally, Goodwin claimed Jeffs had “78 wives – 24 of those wives were underage.” Other evidence against the polygamist included tape recordings of him giving instructions to his young wives on how to please him sexually. Moreover, prosecutors alleged he convinced young girls to have sex with him, calling these sessions “heavenly” or “celestial.”
Reportedly, Warren Jeffs is in prison with no release date for sexually assaulting minors. The victims were a 12-year-old girl and another 15-year-old girl, with the latter carrying his child when authorities first discovered her. Now, former FLDS members claim Jeffs still runs the church from behind bars.
