Warren Jeffs is still behind bars, but his son’s account reveals what prison didn’t stop

Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet is the latest documentary to pull back the curtain on the chaos inside the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka the FLDS. While it focuses on newer figures trying to take control, it all links back to one person: Warren Jeffs. Even now, years after his conviction, he’s still kind of at the centre of it all.

Netflix

So, where actually is Warren Jeffs now?

He’s currently in a Texas prison, serving a life sentence after being found guilty in 2011 of sexually assaulting two underage girls he had taken as “spiritual wives”. He’s in protective custody, meaning he’s kept away from other inmates, and there’s no realistic chance of him getting out anytime soon (he’s not even eligible for parole until 2038).

But here’s the part that makes it more unsettling. Prison hasn’t really stopped his influence.

Despite being locked up, Jeffs has reportedly continued to receive huge amounts of mail from followers. For some people still in the FLDS, he hasn’t lost his status. If anything, he’s seen as a kind of martyr. Even though the Netflix doc shows new leaders trying to take over, Jeffs hasn’t just faded into the background.

Reagan County Sheriff’s Department

According to NBC, Jeffs attempting to hang himself in prison in 2007, and was hospitalized for pneumonia five years later after participating in a three-day fast.

And then there’s what we know from his own family, which gives a completely different side to the story.

His son has spoken out multiple times

His son, Leroy “Roy” Jeffs, was one of the few people from inside the group to speak publicly about what life was actually like growing up under his father’s control. After leaving the FLDS in 2014, he gave interviews describing a childhood that was strict, isolated and, at times, terrifying.

Most Read

The police have issued a statement after Ruby Rose reported Katy Perry for sexual assault

Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream BF detailed her alleged sexual misconduct before Ruby Rose’s claims

Anna Kendrick’s x-rated experience with Katy Perry resurfaces amid sexual assault claims

“One of my earliest memories is of him sexually abusing me,” Roy told CNN in 2014. “I was about 4 or 5 years old, and this is where my dad did it. I remember him telling me, ‘You should never do this’ … then he did it to me.”

He talked about how everyday life was controlled, from what kids could do to where families lived, and how people could be reassigned or cut off completely if they stepped out of line.

“There would be, like, this piercing of despair in your heart,” he said. “What’s he going to say now? Is he going tell me I’ve lost my place? Is he going to kick me out?”

Netflix

More seriously, Roy also accused his father of sexually abusing him as a child. He said one of his earliest memories involved that abuse, which adds to the long list of allegations and convictions already tied to Jeffs.

What makes his account hit differently is how normal it all seemed at the time. Roy described typing up his dad’s sermons as a teenager and living in hiding with his family, all while still feeling completely under his father’s control, even from a distance.

Roy Jeffs died in 2019, but his story is still one of the clearest insights into what was going on behind the scenes. While documentaries often focus on the bigger picture, his perspective shows what that control actually felt like on a day-to-day level.

Following Roy’s passing, Jeffs’s daughter Rachel alleged that her father was still in full control of the FLDS, and that those who still follow him believe he is a sacrificial figure who is in prison to atone for their sins.

Even though the documentary is about new leaders and splinter groups, it’s hard to ignore how much of it still traces back to Jeffs and the system he built.

For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.

Featured image credit: Netflix