NBC
A brand new episode of “Dateline” on Could Eight tells the story of Rebecca Musser, who was married to Rulon T. Jeffs.
A brand new episode of Dateline airing on Friday, Could Eight options Rebecca Musser, a former member of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints, which was run by her late husband Rulon T. Jeffs.
NBC’s official synopsis teases that within the crime present episode, “Rebecca Musser talks about being a fundamentalist Mormon.” In response to IB Occasions, the episode is anticipated to observe Musser’s journey to a spouse of Rulon Jeffs to testifier towards his son, Warren Jeffs.
Right here’s what it is advisable find out about Rulon T. Jeffs:
1. Jeffs Was the President of the Elementary Church of Latter-Day Saints Till His Demise
From 1982 till his demise in 2002, Rulon T. Jeffs was the president of the Elementary Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a Mormon church in Hildale, Utah. Deseret Reported that Jeffs was thought-about a prophet by the church’s over 10,000 members.
In response to Jeffs’ obituary on Legacy.com, he died on September 8, 2002 in Dixon Regional Medical heart, of “sickness incident to age.” He was 92 years previous. The obituary remarked that “His followers knew him as a form, considerate, and prayerful man. They are going to miss his humble knowledge and mild steering. President Jeffs is survived by a big and loving household, all of whom will miss his fatherly love and devotion”
After his demise, Hildale Mayor Dan Barlow advised Deseret Information “He was a delicate man and far liked by his individuals. I’ve recognized him ever since I used to be very younger and have at all times revered him as a godly man.”
Following the demise of Rulon T. Jeffs, his son Warren took over as President of the Elementary Church of Latter-Day Saints.
2. Jeffs Was a Polygamist With Dozens of Wives, Together with Rebecca Musser
Since polygamy one of many fundamentalist Mormon practices inside the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Jeffs had many wives all through his lifetime. The Related Press estimated that, when he died, he had wherever between 19 to 75 wives (who gave him dozens of kids).
A type of wives was Rebecca Musser. Musser was married to Jeffs when he was 85 years previous – she was solely 19 on the time. Musser advised Dateline that, rising up within the fundamentalist Mormon church, “We have been taught you need to need to be a plural spouse, as a result of it was extra holy.”
In an interview with NPR, Musser defined that “Once I came upon that I used to be going to be married to Rulon Jeffs, it was tremendously laborious as a result of on one hand, I had all this precept happening in my head telling me that is proper, that is holy, that is what I’ve been taught that I’ve lived for my total life. And but right here was this man who was alleged to be God in mortality after which to see the very human, the very carnal aspect of this man was extremely overwhelming as a result of I might now not deny the fact of the incongruity. What we have been taught versus what was actually happening.”
3. After Jeffs’ Demise, Rebecca Escaped the Church & Authored a Inform-All Ebook
In a promo video for Musser’s revealing Dateline episode, it’s defined that whereas she was “horrified” to marry Rulon Jeffs, the association got here with the “certain quantity of safety” from his son Warren, who was her trainer. As soon as Rulon died and Warren was put in cost as the brand new prophet of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Warren married Rulon’s wives, and finally advised Rebecca “I’ll break you” one week earlier than she was set to be married, which is when Rebecca determined to flee and inform her story in court docket towards Warren.
Rebecca detailed her childhood, marriage, and escape in her e-book The Witness Wore Purple: The 19th Spouse Who Introduced Polygamous Cult Leaders to Justice. The e-book’s Amazon description explains ”
4. Jeffs’ Son Warren Was Sentenced to Life in Jail in 2011
Warren Jeffs listens to testimony throughout his trial on rape-as-an-accomplice costs September 19, 2007 in St. George, Utah.
After escaping the Elementary Church of Latter-Day Saints, Musser stood witness and shared her testimony in an effort to avoid wasting her youthful sisters and different underage women from being married to older males. With the assistance of Musser’s testimonies towards the church and Warren Jeffs, Jeffs was sentenced to life in jail after being convicted of two felony counts of kid sexual assault.
In an NPR interview with polygamy skilled Ken Driggs, Driggs examined Jeffs trial, through which Warren Jeffs represented himself. Explaining how Warren rose to energy inside the group, Driggs advised NPR “Within the late 1990s, his father had grow to be principally so infirmed with age that he was not likely in a position to operate as chief of the church. And Warren got here all the way down to the, form of, dwelling group in Hildale, Utah, and Colorado Metropolis, Arizona – it’s principally one group that sits on the state line – and, primarily, started operating the affairs of the church. And lots of the practices and teachings of the church actually started to alter as Warren exerted his affect. One of many large issues that modified was their relationship with the skin world. They grew to become way more withdrawn and pulled again into themselves. They took their youngsters out of public colleges and commenced educating via church across the colleges.”
5. Jeffs’ Grandson Roy Died by Suicide in 2019
Warren Jeffs fathered between 50 and 70 youngsters, in response to the Salt Lake Tribune. A type of sons, Roy Jeffs, took his personal life on Could 29, 2019 on the age of 26; he was present in his dwelling in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah. Roy’s half-sister Rachel positioned a few of the blame for Roy’s demise on their father Warren, telling the Tribune “Father didn’t love him. [Roy] knew it. All of us knew it. All of us acquired advised Roy was a nasty boy.” Roy escaped from the church in 2014.
Previous to his demise, Roy spoke out towards his father and accused him of sexually abusing him and his siblings. In response to AP Information, his brother Raymond stated “He by no means stop making an attempt to have his voice heard, to make everybody notice what abuse Father had accomplished to him, to his household to everybody.” Agreeing, his half-sister Rachel added “I do know his entire aim was to convey the household collectively and be extra sort to one another in a extra loving world,” she stated. “I do know he simply wished everybody to be blissful.”
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