Warren Jeffs tried to commit suicide in jail

Sources familiar with both Warren Jeffs and his confinement in the Purgatory Correctional Facility tell ABC 4 that on at least two occasions he tried to harm himself. Both incidents took place back in January of this year. Neither came close to succeeding.

In one instance, Jeffs rammed his head against the wall of his jail cell. In the other instance, he apparently tried to use his jail-issued clothes to strangle himself.

Also in January, Jeffs was briefly taken to a hospital emergency room. But a Washington County Sheriff’s spokesman says that it had to do with his heart.

Suicide attempts should not be surprising given the diagnosis of depression from two mental evaluations of Jeffs. Always thin, Jeffs had lost 30 pounds in his first few months in PCF. He was not sleeping well. And after the suicide attempts, Jeffs was confessing to friends and family members that he was a “wicked man”.

Depressed or not, former FLDS member Carolyn Jessop says she was surprised. “We believe that suicide is a horrible sin. That’s one of the worst,” she said. “I always considered him narcissistic and a person like that protects himself.”

Carolyn Jessop knows Warren Jeffs well. Before escaping polygamy in April of 2003, she was married to one of Jeffs’ top Lieutenants, Merril Jessop. He is the bishop of the FLDS compound near El Dorado, Texas. That compound is now seen as the headquarters of the group and home to its first and only temple.

In the past, Jeffs preached that some sinners could only receive forgiveness by spilling their own blood, “blood atonement”.

But Carolyn Jessop does not believe blood atonement had anything to do with Warren’s would be suicides. “With blood atonement it has to be done properly or it is of no value. I don’t believe there was a religious connotation…I think it was more based on his own emotional desperation of being behind bars. Warren is an incredibly controlling individual. And for the first time in his life he has no control over his environment.”

Nor will he have control for quite a while. He faces 5 years to life for his conviction in Washington County on two counts of rape as an accomplice. His sentencing is later this month. Plus he still faces trial in federal and Arizona courts.

Read Another Article

Award over funeral protest may not stand
Coming to terms with an abusive cult upbringing

Related News Articles Topic(s): FLDS • Polygamy Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com FLDS Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog