Category Archives: House of Yahweh

Bigamy charges against cult leader Yisrayl Hawkins dismissed in plea deal

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Yisrayl Hawkins Bigamy charges against West Texas sect leader Yisrayl Hawkins were dismissed Thursday after the head of the House of Yahweh pleaded no contest to four cases involving child-labor violations, the Callahan County attorney announced.

The dismissal of the charges shocked Margo Hawkins, Yisrayl Hawkins’ 36-year-old daughter, who left the House of Yahweh when she was 22. “It’s a cult. They brainwash people,” she said. [Read more...]

House of Yahweh leader claims sect is unfairly targeted

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Yisrayl Hawkins House of Yahweh leader Yisrayl Hawkins has penned a four-page newsletter sent to thousands of residents in Taylor, Callahan and Jones counties, claiming the news media has wrongly portrayed the group.

House of Yahweh adviser John Young said the newsletter isn’t an effort to influence potential jurors when Hawkins goes to court — probably later this year — to face bigamy and other charges. [Read more...]

House of Yahweh sect elder sentenced to 30 years

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Yedidiyah Hawkins A judge sentenced a religious sect’s elder to 30 years in prison for molesting an 11-year-old girl during a phony cervical cancer exam.

Hawkins has no medical training but used a gynecological medical instrument to examine the girl at a home in 2005, according to trial testimony. A former House of Yahweh member testified that Hawkins actually was worried the girl was not a virgin. [Read more...]

House of Yahweh sect elder convicted of sex assault of child

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Erin Prophet Yedidiyah Hawkins, 40, a House of Yahweh elder, was convicted Monday of aggravated sexual assault of a child. A judge will set the sentence, expected within 45 days. Hawkins earlier decided that he wanted a judge to assess the punishment if jurors found him guilty.

The sect’s leader, self-proclaimed prophet Yisrayl Hawkins, faces trial later this year on bigamy and child labor charges. He is accused of having more than 20 wives, performing polygamous weddings and forcing about 40 children to work jobs at his 44-acre compound in rural Clyde near Abilene. [Read more...]