‘It’s amazing that I even survived’: The 65th former wife of Warren Jeffs’ story of overcoming a lifetime of abuse in the FLDS church
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COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Growing up, Briell Decker had 13 siblings, two mothers and a father who had more than 70 wives. Now, she’s living life on her own.
Decker was raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a polygamous sect of the Mormon church located in the remote reaches of Mohave County. Men with plural wives is part of the culture. So is girls marrying before they’re 18.
By that standard, Decker was an old maid. She was forced to marry the prophet of the FLDS shortly after turning 18, becoming Warren Jeffs’ 65th wife.
“I was actually terrified at the whole situation,” Decker said. “I think [Jeffs] picked up on it.”
In 2011, Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison for sex crimes against children. He had more than 70 wives and complete control of the Short Creek Valley where he and his followers lived. It’s made up of two small towns Colorado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah.
Decker first met Jeffs when she attended grade school the Alta Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah, a school meant only for those who were FLDS.
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