After years of striving to be a good church member and a good wifeone of 65to a man chosen for me, I was tired. About Rebecca. Musser, one of 25 siblings, was once a devout member of the FLDS, where she was known as Sister Becky. The women in the sect wore prairie dresses and kept their long hair swept up in braids as they were taught to keep sweet, a phrase used to convey the idea that women should be obedient and do whatever is asked of them. Rebecca Musser with her 85-year-old husband Rulon Jeffs (Photo Credit: "Dateline"/NBC) Escaping to live with her brother (he had left the community earlier), she entered into the outside world -- one that she had been told was filled with evil people. Motivational speaker and advocate for social change, Rebecca Musser is in high demand. The story still goes on. And he said, Dont you ever, ever, ever, ever tell your husband no again. Ben Musser celebrates his birthday on 3 July. The women in the sect wore prairie dresses and kept their long hair swept up in braids as they were taught to keep sweet, a phrase used to convey the idea that women should be obedient and do whatever is asked of them. Memories flooded my mind: neighbors offering sympathy and supplies after my childhood house burned down; a former violin teacher who nurtured my talent; the owner of a stringed-instrument shop who encouraged me to playI took a long, hard look at all the things that new church leader Warren Jeffs had said were absolutely true that I knew were not. It is such an honor to be part of that process.". Rebecca shares with young women the essential components of healthy relationships, confidence, and resilience. NY 10036. For the first time, they were looking forth. She was anxious to share with her what she was learning in life and through books. They had two children, Nataliaand Kyle, and they were extremely happy. Rebecca spoke about Ben to MarieClaire, He had shown kindness to me, telling me not to be forced into doing anything I didnt want to do. In 2011, Warren was ultimately convicted of aggravated s*xual assault against a minor and s*xual assault against a child. sister. Actress Sabina Gadecki plays Musser in the movie Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs. FRUITLAND, Idaho Rebecca Musser lives a life now that is worlds away from her past. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. She had to hop a fence to make it out and says after her escape, the walls got higher. Every way that I examined it, it was neither healthy nor holy. In the immortal words of Tully Hart, "Firefly Lane girls forever!". The far offshoot of the Mormon church practices polygamy, also known as plural marriage. This, as seen in the preview below, was troubling to. Rebecca trekked half-mile where Ben was waiting for her who would meet her in his brothers truck. People. On 14 September 2019, he tied the knot with his new wife Shandra Musser. POSTSCRIPT:Rebecca Musser, now 37, was the key state witness in the 2008 trials of Warren Jeffs and several FLDS leaders. "As corny as those looked on film, those were some of our best moments that we had, and there was this warm sense of nostalgia of remembering where you belonged," Musser said. She worried that she could be next. After enduring years of violation, upon her husband's death she escaped from his son, Warren Jeffs, when he tried . Musser had been on hand at the time to help investigators decipher the evidence they discovered. Visit our corporate site. The revealing and inspiring memoir of a woman forced into polygamous marriage in the FLDS Church and her brave struggle to protect others from the same fate. "And then to realize here's my daughter, who has never known FLDS life, she has never lived that, she's never seen polygamy.". Musser tried to intervene to stop the marriage, but Warren insisted the wedding would be carried out and he presided over the nuptials himself. They are connected on Facebook and tag each other on FB posts. Copyright 2023 Rebecca Wall Musser: Author, Speaker, and Survivor. Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. "It's like dying and living again but remembering your previous life," Musser said. (Rulon said it signaled a proud and immoral woman.) But the knowledge of my destiny under Warren brought reason. Not only had Warren been the perpetrator and the predator on these young girls but he had in a very twisted sense taken the thought, the idea, and called it holy, Musser said. Whereas, Natalia is 14 years old in 2022. After escaping from the FLDS community and finding freedom with her three children, Rebecca wrote an autobiography entitled The Witness Wore Red, which shared . pic.twitter.com/Wxc4fKR5NQ, "I could have puked in my mouth," Musser said. Age, Today, Who Is Ben Musser, Rebecca Musser Husband? Rebecca Musser Found 85 people in Texas, Pennsylvania and 36 other states. Eventually, Rulon passed away, which left Warren in charge. She had been married to the late Fundamentalist Church. Within three days, she was gone. He was 85 years old at the time. Once in Oregon, I was paralyzed by fear of the outside world. In 2007, he was first found guilty as an accomplice to r*pe. Rebecca Mussers family members werent famous until she made them famous. The viewers want to know the full story of Rebecca Musser including her husband now and also her ex-husband! Learn more about her early life and her family here in this article. One night, Rebecca gathered all her courage and escaped from the compound in a sly manner so that she wouldnt be caught. Meet FLDS Elissa Wall Family: Mother, Sisters, Father, Husband! She spoke highly of Ben in her book and on media. Rebecca Musser (ne Wall; born 1976) is an author and activist. At age 19, she was forced into a polygamist marriage to Rulon Jeffs, the 85-year-old prophet and father of Warren Jeffs. Be grateful Be bold. It was that pressure that lead Musser to leave the FLDS life for good. FRUITLAND, Idaho Rebecca Musser lives a life now that is worlds away from her past. At age 19, she was forced into a polygamist marriage to Rulon Jeffs, the 85-year-old prophet and father of Warren Jeffs. Press Esc to cancel. Jesus was married Although he never share anything about his mother, on Mothers Day 2020, he wrote on his Facebook: Happy Mothers Day to all you wonderful and beautiful moms out there!!! What would the Prophet have me do?" Her experience growing up in the FLDS is highlighted in the new four-part Netflix series 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,' including her efforts to assist authorities investigating the church after her escape. Rebecca made the decision to flee from the compound of the FLDS church which was possible after her husband Rulon died in September 2002. Life in the FLDS is sheltered. Rebecca spoke about Ben to MarieClaire, He had shown kindness to me, telling me not to be forced into doing anything I didnt want to do. Every part of me wants to buck and bolt and I just have to have a minute where I realized, 'Hey, that's okay, that's okay. But, she trusted him to safely rescue her from the hell she wished to escape from for a long time. In absolute agony, I felt as if I were already falling to my deathall roads seemed to lead to a hopeless future. That is like this cage that just locks around someone and I can almost hear it and feel it click where there's no emotion, no honesty, only absolute obedience." Natalia, like her mother, loves the violin. In the film Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs, Musser is portrayed by actress Sabina Gadecki. Throughout their marriage, she says she suffered abuse and n0n-consensual. All Rights Reserved. I knew that even the little freedoms that I had would be taken, she said. Mussers sister Elissa Wall was just 14 years old when she was pressured to marry her first-cousin Allen Steed. In the film Outlaw Prophet: Warren Jeffs, Musser is portrayed by actress Sabina Gadecki. Rebecca Wall Musser was born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). He is the co-owner and president of Paradise Paradise Building Company Inc. They now co-parent their two teenagers. Warren took it into his own hands to reassign his father's wives after his passing. Her fears nearly came to fruition after she was caught kissing another man and Warren called her into his office, threatened her, and ordered her to be married in a weeks time. Warren, the new in charge of the church had given her the ultimatum to marry the person he chose. "I think that is one thing that really pours my heart into the work that I do now as a real estate agent. Ben Musser was born in Short Creek, as the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., were once known. I had no escape route and no time for a new plan. Many of her siblings have left the church since Warren Jeffs' arrest, but several family members still share FLDS beliefs and practice polygamy. Rebecca Musser (born in 1976) is an American author and activist who was the ex-wife of Rulon Jeffs, a prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although she departed the church's complex before filing a lawsuit. Why didnt she feel grateful that she had been chosen by him? Besides a good Netflix binge, he enjoys the outdoor, rap music, and dystopian novels. Mussers father enrolled her and her siblings in the FLDS school known as Alta Academy, where they learned the tenets of the FLDS faith. That's why an FLDS woman is never to cut her hair. In September 2020, the companys Facebook page shared that one tree-house-inspired shed that they built for their client Evelyn and Kelly Dame was featured on houzz.com. and Id be Googling it because I didnt know," Musser said. Rebecca Musser Net Worth & Basic source of earning is being a successful American Writer. Warren Jeffs the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was on trial for child sexual assault after prosecutors alleged that he married teenagers and children as part of the polygamist religion he led. "Just looking around with nobody around, and just realizing, 'My gosh, I am so lucky to be here.'. Even though it felt so foreign and naked, I thought perhaps I could live with short hair. In the silence of the growing light, I stole furtive glances at Ben, whom I barely knew. Rebecca Musser explained to NPR how she wore red for the first time in the courtroom during Warren Jeffs' trial "out of defiance.". Her daughter, Natalia attends a charter school in Fruitland. Ben also informed the 46-year-old ex-member that she was a free woman and that nobody would pressure her into doing anything she did not want to. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Trying to look at my options with less fear, I kept coming up against a door I didn't dare open. There was always a calculated part of him, about what his next best move was, whether it was for power or position, but I never felt completely relaxed around him, Musser said. As for her father, upon the release of her book, Lloyd released his own book titled Truth Matters: A Fathers Rebuttal of The Witness Wore Red. Rebecca Wall Musser is a mother of two, an author, speaker, musician, and lover of the outdoors. Netflix owes us answers after that ending. At age 19, Rebecca Musser was 'given away' by her father and married to Rulon Jeffs, the 85-year-old leader of an extremist polygamist Mormon sect later led by his notorious son Warren. While Sharon and her children lived in the basement of her fathers house, Lloyd and his first wife lived upstairs of the house. "I do not just lead off and say, 'Hey, I'm Rebecca! Wicked Unkind Was that really my experience? Rebecca Wall was born to polygamous parents, Lloyd Wall and Sharon Steed, both members of the . When Rebecca Musser turned 19 in 1995, she discovered that Rulon Jeffs, the church's then-president, had a "divine inspiration" that she was to become his 19th wife. Rebecca Muller (@1rebeccamusser) who was once a member of FLDS was able to escape it. The Netflix series covers real-life situations that are hard to watch. She's hiked Idaho's highest mountains, learning something new about herself along the way. It is hard to find words to describe what it is for us to watch the early stories of my family and life told on-screen. I thought I cant sit by and let this happen, Musser recalled. No, none of her family members are on social media. She posted, Watching @netflix Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey with my daughter, Natalia. The two would go on to get married and have two children together before separating. "And anybody who has ever known what it's like to not have that choice would feel very strongly about this issue.". She empowers women around the world to escape from bondage in all its forms, because as she has said, "I was once owned, too." . Throughout their marriage, she says she suffered abuse and n0n-consensual. The next day, it didn't look anything like it had the day before. The Witness Wore Red - Rebecca Musser: Elissa's older sister, who also escaped the FLDS and testified at the trial against Warren. 4 Rebecca Musser Escaped In 2002. The gates were locked, as I knew they would be. Her book, 'The Witness Wore Red: The 19th Wife Who Helped to Bring Down a Polygamous Cult,' shocked the country as they read on to find out about the lives of 'sister-wives' and others in the FLDS, headed by Warren Jeffs. At the time of his conversion, he had a wife and five children. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! I had worked for so many years to be an example to my family and my community, and that thought made me want to stop and go back. Rebecca Musser and her then-husband, FLDS leader Rulon Jeffs, on their wedding day in 1995. The reality of what her life could have been vs. what her life is now is one of the greatest gifts and accomplishments of my life. Musser refused to comply with his desires and had to face Warren, who reportedly told her, "I will break you, and I will train you to be a good wife." 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