Accused cult leader Eligio Bishop, known as "Nature Boy," received a life sentence without parole after being found guilty on several charges.
As reported by WSB-TV, a jury on Friday found Bishop guilty of rape, false imprisonment and three counts of prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions.
Bishop, 40, was arrested in April 2022 after he was accused of being the alleged leader of a cult known as the "Carbon Nation" group. A former member, who identified herself as his girlfriend, told police he posted revenge porn "because she left him." She also told law enforcement that she'd joined a "sex cult" in which her boyfriend is the leader."
In court this week, Assistant District Attorney Michael Coveney reminded jurors of the horrific charges facing Bishop.
“The fact that he’s a cult leader is not on trial,” Coveney shared. “It’s how he used, exploited, and abused his members.”
Coveney's remarks align with what neighbors told WSB-TV in 2022 after Bishop's arrest.
“Carbon Nation is his cult. He’s been whooping girls, beating girls, fertilizing girls, getting girls ready for marriage,” a neighbor told reporters.
Before his sentencing, some of Bishops former cult members shared testimony about the abuse they experienced.
"Now you are a prisioner, like you prisoned us," one witness said.
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