DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday in a DeKalb County courtroom as Eligio Bishop, called Nature Boy by his followers, goes to trial.
Jury selection finished Wednesday. Bishop was arrested and charged in 2022, after a woman and former follower alleged he had raped her and tried to prevent her from leaving in March of that year.
Previous coverage from Channel 2 Action News reported that police had him under investigation for several weeks before bringing charges against him.
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Investigators believe Bishop was leading a group, allegedly a cult, called CarbonNation. Followers told Channel 2 Action News after his arrest in April 2022 that they consider him God. He was accused of raping her and posting revenge pornography of her online.
As previously reported, neighbors told Channel 2 Action News in 2022 that Bishop runs an online cult.
“Carbon Nation is his cult. He’s been whooping girls, beating girls, fertilizing girls, getting girls ready for marriage,” a female neighbor said in 2022, not giving her name.
“He controls them, they do what he says. And like I said, it’s turned into abuse. The neighbors have been complaining about from what I hear,” another neighbor said previously.
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Several of Bishop’s supporters were at the DeKalb County Courthouse on Wednesday during jury selection. Supporters of his alleged victim, who police believe was raped and who Bishop allegedly posted sexually explicit videos of online for purpose of harassment, were also present.
Chantelle Coleman, one of the victim’s supporters, spoke to Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco at the courthouse.
“I don’t think they’d ever thought they would see the day their cult leader would be in this situation, so they’re just hanging on,” Coleman said.
Documents from court indicate Bishop’s defense attorney, Rob Booker, plans to call at least six witnesses during the trial. Assistant District Attorney Michael Coveney did not say how many witnesses will be called to testify for the prosecution at the trial.
Bishop was arrested on charges of rape, false imprisonment, and sharing three pieces of sexually explicit content on social media.
The judge told jurors Wednesday that the trial is expected to last for a week and a half.
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