DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A key witness in the trial against an accused cult leader known as “Nature Boy” testified in front of jurors Thursday.
Eligio Bishop, 40, is on trial, accused of raping one of his followers, refusing to let her leave and posting sexually explicit videos of her online in order to harass her.
She was the first key witness to take the stand Thursday. Channel 2 Action News’ policy is to withhold names of possible victims of rape for their privacy and protection.
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The woman told jurors she met Bishop and what she called “the tribe” when she was a 22-year-old waitress dealing with depression and family issues. She said she previously knew of Bishop due to his social media posts under the name Nature Boy.
She said he created a group called CarbonNation, preaching kindness and self-sustaining communities. She told jurors it was a lifestyle.
“It was about living in tune with self and community and about love and speaking righteously,” said the woman.
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“He basically told us the outside world was Babylon. It was going to crash down, and Mother Nature would wipe it out, and the chosen could stay with him. So, we considered ourselves the deciples,” said the woman. “He was the Christ.”
She said Bishop was kind when she began living with the group. “Also, the cult, the tribe, they were also that way,” said the woman. “I believed he was very caring at one point.”
She said Bishop imposed rules for the group. She said, there were times men and women were forbidden to converse and told jurors when Bishop felt disrespected, he would force members to stand in a corner, do squats or shun them.
Prosecutor Coveney said Bishop would not allow members to the restroom inside. They were only allowed to eat when he was hungry, and he would often video sexual encounters with followers and post them online.
“The defendant had his choice of women in the group,” said Conevey. “It was understood nobody said no to the king.”
She admitted, when she got tired of the rules, Bishop allowed her to leave. She would do that and return multiple times over the years. However, she told jurors Bishop became more violent. She said the group was living at a home in Arbor Chase in Deklab County in March of 2022 when she tried to leave.
She said that’s when Bishop raped her.
“I was powerless,” said the woman. She sobbed while describing the encounter in detail to jurors.
She said he told her she was his property and would not go anywhere.
She said he posted revenge porn of her online.
Bishop denies all the accusations. His attorney, Rob Booker, told jurors during opening statements not to let the cult context distract them from the physical evidence in this case.
“Focus on March 24, 2022, and the statements she gave to law enforcement,” said Booker. “The statements she made to her friends and family by text message, to the magistrate court here in Dekalb County. Think about all those statements where she never said the word ‘rape’.”
Before testimony began Thursday, Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco learned prosecutors had offered Bishop a plea deal.
As part of the deal, the District Attorney’s Office would reduce the rape charge to aggravated assault.
That would mean less time in prison if convicted. He turned the deal down.
Currently, he could face life in prison with the possibility of no parole.
He faces one count of rape, one count of false imprisonment and three counts of prohibition on nude or sexually explicit transmissions.
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