A woman who was raised in an incestuous polygamous cult has candidly exposed the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her own husband.
Shanell Snow Derieux appeared in a recent episode of the Cults of conscience podcast alongside host Shelise Ann Sola.
She revealed how she grew up in Utah as a member of the Order – a sect that decided to split from the original Mormon church when the dominant religion stopped practicing polygamy.
Shanell said she was forced to marry her own cousin at just 18, who became verbally, physically and sexually abusive before eventually separating.
Shanell Snow Derieux, who grew up in an incestuous polygamist cult, has candidly exposed the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of her own husband.
Shanell said she was forced to marry her own cousin at just 18, who became verbally, physically and sexually abusive before eventually separating.
In the podcast, Shanell revealed she could have up to 200 siblings after losing count at 163.
The cult promotes incest in an effort to keep bloodlines “pure” with the goal of having as many children as possible.
Shanell said they forced members to marry early to “lock you in as soon as possible to make it harder for you in the future if you tried to leave.”
His father John Daniel Kingston – known as Daniel – married 14 women, four of whom were his half-sisters and others who were his cousins.
When asked why the Order continues to be incestuous, even with the latest generations, Shanell replied: “Honestly, I don’t know why they believe that, but they believe that they are direct descendants of Jesus -Christ and that is why they want to keep the blood pure. or clean.
Further elaborating on her own experience of relationships within the cult, she explained: “They ingrained it in us so hardcore since we were two or three years old.
“But I want to say that they started pressuring me to start making my list or having an idea of some (boys) who might be my marriage choices when I was 10 years old – maybe older young.
“I remember being 12 or 13 when we were taking one of our marriage preparation classes and I remember (Daniel) telling all of us that some of his own children were getting married.”
The “Order’s standards for young men and women” stipulated that their first kiss would take place on the wedding day and that they must have saved at least $20,000 by the time they married.
Shanell appeared on a recent episode of the Cults to Consciousness podcast alongside host Shelise Ann Sola (pictured)
She said she looked around the room at her half-brothers and thought, “Oh no, no, no, please, because he’s my brother and I really love him.”
Shanell revealed that “everyone was just marrying cousins, so it was just super normal”, adding that the pressure to follow suit came not only from the adults in the group, but also from peers, siblings and siblings. best friends.
She said Daniel offered to make her a list of potential husbands, but she said: “I didn’t trust him. I had no reason to trust him.
“He told me I wasn’t a good child. He had pulled me down and tried to make me feel worthless, trying to make me feel like I needed his approval.
The “Order’s standards for young men and women” provided that their first kiss would be on the wedding day and that they should have saved at least $20,000 by the time they married.
But Shanell explained: “Keep in mind that savings, whether they bear your name or not, are in the possession of the Order.
“They’re the ones who have control over it, they’re the ones who can touch it whenever they want, if ever.” It’s a lot harder for you to get your hands on your own money there.
When her younger sisters began marrying before her at 16, she said: “Daniel told me no one wanted you. You’re a rebel, you’re sassy, no one wants to marry you, no one wants you because of your attitude.
She said her father, along with other adults, “put a lot of pressure” and she eventually agreed to marry her 18-year-old first cousin.
“I was so tired of the pressure. I was so tired of constantly hearing my adult friends say, ‘Shanell, you should get married, you should find your number one choice,'” Shanell recalled.
“Finally, at that point, I said to myself ‘well, if I say yes, people will stop bothering me about it’ and so I said yes.”
But their relationship didn’t go as planned, as she revealed: “There were things that happened during the engagement that were red flags and he told me that my dad m spoke about your family.
“He didn’t become violent until at least a few months later – I mean it was about three or four months.
“The first time he pushed to assert himself, then I slapped him – and he got really offended about it.
“He said ‘you slapped me’ and I said ‘well I told you no and you pushed yourself on me.’
She said it got to the point where she “wasn’t able to hold it in anymore.”
“He was verbally abusive…and when he first became physically abusive, he picked me up and threw me against the wall and into the doorway. At the end of the day, he apologized,” Shanell said.
But she said the abuse continued, adding: “He was very careful not to hit me or hit me with his hand. He’d kick me, he’d throw me around like a rag doll, but he’d be careful not to use his hand to hit me so he could say, “I never hit you.”
“But of course there was sexual abuse and a lot of it was physical abuse, on top of that it was about me saying no and him pushing.”
Shanell claimed her husband also strangled her to the point she fell unconscious.
She said: “I don’t think it lasted very long because when I came to I could see him retreating and I immediately started crying.” I’m faced with the fact that this is my life.
Her father, John Daniel Kingston (front and center), signed as best man at his teenage daughters’ weddings
Shanell said the group was dissuaded from calling the police and encouraged to sort things out “at home”.
But she ultimately had no choice and her ex-husband ended up in prison for domestic violence.
Shanell claimed that “a lot of men treat their wives this way,” adding “for the most part, they get away with it.”
She ultimately decided to leave the Order, even though she knew she would be ostracized and deprived of seeing her family.
She revealed that she had previously attempted suicide to “end things” and didn’t want to go down that path again – so she knew she had to escape her surroundings for good.
But the transition was not easy.
Shanell said: “I tell people it’s like your whole world is turned upside down.
“The people you grew up with are no longer a part of your life, your best friends are no longer a part of your life, the places you shopped, the places you worked, you are no longer welcome .
“Almost any social activity – dances, sports games or holiday celebrations – (you are) no longer welcome…
“It’s really hard to lose the people you’ve loved for so many years and who seem to love you, just because you make the choice to end the abuse.”
Shanell, who has since remarried and has three daughters, has now decided to help others escape their circumstances through her TV show, Escaping Polygamy.
His brother, Val, and cousin Amanda Ray have also previously spoken out about their own harrowing experiences of the cult.
