DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An alleged cult leader accused of rape will remain in jail after a judge denied him bond.
Eligio Bishop, also known as "Nature Boy," appeared before a DeKalb County judge Friday, May 6.
During the proceedings, prosecutors released new, disturbing video of Bishop and other alleged cult members. Prosecutors argued that the 40-year-old is a danger to the community and could potentially intimidate a witness.
Former members of the cult, including Bishop's former wife, said they suffered from mental and verbal abuse under Bishop.
"We’d have to sit in these long meetings – he’d say we’d be facing our demons while doing that. But basically, he’s just projecting onto you what he has going on inside of him," one former member of the cult recalled.
Bishop's cult reportedly began as one centered around sexual and naturalist themes, though social media accounts indicate more recently it has reoriented around Bishop's own messianic self-image and Black liberation messaging.
When he was arrested at an upscale cul-de-sac outside Decatur, SWAT team members converged on the home and broke down a door and first encountered several of his followers, including a child.
There were 14 other people in the house when Bishop was arrested on April 14.
According to DeKalb County Jail records, Bishop faces five charges: rape, false imprisonment, and three counts of "prohibition on nude or sexually explicit electronic transmissions" — under Georgia law, a violation of sending nude or explicit communications of someone "without the consent of the depicted person."