| Jeffs confession met with mixed feelings in polygamist towns | |
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Reported by Brent Hunsaker ABC 4 News | |
HILDALE, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Warren Jeffs has confessed, but the question remains: Will his followers accept it? The best guess from people who have lived all their lives in the polygamist community along the Utah-Arizona border is this: A few will, most won't - at least not for the time being. Although 5th District Court Judge James Shumate only unsealed details of the confession this week, they have been known by some of Jeffs' family and close lieutenants for months. In late January, Jeffs made a several phone calls in which he not only renounced the leadership of his polygamist group but also claimed that he never was a prophet. In fact, he admitted to incestuous relations with both a daughter and a sister when he was 20-years old. While not repeating the incest part of his confession, Jeffs also told his brother Nephi during a personal visit that another man, William T. Jessop, was the real prophet and had been since their father Rulon Jeffs passed away in 2002. Jeffs called himself "the most wicked man of this dispensation." Those who have left the FLDS group - apostates as they are called by Warren Jeffs - say the faithful can explain away just about anything - even a confession that they can now see and hear for themselves. "You watch," said Isaac Wyler. "They'll say that you guys doctored the tapes to make him say that." Lori Chatwin, who fought along side her husband when Warren Jeffs tried to expel them from their house in Hildale said, "They have built everything around Jeffs' teachings. If it turns out that they're lies, then their lives are a lie." Her husband Ross Chatwin asked, "What did Nephi say when he heard Warren's confession? He said, "Oh no. This is a test. You're still the prophet." And he was right there writing everything down." Still, they all agree that there will be some who already have doubts that will be swayed by what Warren Jeffs said. After viewing the confession video for themselves, they're in the process of making copies to show to anyone and everyone who will watch. Ultimately, they believe that the FLDS Church will splinter. "There will be a hundred religions right here," said Ross Chatwin. They also predict that the "places of refuge" - FLDS compounds scattered from Texas to South Dakota and into Canada - will also likely split away from the group and follow their own local leader. As for William T. Jessop, the man Warren Jeffs said was the true prophet, the people we talked with believe him to be a lightweight and a backstabber. They claim that Jessop rose to power by betraying his mentor to Jeffs. When that mentor, the late Fred Jessop, died in exile in Colorado, they say William Jessop was given the pick of his wives. They believe that any claim to the top leadership position by William Jessop will only hasten the split up of the FLDS Church. Jeffs remains in the Purgatory Correctional Facility awaiting sentencing later this month on two counts of rape as an accomplice. After sentencing, he will likely be transferred to Arizona to stand trial on similar charges. | |
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ABC4.com Originally broadcast November 8, 2007 | |
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