| Report: Jeffs Admits He's Not Called of God; Loses All Three Court Rulings | |||
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John Hollenhorst Reporting KSL TV 5 | |||
Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs lost three important court rulings in his legal battle against charges of being an accessory to rape. A St. George judge refused to throw out the charges. This showdown in court comes on a day when new questions have been raised about Jeffs' status as a religious leader. The self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist LDS Church reportedly admits he was never called by God. During a stunning jailhouse conversation between Warren Jeffs and his brother, Nephi, Jeffs reportedly admitted he wasn't called of God to be a prophet. An anonymous law enforcement official told the Deseret Morning News, "He said he is the greatest of all sinners and, in so many words, worked his way to be the leader and prophet when he knew he wasn't called of God to be a prophet." The anonymous source said Jeffs told his brother that, and the jail recorded the conversation. The source says Jeffs' followers in Hildale and Colorado City have a right to know. Jeffs reportedly told his brother to tell FLDS church members the news, then later said he'd changed his mind. Presumably, that development will play no role in today's legal battles. Jeffs' defense lawyers and prosecutors would not comment on the Deseret Morning News report. A number of Jeffs' relatives and followers also ignored questions from reporters. Jeffs looked grim, gaunt and rarely smiled in court today. Testimony in this case certainly indicates he exercised strong control. He allegedly performed a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her older cousin and counseled her to go ahead with sexual intercourse. The judge threw out all three motions, one challenging the constitutionality of the law, another claiming insufficient evidence and a third which argued for a change of venue. Outside of court, speculation is rampant about whether Jeffs is still in charge of his community. "I personally feel it's a little bit more relaxed out there; people aren't quite as paranoid as they used to be," said private investigator Sam Brower. "And I've always thought that if something like that happened, there'd be a collective sigh of relief. Whew, you know. Maybe we can breathe a little bit easier now." Former child bride Susan Ray Schmidt said, "I think he's probably just disillusioned and depressed right now, and I think that if he was set free he'd be right back there again." Jeffs did seem a bit off today. When he stood up at the end of the motion hearing he told the judge he wanted to approach the bench, saying "I need to state one matter." The judge advised him to work through his lawyers. Jeffs then said, "Can't we take care of it now?'" He was immediately surrounded by deputies. We have no idea what matter he wanted to raise, but it certainly raised more questions about his state of mind. His defense team is concerned about all this pretrial publicity. "We intend to appeal. We are going to do everything we can to represent Mr. Jeff's interests," Walter Bugden, Jeff's defense attorney said. | |||
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KSL.com Originally broadcast March 27, 2007 | |||
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