| Utah Supreme Court Gets Warren Jeffs Extradition Case | |
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By Nancy Volmer, Contributor KCSG TV - St. George, Utah | |
(Salt Lake City, UT) - In the matter of the Extradition of Warren Steed Jeffs, the Utah Court of Appeals has certified the case to be transferred to the Utah Supreme Court for determination. Court order The state's response, a Memorandum in Opposition to Jeffs' petition for emergency relief was filed Wednesday as required. The Utah Supreme Court will now review the matter and determine how to proceed. Attorneys for Jeffs had claimed that sending Jeffs to Texas violates his right to a speedy retrial in Utah as an accomplice to rape. The 54-year old leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) was previously convicted in southern Utah as an accomplice to rape of a 14-year old girl, a member of his congregation that Jeffs' married spiritually to her 19-year old cousin. The conviction was over turned by the Utah Supreme Court in July citing flawed instructions to the jury. Prosecutors in Washington County where he was tried and convicted have not determined whether they will re-try Jeffs. Texas authorities have charged Jeffs with bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault based on alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch near Eldorado, Texas. The information that led to the charges was gleaned from church and family records seized during a raid on the Yearning for Zion ranch in April 2008. A federal indictment stemming from Jeffs' "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution" as a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list is also pending. Jeffs remains in the Utah State prison at Draper, Utah. | |
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KCSG.com Originally published November 17, 2010 | |
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