| Jeffs trial to begin Jury selection begins today; man charged with rape as an accomplice | |||||||
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By Patrice St. Germain patrices@thespectrum.com | |||||||
HURRICANE - After waiting in jail for a year, Warren Steed Jeffs, the self-proclaimed leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will finally get his day in court. Jury selection for the trial, expected to last until Sept. 21, begins today in the state's case against Jeffs, who is facing two first-degree felony charges of rape as an accomplice. The two charges in 5th District Court against Jeffs, 51, stem from his alleged role in the marriage of a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old cousin. The girl, only identified as Jane Doe IV, testified last year during the preliminary hearing that April 17, 2001, the day she was wed to her first cousin in a spiritual marriage in Nevada, was "the darkest time in her entire life." Walter Bugden, one of Jeffs' attorneys, said previously that he and his client view the case against Jeffs as religious persecution. In a recent court hearing, two former members of the church, Jethro Barlow and Richard Holm, testified that Jeffs controlled the lives of his followers so completely, that he even instructed men on when and why sexual relationships would take place. "Warren Jeffs told us sexual conduct could only take place to bring forth children and to study to make sure it was the right conditions (for a woman to get pregnant)," Holm said. In November, during the two-day preliminary hearing, Doe testified that she had pleaded with Jeffs that she felt she was too young to marry and did not want to marry her cousin whom she called a name-calling bully. Doe said she spoke to Jeffs about "being placed" in the arranged marriage and was told it was her mission and duty to go forward with the marriage. Doe explained that in the FLDS religion, to be told there is a place for you, which means in the position of wife at the side of a man, is the highest honor. About a month after the marriage, Doe said her husband had what she called husband/wife relations with her against her will but did not know what intercourse was and did not understand that is how babies are conceived. Doe said she went to Jeffs repeatedly asking to be released from the marriage and told him that her husband touches her and does things that don't feel right. Jeffs told her to be obedient without question and the priesthood head - her husband - would lead her on to the celestial kingdom. Bugden said following the preliminary hearing that the prosecution of Warren Jeffs is religious persecution. "It is nothing less than the state of Utah condemning a culturally different religion," Bugden said. "It is a continuation of 165 years of intolerance for a people who engage in different cultural and religious practice." Bugden said arranged marriages are practiced by many cultures throughout the world today and Jeffs married two people, a 19-year-old young man and a 14-year-old young lady. He encouraged them to love one another and have a family. "This is no different from the advice that leaders of every religion give to newlyweds," Bugden said. "There is no rape in this case. Officiating at a wedding ceremony does not make Mr. Jeffs an accomplice to rape." Under Utah law, however, a 14-year-old cannot legally marry even with the consent of parents and a marriage between first cousins is null and void unless the parties are 65 years of age or older or the parties are 55 years of age and unable to reproduce. Jeffs, who was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, was apprehended on Aug. 28, 2006, on a routine traffic stop on Interstate 15 near Las Vegas. Although Jeffs has been behind bars since his arrest, work continues outside the area on compounds in Texas, South Dakota and Colorado, said private investigator Sam Brower. "They are still building like crazy. It hasn't slowed down. It has picked up," Brower said. Senior Deputy County Attorney Brian Filter said the state believes it has the evidence to support the charges against Jeffs. "Our goal in every case is to have justice served by punishing those who perpetrate crimes and to make the victims whole as much as possible," Filter said. No matter what the verdict in the upcoming trial in Utah, Jeffs is still not a free man as he faces similar charges in Arizona and also has a federal charge pending. Jeffs faces eight charges in Mohave County, including sexual conduct with a minor, conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor, and incest as an accomplice. Mohave County Investigator Gary Engels said once Jeffs is done in Utah, he will either face the federal charge or the charges in Arizona. Engels said Jeffs' bail in Arizona is close to $1 million and he is wanted on fugitive charges in federal court. Bugden did not return telephone calls seeking comment. | |||||||
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TheSpectrum.com Originally published September 7, 2007 | |||||||
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