Comments on: Former Polygamist Leader Gets New Trial

Former Polygamist Leader Gets New Trial

quodlibet — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:50:38 -0800

Warren Jeffs, former President and Prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will get a new trial, after the Utah Supreme Court overturned today his conviction on two counts of rape as an accomplice.

News comes a month after Arizona dropped a similar case. Jeffs still faces charges of bigamy and aggravated sexual assault of a child in Texas.

By: Catblack

Catblack — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:58:54 -0800

Utah's showing him some 'big love', huh?

By: karminai

karminai — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:02:50 -0800

God help him.

By: doteatop

doteatop — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:07:38 -0800

I detest this man, but I do think the legal groundings of the charges brought against him here were kinda shaky.

By: Brian B.

Brian B. — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:18:32 -0800

FLDS apostates harrassed by polygamous cops.

By: bearwife

bearwife — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:24:47 -0800

Here's hoping for the same result at retrial. This man orchestrated one rape after another.

By: MCMikeNamara

MCMikeNamara — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:25:56 -0800

I'd like to be a better person and not comment on how the (real) Mormon church has spent so much more money preventing me and mine from getting married, money that, if they weren't going to spend it doing actual Christ-like deeds, maybe they should have spent fighting assholes like this... something about cleaning house closer to home or something. Yeah, I'd like to be a better person. But I'm not.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:27:04 -0800

It would be rad if this disgusting creep and Joe Francis were forced to fight to the death for our entertainment. Later, the winner would be torn to pieces by jackals as we sipped cocktails and ate some delightful amuses-bouche. Texas has been trying to extradite this guy for years; I find myself in the unusual position of rooting for their success in harshly sentencing him.

By: kmz

kmz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:29:22 -0800

By: localroger

localroger — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:30:55 -0800

So what I want to know is did he do it with Tarot cards?

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:37:35 -0800

It's also worth mentioning that it's easy to see this dude as a creep, and I don't doubt he has been a malicious influence in lots of lives – but as always it's not really worth the effort spent to wish other people harm, no matter who they are. In this case, for instance, it sounds distinctly as though Warren Jeffs is likely to spend the next ten years in jail punishing himself as much as anybody can, if the past few years are any indication.

By: Secret Life of Gravy

Secret Life of Gravy — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:44:39 -0800

The justices unanimously ruled 5th District Judge James Shumate erred when he rejected a defense request to instruct jurors that in order to convict, they must find that in performing a marriage Jeffs knew unwanted sex would take place and intended for a rape to occur. So the defense's position is that Warren Jeffs did not aid and abet in rape, he only performed the marriage. Of course he also told the girls involved that it was their duty to do what he told them-- that their salvation depended on following his orders:

advised her to pray and to submit to her husband, learn to love him and bear his children -- or risk losing her "eternal salvation," the woman testified.

If she was a grown woman, I would say following the commands of a false prophet is her own problem, but a 13 year old girl? How is this not criminal? Jeffs was in charge of her spiritual welfare and she and all the rest of the children were brought up to believe he is God's prophet on earth.

By: cortex

cortex — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:53:52 -0800

[A few comments removed. It is not hard to not throw random derailbait into threads, please make an effort.]

By: maiamaia

maiamaia — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:06:53 -0800

In the UK, if you pressurised a child into having sex, that would be rape. That could include just threatening to embarrass them or tell tales: telling them they would go to hell would definitely count. USA child protection law is always extremely weak: for instance, I saw a documentary on the sect where a child protested to a sherriff she wanted to leave her family. At that point the child has to be taken by police and a social worker of the same sex away, asked again without threats, etc: the sherriff just let her older sister drag her back into the car and drive off. Weird

By: coolguymichael

coolguymichael — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:29:37 -0800

...Warren Jeffs is likely to spend the next ten years in jail punishing himself as much as anybody can. I guarantee that I can punish him more than he can punish himself.

By: cjorgensen

cjorgensen — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:19:02 -0800

One man's cult is another man's religion. Most religions have something morally reprehensible in past or current doctrine. It's probably best to remember this before you start bashing any particular sect or denomination. Warren Jeffs is an evil man. Extending this to all his believers, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and those pesky people in Utah is a slippery slope. Next the finger is pointed at Catholics and Republicans! It's actually harder to stop than it is to find the next example. The United States was founded by religious zealots and it was pretty common for a 14 year old woman to be married to an older man for much of this country's history. Sure, right thinking individuals have attained enlightenment, but you don't have to go back too far in most people's family trees to find the scandal. On other words, Let he who is without sin cast the first sinner off the Earth Turtle (or something like that).

By: koeselitz

koeselitz — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:57:32 -0800

coolguymichael: “I guarantee that I can punish him more than he can punish himself.” I'm sure you can. But I guarantee that you'll do more harm to yourself than you'll do to him in the process.

By: Joakim Ziegler

Joakim Ziegler — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:59:04 -0800

Most countries/states have some exception to consent laws for married couples. It's one of the weird absurdities of sexual consent legislation in general.

By: Pomo

Pomo — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:30:26 -0800

But where do adult notions of consent come into it? A 13-year-old is widely considered by lawmakers to be incapable of granting meaningful consent. Shouldn't the fact that he knew statutory rape would take place be enough?

By: miss tea

miss tea — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:34:52 -0800

1. Marriages in the US are void if one of the spouses is below the required age, which is 18 in most states (with some exceptions with parental consent). 2. All states in the USA have abolished the marital rape exception.