Warren Jeffs
Encyclopedia
Warren Steed Jeffs was the president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). In 2011, Jeffs was convicted of two felony counts of child sexual assault.
Jeffs gained international notoriety in May 2006 when he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List
for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on Utah
state charges related to his alleged arrangement of illegal marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls. He was arrested in August 2006 in Nevada
, and agreed to be taken to Utah for trial. In May and July 2007 the State of Arizona
charged him with eight additional counts, including sexual conduct with minors and incest
, in two separate cases.
His Utah trial, which began in early September 2007 in St. George, Utah
, lasted less than a month, and on September 25 the verdict was read declaring him guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice. On November 20, 2007 he was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years to life
and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison
. Jeffs' conviction was reversed by Utah's Supreme Court on July 27, 2010 because of incorrect jury instructions.
He was extradited to Texas, where he was found guilty of sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault of children in connection with a raid of an FLDS owned and occupied West Texas ranch in 2008. After the jury had deliberated for less than 30 minutes, 55-year-old Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years and a $10,000 fine, to be served consecutively, for sexual assault of both 12 and 15-year-old girls.
. His father, the leader of the FLDS Church at his death, was survived by 19 or 20 wives and had about 60 children. No information is available about Warren Jeffs on the FLDS website, although according to the BBC Storyville programme "Leaving the Cult", he has 31 daughters.
Warren Jeffs' official title in the FLDS Church was "President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator". He also held the title of "President of the Priesthood," which meant that he was the head of the organization of all adult male church members that were deemed worthy to hold the church's priesthood. Jeffs was a counselor to his father Rulon Jeffs when the elder Jeffs held these leadership positions; upon the death of Rulon Jeffs in 2002, Warren Jeffs succeeded him and became FLDS Church leader.
One of Jeffs' statements after his father's death was directed at high-ranking officials in the FLDS Church: "I won't say much, but I will say this—hands off my father's wives." Addressing the recent widows, he said, "You women will live as if Father is still alive and in the next room." Within a week, Warren had married all but two of his father's several dozen wives (one of the two being his mother).
Jeffs, the sole individual in the church who possessed the authority to perform its marriages, was responsible for assigning wives to husbands. Jeffs also held the authority to discipline wayward male believers by "reassigning their wives, children and homes to another man."
Moreover, the FLDS Church owns essentially all of the homes and real estate in the areas where its members reside. The FLDS also appears to exercise substantial if not complete control over the children born into the congregation. Male subjects are reported to have been frequently exiled from the church due to their alleged competition with the elder male members of the church for the limited number of suitable marriage candidates.
In 2000, the Colorado City Unified School District
had more than 1200 students enrolled. When the FLDS Church decided to remove its members' children from public schools, enrollment decreased to around 250. Jeffs, however, did not require the FLDS members who made up the majority of the school district's administrators to quit their positions.
Until courts in Utah intervened, Jeffs controlled almost all of the land in Colorado City, Arizona
, and Hildale, Utah
, which was part of a church trust, the United Effort Plan (UEP). The land has been estimated to be worth over $100 million. Currently, all UEP assets are in the custody of the Utah court system pending further litigation.
In January 2004, Jeffs expelled a group of 20 men from Colorado City, including the mayor, and reassigned their wives and children to other men in the community. Jeffs, like his predecessors, continued the standard FLDS and Mormon fundamentalist tenet that faithful men must follow what is known as the doctrine of "Celestial Marriage" or plural marriage in order to attain the highest degree of Exaltation in the afterlife. Jeffs specifically taught that a devoted church member is expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven, and the more wives a man has, the closer he is to heaven. Former church members claim that Jeffs himself has seventy wives.
Before his 2006 arrest, Jeffs had last been seen on January 1, 2005, near Eldorado, Texas
, at the dedication ceremony of the foundation of a large and elaborate new FLDS temple on an area of land called the YFZ Ranch
. The ranch came into the public eye when Texas authorities took legal custody of 416 children on April 7, 2008 when a 16-year-old girl reportedly phoned to report abuse. The girl in the report claimed to have said that she was married to a 50-year-old man and had given birth to his child at age 15. However, residents told authorities that there was in fact no such girl; the calls were ultimately traced to a woman totally unconnected to the FLDS, Rozita Swinton, and known for repeated instances of filing false reports. Nevertheless, Texas authorities continued to investigate whether it was a hoax. The children and women who were suspected of being minors were returned after Texas courts established that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of abuse to have removed all of the women and children
On June 10, 2006, Arizona Attorney General
Terry Goddard
told the Deseret Morning News
that he had heard from several sources that Jeffs had returned to Arizona, and had performed marriage ceremonies in a mobile home that was being used as a wedding chapel.
On March 27, 2007, the Deseret Morning News reported that Jeffs had renounced his role as prophet of the FLDS Church in a conversation with his brother Nephi. Nephi quoted him as saying he was "the greatest of all sinners" and that God never called him to be Prophet. This statement was reportedly given to his brother Nephi and Jeffs and his defense team had no comment on it. Rumours suggest it was a lie from his brother Nephi, trying to assume his brother's role, while more rumours circulated saying he must step down as prophet so a new man may perform marriages and continue adding wives to the men of the community. An unnamed source said that he retracted this statement. However the veracity of that source was called into question when Jeffs presented a handwritten note to the judge at the end of trial on March 27 saying that he was not a prophet of the FLDS Church.
On November 7, 2007, the Washington County Attorney's Office released video of jailhouse conversations between Nephi and Warren Jeffs. In the videos Warren renounces his prophethood, claiming that God had told him that if he revealed that he was not the rightful prophet, and was a "wicked man", he would still gain a place in the celestial kingdom. Jeffs also admits to what he calls, "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old. Other records show that while incarcerated, Jeffs tried to commit suicide by banging his head against the walls and trying to hang himself.
Jeffs resigned as president of the FLDS Church effective November 20, 2007. In an email to the Deseret Morning News, Jeffs' attorneys made the following statements: "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," ... "Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc." The statement does not address his ecclesiastical position as prophet of the FLDS Church, and many in the FLDS communities still regard him as the prophet and their current leader." There are also reports that Jeffs admitted his position of prophet in the FLDS Church was a usurpation in a conversation to his brother, and declared that "Brother William E. Jessop
has been the prophet since [my] Father's passing", though Jeffs' attorneys have claimed he misspoke. In early 2011, Jeffs retook legal control of the denomination.
On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison. Jurors deliberated for 40 minutes before ordering Jeffs to serve life in prison for one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and 20 years in prison for one count of sexual assault of a child. They also determined Jeffs must pay a $10,000 fine."
him in the Salt Lake Valley compound then owned by the FLDS Church. Brent Jeffs said he was five or six years old at the time, and that Warren Jeffs' brothers, also named in the lawsuit, watched and participated in the abuse. Two of Warren Jeffs' other nephews also made similar abuse claims against him. One of the alleged victims, Clayne Jeffs, committed suicide
with a firearm after accusing Warren Jeffs of sexually assaulting
him as a child.
In June 2005, Jeffs was charged with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly arranging, in April 2001, a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin, Allen. The girl, Elissa Wall (then only known as "Jane Doe IV") testified that she begged "Uncle Rulon" to let her wait until she was older, or choose another man for her. Rulon Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic", but Warren Jeffs was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. The 14-year-old alleged that her new husband rape
d her repeatedly and that she repeatedly miscarried. She eventually left Allen and the community. Jeffs faced the above charges in Mohave County
, Arizona. In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest and conviction.
In late 2005, Jeffs was put on the FBI
's most wanted fugitive list, offering $60,000 for information leading to his arrest. Shortly after being placed on the FBI list, Jeffs was featured on the television program America's Most Wanted
.
Around this time, Warren Jeffs' brother, Seth, was arrested under suspicion of harboring a fugitive. During a routine traffic stop on October 28, 2005, in Pueblo County, Colorado
, police found nearly $142,000 in cash, about $7,000 worth of prepaid debit card
s, and Warren Jeffs' personal records. During Seth Jeffs' court case, FBI agent Andrew Stearns testified Jeffs had told him that he did not know where his older brother was and that he would not reveal his whereabouts if he did. He was convicted of harboring a fugitive on May 1, 2006. On July 14, 2006, he was sentenced to three years' probation and a $2500 fine.
On April 5, 2006, the state of Utah
issued an arrest warrant
for Jeffs on felony
charges of accomplice rape of a teenage girl between 14 and 18 years old. Shortly after, on May 6, 2006 the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
list. He was the 482nd fugitive listed
on that list. In addition, the bounty on his head was raised to $100,000, and the public was warned that "Jeffs may travel with a number of loyal and armed bodyguard
s".
The updated posters warned that Jeffs had ties to Utah
; Arizona
; Texas
; Colorado
; South Dakota
; British Columbia
, Canada
; and Quintana Roo
, Mexico
. There was also information that he had ties to some rural farms run by some of his followers near Pioche
, Nevada, as well as construction companies in Mesquite
, Nevada.
On May 27, 2006 Bruce Wisan, the court-appointed accountant
in charge of the FLDS' trust fund, filed civil suits against Jeffs. Wisan claimed that Jeffs is responsible for "fleecing trust assets". Along with church leaders, former trustees Truman Barlow, Leroy Jeffs, James Zitting, and William Jessop were also named as defendants. "We feel that they've taken things from the trust," Wisan said. "Their actions have caused harm to the trust."
On June 8, 2006 Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child bride" marriages.
On May 27, 2008 the Smoking Gun website released images of Jeffs with two under-aged wives, one of whom was 12 years old, celebrating one-year anniversaries in 2005 and 2006.
in Clark County
, Nevada, by Nevada Highway Trooper Eddie Dutchover because Jeffs' red 2007 Cadillac Escalade
's temporary license plates were not visible. One of Jeffs' wives, Naomi, and his brother, Isaac, were with him, and Jeffs had four computer
s, 16 cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and 12 pairs of sunglasses), and more than $55,000 in cash. His wife and brother were questioned and released.
In a Nevada court hearing on August 31, 2006 Jeffs waived extradition
and agreed to return to Utah to face two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape. Each charge carries an indeterminate penalty of five years to life in prison. Arizona
prosecutors were next in line to try Jeffs. He was held in the Washington County
, Utah, jail pending an April 23, 2007 trial on two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging a 2002 marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin.
Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail, and a Utah state board expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, and as such, did not cooperate. In May and July 2007, he was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual conduct with a minor and incest
.
In the days leading up to the trial, Jeffs apparently suffered a nervous breakdown. He refused food for a month, developed ulcers on his knees from kneeling in prayer to excess, attempted to hang himself, and afterwards repeatedly banged his head on the wall of his cell.
Jeffs' trial ran from September 11 to September 25, 2007. The trial was held in St. George
, Utah with Judge
James L. Shumate presiding. Jeffs was housed in Utah's Purgatory Correctional Facility
in solitary confinement
for the duration. At the culmination of the trial, on September 25, 2007 Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape. He was sentenced to prison for 10 years to life
and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison
. On July 27, 2010 the Utah Supreme Court
, citing deficient jury instructions
, reversed Jeffs' convictions and ordered a new trial. His accuser, Elissa Wall, wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS and with Warren Jeffs entitled Stolen Innocence
.
Jeffs was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona
. Jeffs had entered a not guilty plea February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenage girls to older men. On June 9, 2010, a state judge, at the request of the prosecutor, dismissed all charges with prejudice (meaning that he cannot be retried on these allegations). After a FLDS ranch in Eldorado, Texas was searched in 2008, in August 2011, he was convicted in San Angelo, TX of child sexual assault for intercourse with a 15-year-old as well as aggravated sexual assault for intercourse with a 12-year-old. During the sentencing phase his nephew testified to have been raped since he was 5 years old and his niece testified to have been raped since she was 7 years old. On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was convicted on two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison. Jeffs, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
#01726705, will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2038.
Jeffs has engaged in lengthy fasts, which his doctors and attorneys report have been for spiritual reasons. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be force fed
. Thereafter, Jeffs was fed through a stomach feeding tube
.
On August 29, 2011, Jeffs was taken to East Texas Medical Center, Tyler, Texas
on Sunday and was hospitalized in critical condition under a medically induced coma
after excessive fasting. Officials were not sure how long he will remain hospitalized but Jeffs is expected to live.
, statutory rape
, murder, and rape
. — a personal account of the deterioration of human rights (especially women's and children's rights) and institutionalized abuse in the FLDS organization under Warren Jeffs' leadership. — an autobiography about a girl inside the FLDS church and her experiences in the community and her escape as well as her accounts in the Warren Jeffs trial. — a book about Warren Jeffs and the FLDS, which chronicles the details of Jeffs' rise to power, the activities of FLDS members in Colorado City and Hildale and their trials. He draws comparisons between the FLDS and Muslim extremists today. — an autobiography concerning his youth and the crimes his uncle Warren Jeffs committed against him. — documents the history of the FLDS, including Jeffs' role.
Jeffs gained international notoriety in May 2006 when he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
state charges related to his alleged arrangement of illegal marriages between his adult male followers and underage girls. He was arrested in August 2006 in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and agreed to be taken to Utah for trial. In May and July 2007 the State of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
charged him with eight additional counts, including sexual conduct with minors and incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, in two separate cases.
His Utah trial, which began in early September 2007 in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
, lasted less than a month, and on September 25 the verdict was read declaring him guilty of two counts of rape as an accomplice. On November 20, 2007 he was sentenced to imprisonment for 10 years to life
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison
Utah State Prison
Utah State Prison, or USP, is one of two prisons managed by the Utah Department of Corrections' Division of Institutional Operations. It is located in Draper, Utah, United States, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.-History:...
. Jeffs' conviction was reversed by Utah's Supreme Court on July 27, 2010 because of incorrect jury instructions.
He was extradited to Texas, where he was found guilty of sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault of children in connection with a raid of an FLDS owned and occupied West Texas ranch in 2008. After the jury had deliberated for less than 30 minutes, 55-year-old Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison plus twenty years and a $10,000 fine, to be served consecutively, for sexual assault of both 12 and 15-year-old girls.
Biography
Warren Jeffs is the son of Rulon JeffsRulon Jeffs
Rulon Timpson Jeffs was the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a Mormon fundamentalist organization based in Colorado City, Arizona....
. His father, the leader of the FLDS Church at his death, was survived by 19 or 20 wives and had about 60 children. No information is available about Warren Jeffs on the FLDS website, although according to the BBC Storyville programme "Leaving the Cult", he has 31 daughters.
Warren Jeffs' official title in the FLDS Church was "President and Prophet, Seer and Revelator". He also held the title of "President of the Priesthood," which meant that he was the head of the organization of all adult male church members that were deemed worthy to hold the church's priesthood. Jeffs was a counselor to his father Rulon Jeffs when the elder Jeffs held these leadership positions; upon the death of Rulon Jeffs in 2002, Warren Jeffs succeeded him and became FLDS Church leader.
One of Jeffs' statements after his father's death was directed at high-ranking officials in the FLDS Church: "I won't say much, but I will say this—hands off my father's wives." Addressing the recent widows, he said, "You women will live as if Father is still alive and in the next room." Within a week, Warren had married all but two of his father's several dozen wives (one of the two being his mother).
Jeffs, the sole individual in the church who possessed the authority to perform its marriages, was responsible for assigning wives to husbands. Jeffs also held the authority to discipline wayward male believers by "reassigning their wives, children and homes to another man."
Moreover, the FLDS Church owns essentially all of the homes and real estate in the areas where its members reside. The FLDS also appears to exercise substantial if not complete control over the children born into the congregation. Male subjects are reported to have been frequently exiled from the church due to their alleged competition with the elder male members of the church for the limited number of suitable marriage candidates.
In 2000, the Colorado City Unified School District
Colorado City Unified School District
El Capitan is the public school for Colorado City, Arizona. It also serves surrounding areas in unincorporated Mohave County . It is the only school in the Colorado City Unified School District.-History:...
had more than 1200 students enrolled. When the FLDS Church decided to remove its members' children from public schools, enrollment decreased to around 250. Jeffs, however, did not require the FLDS members who made up the majority of the school district's administrators to quit their positions.
Until courts in Utah intervened, Jeffs controlled almost all of the land in Colorado City, Arizona
Colorado City, Arizona
Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States, and is located in a region known as the Arizona Strip. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 4,607...
, and Hildale, Utah
Hildale, Utah
Hildale is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,726 at the 2010 census.Hildale is a twin city to the more well-known Colorado City, Arizona, both of which straddle the border between Utah and Arizona. Hildale is the headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of...
, which was part of a church trust, the United Effort Plan (UEP). The land has been estimated to be worth over $100 million. Currently, all UEP assets are in the custody of the Utah court system pending further litigation.
In January 2004, Jeffs expelled a group of 20 men from Colorado City, including the mayor, and reassigned their wives and children to other men in the community. Jeffs, like his predecessors, continued the standard FLDS and Mormon fundamentalist tenet that faithful men must follow what is known as the doctrine of "Celestial Marriage" or plural marriage in order to attain the highest degree of Exaltation in the afterlife. Jeffs specifically taught that a devoted church member is expected to have at least three wives in order to get into heaven, and the more wives a man has, the closer he is to heaven. Former church members claim that Jeffs himself has seventy wives.
Before his 2006 arrest, Jeffs had last been seen on January 1, 2005, near Eldorado, Texas
Eldorado, Texas
Eldorado is a city in and the county seat of Schleicher County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2000 census, but dropped to 1,800 according to a July 2009 estimate.Eldorado is located on U.S...
, at the dedication ceremony of the foundation of a large and elaborate new FLDS temple on an area of land called the YFZ Ranch
YFZ Ranch
The YFZ Ranch, also known as the Yearning for Zion Ranch, is a community which housed as many as 700 people just outside of Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas, United States. It is owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . It is about southwest of San Angelo and ...
. The ranch came into the public eye when Texas authorities took legal custody of 416 children on April 7, 2008 when a 16-year-old girl reportedly phoned to report abuse. The girl in the report claimed to have said that she was married to a 50-year-old man and had given birth to his child at age 15. However, residents told authorities that there was in fact no such girl; the calls were ultimately traced to a woman totally unconnected to the FLDS, Rozita Swinton, and known for repeated instances of filing false reports. Nevertheless, Texas authorities continued to investigate whether it was a hoax. The children and women who were suspected of being minors were returned after Texas courts established that the state had not presented sufficient evidence of abuse to have removed all of the women and children
On June 10, 2006, Arizona Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Terry Goddard
Terry Goddard
Samuel Pearson "Terry" Goddard III was the Attorney General of Arizona, from 2003 to 2011, who also served as Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1984 to 1990....
told the Deseret Morning News
Deseret Morning News
The Deseret News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is Utah's oldest continuously published daily newspaper. It has the second largest daily circulation in the state behind The Salt Lake Tribune. The Deseret News is owned by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of...
that he had heard from several sources that Jeffs had returned to Arizona, and had performed marriage ceremonies in a mobile home that was being used as a wedding chapel.
On March 27, 2007, the Deseret Morning News reported that Jeffs had renounced his role as prophet of the FLDS Church in a conversation with his brother Nephi. Nephi quoted him as saying he was "the greatest of all sinners" and that God never called him to be Prophet. This statement was reportedly given to his brother Nephi and Jeffs and his defense team had no comment on it. Rumours suggest it was a lie from his brother Nephi, trying to assume his brother's role, while more rumours circulated saying he must step down as prophet so a new man may perform marriages and continue adding wives to the men of the community. An unnamed source said that he retracted this statement. However the veracity of that source was called into question when Jeffs presented a handwritten note to the judge at the end of trial on March 27 saying that he was not a prophet of the FLDS Church.
On November 7, 2007, the Washington County Attorney's Office released video of jailhouse conversations between Nephi and Warren Jeffs. In the videos Warren renounces his prophethood, claiming that God had told him that if he revealed that he was not the rightful prophet, and was a "wicked man", he would still gain a place in the celestial kingdom. Jeffs also admits to what he calls, "immoral actions with a sister and a daughter" when he was 20 years old. Other records show that while incarcerated, Jeffs tried to commit suicide by banging his head against the walls and trying to hang himself.
Jeffs resigned as president of the FLDS Church effective November 20, 2007. In an email to the Deseret Morning News, Jeffs' attorneys made the following statements: "Mr. Jeffs has asked that the following statement be released to the media and to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," ... "Mr. Jeffs resigned as President of the Corporation of the President of The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Inc." The statement does not address his ecclesiastical position as prophet of the FLDS Church, and many in the FLDS communities still regard him as the prophet and their current leader." There are also reports that Jeffs admitted his position of prophet in the FLDS Church was a usurpation in a conversation to his brother, and declared that "Brother William E. Jessop
William E. Jessop
William E. Jessop is a leader in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . In a January 2007 telephone conversation between Jessop and church president Warren Jeffs, Jeffs suggested that Jessop was the rightful leader of the FLDS Church...
has been the prophet since [my] Father's passing", though Jeffs' attorneys have claimed he misspoke. In early 2011, Jeffs retook legal control of the denomination.
On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison. Jurors deliberated for 40 minutes before ordering Jeffs to serve life in prison for one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and 20 years in prison for one count of sexual assault of a child. They also determined Jeffs must pay a $10,000 fine."
Sex crime allegations and FBI's Most Wanted
In July 2004, Warren Jeffs' nephew, Brent Jeffs, filed a lawsuit against him alleging that in the late 1980s his uncle sodomizedSodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
him in the Salt Lake Valley compound then owned by the FLDS Church. Brent Jeffs said he was five or six years old at the time, and that Warren Jeffs' brothers, also named in the lawsuit, watched and participated in the abuse. Two of Warren Jeffs' other nephews also made similar abuse claims against him. One of the alleged victims, Clayne Jeffs, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with a firearm after accusing Warren Jeffs of sexually assaulting
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
him as a child.
In June 2005, Jeffs was charged with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor for allegedly arranging, in April 2001, a marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin, Allen. The girl, Elissa Wall (then only known as "Jane Doe IV") testified that she begged "Uncle Rulon" to let her wait until she was older, or choose another man for her. Rulon Jeffs was apparently "sympathetic", but Warren Jeffs was not, and she was forced to go through with the marriage. The 14-year-old alleged that her new husband rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d her repeatedly and that she repeatedly miscarried. She eventually left Allen and the community. Jeffs faced the above charges in Mohave County
Mohave County, Arizona
Mohave County is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 200,186, an increase of 45,154 people since the 2000 census count of 155,032. The county seat is Kingman...
, Arizona. In July 2005, the Arizona Attorney General's office distributed wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to Jeffs' arrest and conviction.
In late 2005, Jeffs was put on the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's most wanted fugitive list, offering $60,000 for information leading to his arrest. Shortly after being placed on the FBI list, Jeffs was featured on the television program America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
.
Around this time, Warren Jeffs' brother, Seth, was arrested under suspicion of harboring a fugitive. During a routine traffic stop on October 28, 2005, in Pueblo County, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, police found nearly $142,000 in cash, about $7,000 worth of prepaid debit card
Debit card
A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...
s, and Warren Jeffs' personal records. During Seth Jeffs' court case, FBI agent Andrew Stearns testified Jeffs had told him that he did not know where his older brother was and that he would not reveal his whereabouts if he did. He was convicted of harboring a fugitive on May 1, 2006. On July 14, 2006, he was sentenced to three years' probation and a $2500 fine.
On April 5, 2006, the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
issued an arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
for Jeffs on felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
charges of accomplice rape of a teenage girl between 14 and 18 years old. Shortly after, on May 6, 2006 the FBI placed Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
list. He was the 482nd fugitive listed
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s
-FBI Headlines in the 2000s:The 2000s started out badly for the FBI's much needed attempts to upgrade technology. First, the Trilogy project went far over the $380 million budget, and behind its three-year schedule. Then, Virtual Case File, or VCF, planned for completion in 2003, was officially...
on that list. In addition, the bounty on his head was raised to $100,000, and the public was warned that "Jeffs may travel with a number of loyal and armed bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s".
The updated posters warned that Jeffs had ties to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
; Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
; Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
; Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
; South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
; British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; and Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. There was also information that he had ties to some rural farms run by some of his followers near Pioche
Pioche, Nevada
-External links:*...
, Nevada, as well as construction companies in Mesquite
Mesquite, Nevada
Mesquite is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the Arizona state line and northeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,277. The city is located in the Virgin River Valley...
, Nevada.
On May 27, 2006 Bruce Wisan, the court-appointed accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
in charge of the FLDS' trust fund, filed civil suits against Jeffs. Wisan claimed that Jeffs is responsible for "fleecing trust assets". Along with church leaders, former trustees Truman Barlow, Leroy Jeffs, James Zitting, and William Jessop were also named as defendants. "We feel that they've taken things from the trust," Wisan said. "Their actions have caused harm to the trust."
On June 8, 2006 Jeffs returned to Colorado City to perform more "child bride" marriages.
On May 27, 2008 the Smoking Gun website released images of Jeffs with two under-aged wives, one of whom was 12 years old, celebrating one-year anniversaries in 2005 and 2006.
Arrest, trial and conviction
On August 28, 2006 around 9 p.m. Pacific time, Jeffs was pulled over on Interstate 15Interstate 15 in Nevada
In the U.S. State of Nevada, Interstate 15 begins in Primm, continues through Las Vegas and it crosses the border with Arizona in Mesquite. The freeway runs entirely in Clark County. Many motorists use Interstate 15 to visit Las Vegas, as it is the only primary Interstate Highway in the city. The...
in Clark County
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
, Nevada, by Nevada Highway Trooper Eddie Dutchover because Jeffs' red 2007 Cadillac Escalade
Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade is a full-size luxury sport utility vehicle sold by the General Motors luxury brand, Cadillac. It was the division's first major entry into the popular SUV market. The Escalade was introduced for the 1999 model year in response to German and Japanese competitors and to Ford's...
's temporary license plates were not visible. One of Jeffs' wives, Naomi, and his brother, Isaac, were with him, and Jeffs had four computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, 16 cell phones, disguises (including three wigs and 12 pairs of sunglasses), and more than $55,000 in cash. His wife and brother were questioned and released.
In a Nevada court hearing on August 31, 2006 Jeffs waived extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
and agreed to return to Utah to face two first-degree felony charges of accomplice rape. Each charge carries an indeterminate penalty of five years to life in prison. Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
prosecutors were next in line to try Jeffs. He was held in the Washington County
Washington County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
, Utah, jail pending an April 23, 2007 trial on two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging a 2002 marriage between a 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old first cousin.
Jeffs was believed to be leading his group from jail, and a Utah state board expressed dissatisfaction in dealing with Hildale police, believing that many members of the force had ties to Jeffs, and as such, did not cooperate. In May and July 2007, he was indicted in Arizona on eight counts, including sexual conduct with a minor and incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
.
In the days leading up to the trial, Jeffs apparently suffered a nervous breakdown. He refused food for a month, developed ulcers on his knees from kneeling in prayer to excess, attempted to hang himself, and afterwards repeatedly banged his head on the wall of his cell.
Jeffs' trial ran from September 11 to September 25, 2007. The trial was held in St. George
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Utah, and the county seat of Washington County, Utah. It is the principal city of and is included in the St. George, Utah, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is 119 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and 303 miles ...
, Utah with Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
James L. Shumate presiding. Jeffs was housed in Utah's Purgatory Correctional Facility
Purgatory Correctional Facility
Purgatory Correctional Facility is the county jail of Washington County, Utah. Also known as the Washington County Jail, it is located near St. George, Utah at Purgatory Flats, hence its unusual name....
in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
for the duration. At the culmination of the trial, on September 25, 2007 Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape. He was sentenced to prison for 10 years to life
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
and began serving his sentence at the Utah State Prison
Utah State Prison
Utah State Prison, or USP, is one of two prisons managed by the Utah Department of Corrections' Division of Institutional Operations. It is located in Draper, Utah, United States, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.-History:...
. On July 27, 2010 the Utah Supreme Court
Utah Supreme Court
The Utah Supreme Court is the supreme court of the state of Utah, USA. It has final authority of interpretation of the Utah Constitution. The Utah Supreme Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, an associate chief justice, and three justices. All justices are appointed by the governor...
, citing deficient jury instructions
Jury instructions
Jury instructions are the set of legal rules that jurors should follow when the jury is deciding a civil or criminal case. Jury instructions are given to the jury by the jury instructor, who usually reads them aloud to the jury...
, reversed Jeffs' convictions and ordered a new trial. His accuser, Elissa Wall, wrote an autobiography on her experiences in the FLDS and with Warren Jeffs entitled Stolen Innocence
Stolen Innocence
Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs is an autobiography by Elissa Wall detailing her childhood in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and subsequent later life outside of the church...
.
Jeffs was also scheduled to be tried in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. Jeffs had entered a not guilty plea February 27, 2008, to sex charges stemming from the arranged marriages of three teenage girls to older men. On June 9, 2010, a state judge, at the request of the prosecutor, dismissed all charges with prejudice (meaning that he cannot be retried on these allegations). After a FLDS ranch in Eldorado, Texas was searched in 2008, in August 2011, he was convicted in San Angelo, TX of child sexual assault for intercourse with a 15-year-old as well as aggravated sexual assault for intercourse with a 12-year-old. During the sentencing phase his nephew testified to have been raped since he was 5 years old and his niece testified to have been raped since she was 7 years old. On August 9, 2011, Jeffs was convicted on two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison. Jeffs, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
#01726705, will be eligible for parole on July 22, 2038.
Health issues
On July 9, 2008, Jeffs was taken from jail in Arizona to a Las Vegas hospital for what the sheriff described as a serious medical problem. Mojave County Sheriff Tom Sheahan did not specify Jeffs' medical problem, but said it was serious enough to move him about 100 miles from Kingman Regional Medical Center to the Las Vegas hospital.Jeffs has engaged in lengthy fasts, which his doctors and attorneys report have been for spiritual reasons. In August 2009, Superior Court Judge Steve Conn ordered that Jeffs be force fed
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
. Thereafter, Jeffs was fed through a stomach feeding tube
Feeding tube
A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to patients who cannot obtain nutrition by swallowing. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral feeding or tube feeding...
.
On August 29, 2011, Jeffs was taken to East Texas Medical Center, Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
on Sunday and was hospitalized in critical condition under a medically induced coma
Induced coma
A barbiturate-induced coma, or barb coma, is a temporary coma brought on by a controlled dose of a barbiturate drug, usually pentobarbital or thiopental...
after excessive fasting. Officials were not sure how long he will remain hospitalized but Jeffs is expected to live.
Further reading
— a nonfiction book that explores some of the history of both the LDS church and its spin-off sects, focusing largely on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The book describes illegal activity in the (Fundamentalist) Church, mainly polygynyPolygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
, statutory rape
Statutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
, murder, and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. — a personal account of the deterioration of human rights (especially women's and children's rights) and institutionalized abuse in the FLDS organization under Warren Jeffs' leadership. — an autobiography about a girl inside the FLDS church and her experiences in the community and her escape as well as her accounts in the Warren Jeffs trial. — a book about Warren Jeffs and the FLDS, which chronicles the details of Jeffs' rise to power, the activities of FLDS members in Colorado City and Hildale and their trials. He draws comparisons between the FLDS and Muslim extremists today. — an autobiography concerning his youth and the crimes his uncle Warren Jeffs committed against him. — documents the history of the FLDS, including Jeffs' role.
Documentary films
- In 2005, Phoenix television station KTVK and the station's senior reporter Mike Watkiss broadcast Colorado City and the Underground Railroad. The hour long documentary was the most widely-viewed, locally-produced primetime news special in Arizona history. The documentary went on to win a regional "Emmy" and "Edward R. Murrow Award". The special pulls together dozens of Watkiss' reports on the practice of polygamy, the FLDS Church, and Prophet Warren Jeffs spanning more than three decades.
- In 2006, Pawel Gula and Tom Elliott produced the documentary feature Damned to Heaven. The film premiered in Europe at the Krakow Film Festival in Poland. In September 2007, it premiered in the U.S. at the Temecula Valley International Film FestivalTemecula Valley International Film FestivalTemecula Valley International Film Festival is a film festival held in Temecula Valley, California.Begun September 1995 and held every September since, it is a celebration Film and Music. It drew 600 attendees in 1995 and more than 20,000 in 2008...
, where it received honors in the Best Documentary category. The film investigates the practice of plural marriage, and includes 20 minutes of Warren Jeffs' original teachings, recorded for the purpose of "educating" followers. Janusz KamińskiJanusz KaminskiJanusz Zygmunt Kamiński is a Polish cinematographer and film director. He has photographed all of Steven Spielberg's films since 1993's Schindler's List.-Life and career:...
said, after seeing the documentary, "This film is shocking. As a society, we are obligated to see it." - The documentary film Banking on HeavenBanking on HeavenBanking on Heaven is a documentary film which exposes the largest polygamous enclave in the United States and its leader, Warren Jeffs...
was released in 2006. It documents Warren Jeffs and the FLDS in Colorado City, Arizona. - On July 19, 2006 Britain's Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
ran the documentary The Man with 80 WivesThe Man with 80 WivesThe Man With 80 Wives is a British documentary that aired on Channel 4 on July 19, 2006. It featured journalist Sanjiv Bhattacharya trying to find the whereabouts of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs....
. The program featured presenter Sanjiv BhattacharyaSanjiv BhattacharyaSanjiv Bhattacharya is a British journalist, based in the USA. He was born in London and graduated from The University of Cambridge where he studied philosophy....
's unsuccessful search for Warren Jeffs in ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Filmed before Jeffs was put on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, the documentary features interviews with one of Jeffs' brothers as well as with several excommunicated FLDS members. - In Canada in 2007, CBC's news show The Fifth EstateThe fifth estatethe fifth estate is a Canadian television newsmagazine, which airs on the English language CBC Television network. The name is a play on the fact that the media are sometimes referred to as the Fourth Estate, and was chosen to highlight the program's determination to go beyond everyday news into...
aired an episode called "Bust Up in Bountiful" focusing on Jeffs's one-time rival, Winston BlackmoreWinston BlackmoreWinston Blackmore is the leader of Canada’s largest polygamist group. For two decades, Blackmore was the bishop of the Bountiful, British Columbia group of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , a polygamist community in the Creston Valley. In September 2002, FLDS Church...
, and Blackmore's belief that Jeffs was not only responsible for the split in Bountiful, British ColumbiaBountiful, British ColumbiaBountiful is a settlement located in the Creston Valley of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, near Cranbrook and Creston. The closest community is Lister, British Columbia....
's community, but is also a dangerous man. - In Canada on October 23, 2006 GlobalGlobal Television NetworkGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
ran an hour-long documentary on Global Currents, which followed the lives of excommunicated members and featured their hardships. - In 2007, Main Street Church of Brigham City (formerly Living Hope) released a documentary entitled Lifting the Veil of Polygamy which includes interviews with former members of Warren Jeffs' fundamentalist sect.
- In September 2007, the Australian current affairs program A Current Affair sent reporter Amanda Patterson to Utah on a number of occasions to report on the sect. While filming in Colorado City, her crew was persistently harassed and stalked by a number of local men in their pickup trucks. She also attempted to interview a number of men, who saw nothing wrong with what they were doing, and with women, who refused to talk on air.
- In the UK on the 5th July 2010, the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aired an 80 minute documentary following a group of teenage boys who escape the FDLS in Utah, in its StoryvilleStoryville (disambiguation)Storyville may refer to:* Storyville, a historic red light district of New Orleans, Louisiana* Storyville Records, a Danish record label* Storyville Coffee Company, a coffee roaster in Seattle, Washington* Storyville , an American blues-rock band...
documentary series.
Fictionalizations
- On January 23, 2007 CTV aired a made-for-TV movie titled In God's Country which tells a fictionalized tale that alludes to FLDS and their behaviors and beliefs.
- The HBO show Big LoveBig LoveBig Love is an American television drama that aired on HBO between March 2006 and March 2011. The show is about a fictional fundamentalist Mormon family in Utah that practices polygamy...
contains a scene where Roman GrantRoman GrantRoman Grant is a fictional character in the HBO series, Big Love, and is portrayed by Harry Dean Stanton. He was the prophet of the Juniper Creek Compound, and is the father of Nicolette Grant and Alby Grant. The character is loosely based on the real life polygamist leader Rulon...
(played by Harry Dean StantonHarry Dean StantonHarry Dean Stanton is an American actor, musician, and singer. Stanton's career has spanned over fifty years, which has seen him star in such films as Paris, Texas, Kelly's Heroes, Dillinger, Alien, Repo Man, The Last Temptation of Christ, Wild at Heart, The Green Mile and The Pledge...
), the leader of a fictional fundamentalist and polygamist sect, observes Warren Jeffs being arrested. He refers to him as a pervert and worries that he will ruin things for other polygamist sects. - The Season 3, Episode 12 "Nine Wives" of Numb3rsNUMB3RSNumb3rs is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes , who helps Don solve crimes...
was based on the FLDS Church. The episode follows the FBI's search for a pedophilic polygamist fugitive. - The Ultimate SinThe Ultimate Sin-Personnel:*Ozzy Osbourne - vocals*Jake E. Lee - guitar*Phil Soussan - bass*Randy Castillo - drumsAdditional performers*Mike Moran - keyboardsProduction*Produced and engineered by Ron Nevison*Additional engineers - Martin White, Richard Moakes...
, a film shown by True MoviesTrue MoviesTrue Movies 1 is a satellite and cable television film channel in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, it is available on Freesat, Sky as well as Virgin Media...
, concerns a similar, fictional cult and cites the case of Warren Jeffs as an example. - The Big Gay Sketch ShowThe Big Gay Sketch ShowThe Big Gay Sketch Show is an LGBT-themed sketch comedy program that debuted on Logo on April 24, 2007. The series is produced by Rosie O'Donnell and directed by Amanda Bearse. The program was originally titled "The Big Gay Show" but was renamed during production. As the name indicates, the show...
which airs on LogoLogo (TV channel)Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
had a fictionalization of Warren Jeffs set to the format of Bravo's Real HousewivesReal HousewivesThe Real Housewives... is a reality series which airs in the United States on the cable network Bravo, and various other broadcasters internationally...
series. - Follow the Prophet, 2009, a film about a young girl threatened with sexual abuse who fought against "the Prophet", leader of a fundamentalist church.
External links
- Official FLDS website
- Warren Jeffs' entry at Utah Sex Offender Registry
- "Comparing Mormon founder, FLDS leader on polygamy," by Peggy Fletcher StackPeggy Fletcher StackPeggy Fletcher Stack is an American journalist, editor, and author. Stack has been the religion writer for the Salt Lake Tribune since 1991.- Biography :...