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Updated Sept. 18, 2007, 12:13 p.m. ET
Woman: Jeffs never directly mentioned sex when he pressured her to marry cousin at age 14


Warren Jeffs
Warren Jeffs faces five years to life in prison if convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice.

ST. GEORGE, Utah — A woman who claims that polygamist leader Warren Jeffs pressured her into marrying and having sex with her cousin conceded Monday that Jeffs never directly ordered her to submit to sex with her husband.

The woman, who was 14 years old when she entered into an arranged marriage with her first cousin, told jurors at Jeffs' trial that, although the subject of sex never came up directly, the implication was there when Jeffs urged her to "repent" and be a good wife to her then-19-year-old husband.

"Isn't it true that Mr. Jeffs never told you to have sexual intercourse with Allen?" defense lawyer Tara Isaacson asked the woman during her third day on the witness stand.

"We didn't use the words 'sexual intercourse' in our society," said the woman, referring to the community of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which Jeffs has led since 2004.

Utah prosecutors allege that Jeffs used his religious influence to coerce the then-teenager into marrying and having sex with her cousin against her will. Jeffs, 51, faces five years to life in prison if convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice.

In two days of direct examination last week, the woman, now 21, described a strict upbringing in a patriarchal society, where girls are taught from a young age that living in absolute obedience to their husbands assures them eternal salvation.

The FLDS broke from mainstream Mormonism in the 1890s over the practice of polygamy, which is banned in the Utah state constitution. Members of the FLDS also believe in the concept of "placement marriage," in which God "reveals" to their prophet who should marry.

The woman testified that she met with Jeffs' father, Rulon Jeffs, the FLDS prophet at the time, to convince him to change his mind. The couple was married in a Nevada hotel in a private ceremony conducted by Warren Jeffs, who was then first counselor to Rulon Jeffs.

During cross-examination Monday, defense lawyers attempted to cast doubt on her claims that she faced pressure primarily from Warren Jeffs to unwillingly submit to marital relations in 2001 with a man she did not care for.

Several jurors took notes as the woman conceded that she never told her family that her husband allegedly raped her. She also admitted that she would often "sugar up" by pretending to submit to sex to get money and gifts from her husband.

The woman said she eventually left the FLDS in 2004 with another member of the community, who is now her husband.

She admitted beginning an affair with her current husband, who was present in the courtroom, while she was still "married" to her first husband.


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