
Jailhouse Conversations
In a series of phone conversations with relatives and followers, Warren Jeffs renounced his role as prophet and leader of the FLDS.
Letter to Judge
In this letter to Utah's Fifth District Judge James Shumate, a former member of Warren Jeffs' church asks the judge to give Jeffs the maximum sentence.
Mental Health Evaluation
In this evaluation, court-appointed doctor Eric Nielsen describes Jeffs' attempt to hang himself in a jail cell while he awaited trial.
Settlement Proposal
The alleged victim offered to settle her suit against the FLDS for land and a trust fund for those expelled from the community, among other things.
Jeffs Arrest Warrant
This affidavit details the rape charges against FLDS leader Warren Jeffs for allegedly arranging underage marriages.
Jeffs Bail Motion
In this memo, Utah prosecutors explain why they believe fugitive polygamist leader Warren Jeffs is a flight risk if released on bail.
Teen Bride Testimony
In this grand jury transcript, teen bride Candi Shapley recounts how Warren Jeffs brokered her marriage to 28-year-old Randolph Barlow when she was 16.
Tom Green Decision
The Utah Court of Appeals rejected Green's argument that his polygamy conviction violates his First Amendment rights.
Polygamy Primer
Co-published by the attorney general offices of Arizona and Utah, this packet contains a wealth of information and resources.
FBI's Most Wanted
View the FBI's most wanted poster issued for Warren Jeffs.
ST. GEORGE, Utah — Jurors in the trial of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs announced Monday that they could not reach a unanimous decision on the issue of whether the so-called "prophet" influenced a 14-year-old bride to have sex with her husband against her will.
But, after several more hours of deliberations Monday evening, the jury said it was close to a verdict on both counts against Jeffs and would return Tuesday after sleeping on it.
Jeffs, the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), is charged with two counts of rape as an accomplice for allegedly using his religious influence to "entice" Elissa Wall into marrying and having sex with her 19-year-old cousin.
After deliberating about five hours Monday, the panel of three women and five men sent a note to the court indicating that they were deadlocked on the second of two counts of rape as an accomplice.
With the agreement of prosecutors and the defense, Fifth District Judge James Shuter sent the jury back to deliberate further on the second count. (VIDEO)
"Keep your minds open," Shuter said, as one male juror rubbed his temples. "See if you can work on count two a little bit longer, considering the effort that's been put in to this point."
The panel continued deliberating into the evening Monday before quitting for the night.
In an emotional turn on the stand in Jeffs' week-long trial, Wall, now 21, testified that she felt that her culture forced her into the unwanted marriage.
The first count refers to the three weeks following the wedding on April 23, 2001, when prosecutors believe the first sexual encounter occurred.
According to prosecutors, the ceremony, including Jeffs' directive that the couple "go forth and multiply and replenish the earth," was a psychological trigger that compelled Wall to submit to the marriage and nonconsensual sex.
The second count refers to the period after Wall, identified in court papers as Jane Doe IV, allegedly told Jeffs that her husband was "touching" her in ways that made her uncomfortable and that she did not "understand." (Although previously unnamed here as an alleged victim of sexual assault, Wall has recently agreed to have her name published in the press.)
Jeffs' response, according to Wall, was that she should "repent" and give herself "mind body and soul" to her husband.
Lawyers for Jeffs argued to the jury last week that the "prophet" did not command the teen to submit to nonconsensual sex. Instead, they claim, he offered her counseling consistent with the patriarchal norms of the FLDS, which broke from mainstream Mormonism in the 1890s over the issue of polygamy.
Jeffs, 51, faces five years to life in prison on each count if he is convicted.
CourtTVnews.com is a part of the Turner Entertainment New Media Network.
Terms & Privacy guidelines


