ST. GEORGE, Utah — A jury found polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs guilty Tuesday of forcing a 14-year-old to marry and have sex with her 19-year-old cousin against her will.

Jeffs, 51, was convicted of two counts of rape as an accomplice for his role in the arranged marriage of Elissa Wall and Allen Steed in 2001. He faces five years to life in prison on each count when he is sentenced Nov. 20. (VIDEO)

Jeffs, the leader and "prophet" of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), appeared calm and showed no reaction as the judge's clerk read the verdict. One of his followers in the back of the crowded St. George courtroom bowed his head and closed his eyes as the verdict was announced.

Jurors deliberated for just three hours before reaching a verdict after a panelist was dismissed and then replaced for undisclosed reasons. The original jury began deliberations Friday.

Washington County prosecutors alleged that Jeffs used his position of authority as spiritual head of the FLDS to "entice" Wall into going through with the marriage, despite her objections that she was too young.

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Members of the FLDS believe that God speaks through the prophet, and reveals to him who should marry whom.

Members of the jury who spoke to the press after the verdict said they placed great credence in Wall's claim that she felt Jeffs "held the keys" to her salvation.

The verdict is a milestone for authorities in Utah and Arizona, who have already prosecuted several of his followers on lesser charges stemming from the marriages of underage girls. The lengthiest sentence netted in any of those cases was nine months.

In most of those cases, the alleged victims refused to testify against their husbands, making Wall's participation one of the most significant differences from previous prosecutions.

Jeffs is expected to stand trial in Arizona on similar charges related to Wall and two other victims. He also faces federal charges for fleeing prosecution for nearly a year when he was on the FBI's Most Wanted List.

Washington County prosecutor Brock Belnap praised Wall after the verdict was announced, calling her "a pioneer" for her courage to come forward.

"There always has to be someone who goes first," he said. "I hope that her example will shine a light of hope for others who might be in similar situations."

Elissa Wall, now 21, was married at age 14 to her older cousin. Speaking Tuesday, she said the trial "has not been about religion."

Despite her teenage experiences, Wall said Tuesday that she was not trying to attack the FLDS community as a whole by her allegations against Jeffs.

"I have very tender feelings for the FLDS people," said Wall, whose mother and siblings are still members of the sect. "This trial has not been about religion or a vendetta. It simply has been about child abuse."

But anti-polygamy activists and former FLDS members who paid close attention to the trial said they were skeptical that the verdict would have a significant impact on FLDS practices.

Former member Richard Holm, whom Jeffs excommunicated in 2003, said outside the courthouse that the leader's conviction could give him the air of a martyr.

"I think it will drive them underground further, but otherwise it will be business as usual," Holm said of the FLDS community, which is based in the border towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz. "He will always be in the background, but I think there is already a regime in place to continue his legacy."

Holm is one of many men Jeffs excommunicated after assuming leadership of the FLDS in 2002 after the death of his father, the prophet Rulon Jeffs. Jeffs' critics claim the mass exile is part of an effort to keep polygamy alive by purging the community of males.

"If Warren Jeffs even spent one day in jail for all the people he's hurt, it would be several dozen years," said Holm, who left behind a wife and children. "He was portrayed as a kind man and a religious leader. That's nonsense. He's left a trail of blood and bones."