Reader comments
Texas child advocate's report claims underage marriage in FLDS case

commonsense | 7:15 p.m. July 18, 2008

Well this is no big surprise. And it just proves whats been going on at the ranch since 2004. Not only was a 14yr old married,, but Warren Jeffs did the Marrying, and those at the Ranch were hiding a fugitive.

Ned | 8:23 p.m. July 18, 2008

Warren Jeffs is where he belongs for the rest of his breathing life. The man is an animal.

Who's eating crow now? | 9:10 p.m. July 18, 2008

Granted, removal of 400 children was massive, however if the truth had been told in the beginning, it wouldn't have been necessary. This "revelation" proves that the sexual abuse is going on and the mother condoned it. Plus there were witnesses....humm where are those witnesses? It's time that everyone start telling the truth and maybe we can get past this and let the healing begin.

Comments continue below

Is this Stockholm? | 9:55 p.m. July 18, 2008

Boy, you get this young girl, who's father is the head of this group of people who are so misguided. She has her mother, her father and another older man, now her husband that constantly put these ideas that they are right and the rest of the world is wrong. What really surprises me is that she said "shut your mouth", what happened to the sweet submissive woman, oh she is, just to the men that tell her what to say and to whom. They also tell her that it is her duty to marry this man and to twist the truth to protect these sexual perverts. I really wonder if anything will ever be solved, maybe the one thing is that the government quit supporting these people with our money.

Rod? Willie? | 10:09 p.m. July 18, 2008

Waiting for your response...

Mike | 10:07 p.m. July 18, 2008

So why can't they charge every adult at the "wedding" as an accomplice to rape? If it worked in getting Jeffs convicted, why not use the same legal case again -- but even wider?

Kevin | 10:09 p.m. July 18, 2008

WHAT REVELATION? God would have never condone polygamy and the abuse of women at anytime in history. FLDS men have brainwashed themselves and their children into thinking GOD told them to do this. BUT we all know he never ever told them to do this stuff to women. This is no longer just a mans world... That is privative thinking. These men follow Satan's leed.

zxcvbnm | 10:17 p.m. July 18, 2008

Good ole Malonis and her comment about wishing it had not come to this.
Come to what.....the girl says she was never married....the girl says she has never had sex....even if she was "spiritually united" as long as she denies having had sex there is little proof of anything. If she wrote in a diary........the fantasys of a 15 year old girl can be denied by the girl.
Malonis just had to comment though.....I'm suprised that she didn't comment about not being able to comment.
We have an alleged victim of an alleged crime who will testify that a crime never took place, Great witness to nothing.

Y�all up 4 a Crucifixion | 10:47 p.m. July 18, 2008

Given the past accuracy of Deseret News, I wouldnt Hang any one quite yet, and why if youï¿½re trying to help someone would you call them a Liar, that really builds trust donï¿½t it. Doesnï¿½t take a law degree to know that if you want to build trust with someone you are going to have become there friend, friend implies that you trust each other, and itï¿½s very obvious that Malonis donï¿½t trust Teresa, and Teresa does not trust Malonis. The Right thing to do would be to give her a new Lawyer the same way you gave her the first one.

Gal50 | 11:00 p.m. July 18, 2008

Interesting thing about this is that it comes right before Congress considers crimes of polygamy.

I'd like to see a time line of when all of these underage marriages occurred. Didn't Warren snag a few underage girls himself while on the run? Were there any deals made? Were a few Jessop girls handed over to Warren in exchange for his daughter?

Courts don't look very kindly on people like Jeffs who are charged with a crime and then go on to commit similar crimes before being sentenced.

Two five to life sentences could free Jeffs in something like five years with good behavior. The Texas case may guarantee that he is put away for life. It may be best to delay the Arizona case until after the Texas case since there is so much evidence in the Texas case. If there is a conviction in the Arizona case, the Texas case would still need to be heard, however, that is not true for the opposite scenario.

The outcome of all of this is that Jeffs may bring down polygamy due to his brash behavior. He certainly didn't fly under the radar as he should have.

Bruce | 11:50 p.m. July 18, 2008

Gal50 | 11:00 p.m. July 18, 2008
"Interesting thing about this is that it comes right before Congress considers crimes of polygamy."

They are not investigating "crimes of polygamy". They are investigating abuses associated with polygamous sects.

CommonSenseIsNotSoCommon | 11:50 p.m. July 18, 2008

One might have taken this at face value a year ago, but after all the false allegations, all one can say is, "Give me a break."

Haven't we heard this time and time again? I'm sure Nancy Grace is having a heyday with this one.

Is this like the alleged 40 girls who were pregnant underage? Is there really any truth behind it? Is it nothing more than an extremely exaggerated little piece of information?

I used to take these allegations hook, line and sinker. Now, the more I investigate, the more I realize big media is nothing more than a retail gossip.

Woodleigh | 12:50 a.m. July 19, 2008

For whatever reasons, some insist on defending the FLDS cult.

There has simply been too much information made public... by local law enforcement and previous members of the FLDS...to disbelieve all of it.

Just the fact that a man who declares himself a "prophet" and the rightful controller of all FLDS members now finds himself in prison speaks volumes.

I don't doubt for a second that these people have been indoctrinated, many or most from birth, to accept and live this lifestyle.

It has been inculcated into their minds, including the punishment they believe they will suffer if they disagree/disobey.

Kevin | 10:09 p.m. July 18, 2008 | 1:05 a.m. July 19, 2008

Sorry, poor choice of words and intending to be sarcastic. I agree with you that this is "Satan's lead".

Thomas | 6:12 a.m. July 19, 2008

A 15 year old is old enough to be prosecuted as an adult. A 15 year is old enough to be married.

look at the facts presented | 10:01 a.m. July 19, 2008

Theresa was 15 when she was spiritually married. Not legally married. She denies and the state has no proof (stated in earlier reports) that she has ever had sex. So, what do we have....nothing illegal. Lets take every 15 year old girl in all the neighborhoods of SLC and examine them to see if they have ever had sex. Then compare that to the YFZ ranch girls. Which have already been examined.
Is there any doubt which group will have the larger percentage of underage sex?

Anonymous | 12:42 p.m. July 19, 2008

I really hope that this abuse to young girls stops. It is not fair to them. It is abominable. These selfish men have talked them into this. It is the only life they know. The men are like snake charmers. Hurray for the women who wised up and got away.

R | 4:24 p.m. July 19, 2008

//They also tell her that it is her duty to marry this man//

//These selfish men have talked them into this.//

Well, if the letters and diary entries attributed to Teresa are real, it doesn't seem like she needed all that much convincing to do anything.

anonymous | 5:17 p.m. July 19, 2008

Raymond Jessop needs to be arrested immediately and so does this girls mother. If this were anywhere else in America where parents assisted and condoned in a middle aged man taking away a young girl a mere day after her 15th birthday, they would be arrested and thrown in jail no questions asked. Just because these misguided people have some self-proclaimed prophet claiming to be following God's will is no reason to allow this wholesale child rape to continue. "Spiritual marriage" isn't marriage, it's just a made up thing to allow dirty old men to have sex with teenagers. And the fact that these girls are "reassigned" is just ways for these guys to share them amongst themselves. And it's blasphemous that they do it in the name of God.

Anonymous | 5:46 p.m. July 19, 2008

CommonSense said: "Is there really any truth behind it? Is it nothing more than an extremely exaggerated little piece of information?"

Extremely exagerated little piece of information? Let's see, they have "photographs, marriage records, letters, cards and diary entries suggesting an "intimate relationship." CASA also said it had obtained a "dictation" prepared by Warren Jeffs, showing the two were married on July 27, 2006. FLDS leaders Wendell Nielson and Merril Jessop witnessed the ceremony," Hardly flimsy evidence. Left out of this article but reported in the Houston chronicle is the interesting little tidbit that besides this marriage, Warren Jeffs also married himself to an 11 year old. I wonder if that was the one in the photos circulated earlier?

CommonSenseIsNotSoCommon | 9:22 p.m. July 19, 2008

I really hope that this abuse to American people stops. It is not fair to them. It is abominable. The selfish Flora and Carolyn Jessop have talked Americans into this. It is the only side of the story Americans know. Flora, Carolyn and big media are like snake charmers. Hurray for us Americans who wised up and got the truth.

People act like they are experts on the FLDS, and yet they have never once studied any of the doctrine or read a single sermon.

Here's one for the not-so-informed: (about children)

ï¿½Teach them to serve one another. Instead of thumping the one who hit the other child, show them how to shake hands or give a hug, how to say kind words; and you love all the children." -Warren Jeffs (That evil child beater)

Jeffs is in jail for wedding a 15 year old to a 19 year old. At that age,four years difference is legal. So if she had been 16, or him 18, it would have been fine. It's not like wedding a 15 year old to a 60 year old. The sentence should be minimal, since the couple was so close in age.

To: anon 5:17 and 5:46 | 9:28 p.m. July 19, 2008

Everything they have doesn't indicate that she ever had any intimate relationships with her "husband." I think the most proof that will come of this is that there was a "spiritual" marriage consummation.

anonymous | 3:02 p.m. July 20, 2008

There's pictures of her kissing him and a homemade card she made saying "Have me, have me, please have me"! The only reason to get married is to "be fruitful and replenish the earth" why would he not have sex with her? Warren Jeffs gave her to him, that's what he gave her to him for.

What the ? | 11:16 p.m. July 20, 2008

So many of you have no lives.

The FLDS live there religious beliefs do you?

All of the LDS readers should not be throwing stones at the FLDS. Joseph Smith him self had many wives as did many other church leaders.

The only reason it was changed was due to the Federal Goverment attacks and possible confiscation of Utah.

As far as underage girls and forced marriage,
girls under age have sex all the time.

The force marriage is really a bad thing however
I beleive that the FLDS has recently said they would not allow underage or forced marriage.

I guess that all of those who have a belief in GOD
should allow God to be the judge not you bigots.

So leave them alone, its best to let a sleeping dog lie.

MysteryRenee | 11:16 a.m. July 21, 2008

Just can't believe you guys that are still supporting the FLDS.
Here is the proof you have been asking for: Journals, Pictures, Cards, and Church Documents. What more do you need?
As far as Theresa cooperating with her testimony - she doesn't dare. She will go to hell if she goes against her men. You know darn well that is what she believes.

someguy | 12:40 p.m. July 21, 2008

"Journals, Pictures, Cards, and Church Documents."
==================
None of which prove any sexual contact. It may imply it, but we can't be convicting people over implications now can we? There's the possibility that she & Raymond decided to wait until she was older before any intimate relationship.

It is still very possible that no sexual contact ever occurred between this girl and her "husband." Until you can prove that it occurred, he has to be considered innocent as much as you dislike it. In a few days, Teresa will be 17, and she can sleep with whoever she wants to, and there's nothing the state of Texas can do about it.

sleepy | 1:01 p.m. July 21, 2008

"Just can't believe you guys that are still supporting the FLDS.
Here is the proof you have been asking for: Journals, Pictures, Cards, and Church Documents. What more do you need?"

Fundamentalist religions should be given right to practice their beliefs within their own groups without a bunch of busy bodies getting involved. I guess a lot of us don't see any harm in a 15yo girl getting married. It was legal in the state of TX until just a few years ago. They only changed the law to get this group.

They "got" Jeffs for a marriage between a 15 and a 19 yo. Guess what? That happens a bunch all over the country and no one goes on the FBI most wanted list for it. This is a witch hunt.

What proof | 3:20 p.m. July 21, 2008

A report from the CPS now has litle merit after the
way they stole the children.

I support the FLDS's right to worship who and how they see fit.

I also support there right to raise there children in any way they see fit. That includes having there children only marry other FLDS memebers.

I guess all the Jesus freaks who want to reform
all people to there morals although they are wrong
for me and 3/4 of the rest of the world would rather
have the govement tell us what to do.

I hope all the do gooders will focus there attention on the Playboys girls and Hugh Hefner, they are sex slaves locked away in the mansion.

If they find one girl who was married at 15, so what?

Better married with a husband rather than all those inner city teenagers getting knoked up without any
way for support.

Oh by the way , maybe we as a nation should lock up
all the Catholic Priest's as there are part of a conspiracy to hide that they played with little boys.

Our Nation has a real hang up on sexual activity.

Leave it alone.

Texas opps | 6:45 p.m. July 21, 2008

If there is so much evidence of the criminal acts of the FLDS then why are there no charges against them?

I would think the the State of Texas would really try
very hard to find something after all these months.

Kinda funny huh.

The thought of the Goverment allowed to act in such a
militaristic manner against people for no reason at all turns my stomach.

Please lets all try to make the Goverment offiacls whom we elect accountable for such actions.

If we do nothing it soon will be to late.

R | 5:20 a.m. July 22, 2008

//As far as Theresa cooperating with her testimony - she doesn't dare. She will go to hell if she goes against her men. You know darn well that is what she believes.//

Or maybe, just maybe, she doesn't WANT to see her mother or Raymond Jessop in jail. Maybe she doesn't want to be away from her community. Nothing in her comments -at least the ones that have been supplied to the press- suggested she was even slightly unhappy with the arrangement. I rather suspect this is retaliation from her court-assigned attorney after Teresa publicly criticized her and hired another to represent her.

//You know darn well that is what she believes.//
I don't know anything of the sort. You don't either, you just think you do. Tell me, have you actually read her comments?

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.