Deseret News | Witness in Jeffs case grilled about her marriage, relationship with husband

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Witness in Jeffs case grilled about her marriage, relationship with husband

Wondering | 2:21 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

At the time, the victim (and she is a victim)at age 14 had no ability to consent. Why would the defense bring up her willingness to have a sexual relationship? This whole situation is just wrong!

JOliver | 2:54 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Now that they have Jeffs, are the prosecutors going to go after the parents, grandparents, or anyone else who yields a lot of influence over the lives and choices of young FLDS girls? Is prosecuting Jeffs enough? I'm not stating an opinion on what should be done, because I don't know if I have a good answer for the situation.

Do I agree with the FLDS? No. But I also do not know to what degree the members of the FLDS are converted to their religion. It makes sense to me the more converted to the religion an individual is, the less impact Jeffs guilt will have on the practice of polygamous and underage marriages.

Then the question is what exactly is the prosecution trying to accomplish? Is it to stop the FLDS sect from practicing one of it's tenants or to just get a conviction for Jeffs like they would any other criminal?

I am just curious as to how this is going to play out.

Ms. Placed Modifier | 3:05 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

" She left the FLDS Church and her husband after becoming pregnant with that man's child, whom she later married."

Whoops!

Comments continue below

curious | 3:52 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

How old was she when she had sex with the other man should he also be tried for rape. a lot of unanswered questions out there,

Hey... | 4:19 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

How does Dan in CA know Jane Doe's name? I would hope that the moderator would remove any comment that identifies the victim in this case.

Anonymous | 4:35 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Consent does not excuse a 19-year-old for having sex with a 14-year-old.

It is irrelevant that she had an affair. She was raped by her cousin and Jeffs participated in the crime as an accomplice.

As a member of the LDS faith, I cannot pretend that polygamy is not part of my heritage, but it is disgusting to see how "fundamentalists" have turned the practice into a sham for furthering pedophilia. "Child bride" is a misnomer. There are no child brides only child victims.

I don't have huge qualms with polygamy between consenting adults, but I abhor the practice of "marrying" children to adults. Pedophiles should be destroyed. Jeffs will be punished for his sins.

Muscogeean | 5:11 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Were charges ever brought against the husband for
rape (the victim calls him a good guy). How can
the state arrest and try a minister for assisting
with a rape, if the husband isn't also accused?

Judgement | 5:25 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

"My mother was the one who finally showed me that I had no choice," the now 21-year-old woman said of her marriage six years ago to a first cousin. "She had a lot of influence with me at that time."

If the Defense team keeps reminding the jury of this statement.

Case Closed.

MoJules | 5:38 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

I really don't care what happened one month, one year or any time after she married, what happened the first time? Was she forced as a young girl to marry an older boy and told to submit to him? She was raped by the boy, but more so by Jeffs and her mother. She may have endured and even had sex, so that she could have money, so that would be forced prostitution, but when she finally could act for herself, she left. These people are so brain washed, I use to deal with many when I lived in St. George, the ones who left the group, that I also dealt with were able to see things more clearly. When I was 14, I had barely kissed boys, if I had been forced to the alter and then to the bed, I just can't imagine what the poor girl went through. But it doesn't matter what she feels today, what did she feel on day one?

debsg | 7:16 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

I admire her for speaking up. It's too bad all of the other 14 year olds who were forced to marry 50+++ are too afraid to. It has happened alot

Anonymous | 8:36 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

I think that the reasoning behind the defenses strategy, in delving into whether she had any willingness to have s. relations; is to maybe let the jury ponder or plant a seed that may lessen their defendants' possible responsiblity in the counts/charges, that have him there in the first place.

Fred H. | 10:47 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Just interesting that it was legal for the girl to marry, and that they must have had the legal Utah permission slip; but somehow the "minister" is guilty by quoting the sects beliefs. Isn't the solution to make the marriage of a 14 year old unlawful? Should the Governor and Legislature be also charged as accomplices?

Jane Doe | 11:23 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Her name is well known, but the press agreed not to state it. She was transported across state boundries for the purpose of sex with a minor, a violation of the Mann-Act. The wedding was in Caliente Nevada at the Hot Springs, a resort owned at the time by FLDS faithful Merrill Jessop. Ruby Jessop also 14 was married the same day there.

An interesting note is she refered to her father as Fred Jessop. Fred now deceased, died in his 90's, he was sterile from the mumps as a kid. While he had 100 children, they were from reassignment after the biological fathers fell out of favor with the prophets. The number of wives and children make them a bigger god in the after life, but they don't believe they have to be the birth parents.

Age of consent? | 11:35 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Unless changed it was 16 to marry, with age 15 by stipulation of a judge. At 16 the male counter part may not be more than 10 years the girls senior. Consent to intercourse, 16 with the male no more than 2 years the female minors senior and not in a position of authority. This whole priesthood thing makes the male in a position of authority. With a adult first cousin, it is violation of trust a lower classification for incest, it applies to stepfathers as well. In Utah Senator Ron Allen authored SB 146 in 2001 making sham marriages with a minor illegal. Its more like PIMPING, because neither consent or polygamy applies in the case of a minor age 14. The parents could also be charged with child abandonement, child endangerment and exploitation of a minor. Because the parents believe in this doctrine, they are willing to pimp their daughters. If the man is faithful, he will get the daughter of another.

But to do the marriage in Caliente Nevada violated the Mann-Act and required conspiracy, with 2 or more planning the union and using a site across state lines to violate the law.

Phil | 12:13 a.m. Sept. 18, 2007

I thought Utah law allowed 14 females to get married with parents consent. This was the case not too long ago. Seems like the law has change because since I have been reeding this case it sounds like 16. Has the law been change to retroactivly to help this case?

Bonnie | 2:50 p.m. Sept. 18, 2007

This girl in NO WAY consented to the marriage or intimacy with her first cousin. She made that abundantly clear over and over again. She finally broke down and started letting her cousin do what he wanted to her just so that she could get to do the kinds of things normal 14 and 15 year old kids do, which is no different than forced prostitution, under the cloak of religion. Many kids have suffered this with the FLDS. I find this group totally appalling. This sect is outlandishly hypocritical. Do not forget that this kid was well aware that her whole family could be put out of their house if she did not comply with the "prophet's" orders. These people suffer so much unnatural pressure from leaders that are nothing but thugs and peodphiles themselves. The FLDS leaders seem to delight in causing others pain and they should all lose all of their assets and be jailed for life.

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