Warren Jeffs Sentenced to Life in Prison After Self-Represented Sexual Assault Trial in San Angelo, Texas

A Texas jury convicted Warren Jeffs, the spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), on charges of sexually assaulting underage girls, according to reports from the Associated Press and other outlets. The Associated Press reported that he was found guilty of child sex abuse, and its report was published August 4, 2011, at 4:40 p.m. CDT as breaking news from San Angelo, Texas. Jeffs, 55, faced charges in a trial at the Tom Green County Courthouse in San Angelo.

Jeffs represented himself for most of the proceedings. One report said he fired his team of attorneys before the trial began, saying they could not present “a pure defense.” Another said he fired his high-powered lawyers on a Thursday. Reports also differ on his courtroom statements. On a Friday, he broke a prolonged silence with an outburst that one report described as lasting an hour and including a curse against the prosecutors, a defense of polygamy and quotations from “the Lord God.” Another report described a 55-minute sermon that defended plural marriages as divine. Both accounts describe Jeffs defending polygamy from the witness stand or the courtroom floor.

The charges centered on two underage girls. Jeffs was convicted of two counts relating to plural marriages involving girls aged 12 and 15, and he faced a possible life sentence. Earlier, Jeffs had been convicted on Utah sex assault charges in 2007 and had spent almost five years in various jails, one report noted.

Jeffs refused to attend the final stages of the trial, according to one report. A Texas jury then took 40 minutes to reach its sentences. Jeffs received life in prison for aggravated sexual assault and 20 years for sexual assault of a child, the Guardian reported. One report said he was sentened to life after a jury in Texas handed down the verdict on a Tuesday. The reports agree that the sentence is life, but they differ on details of the day and the wording of the charges.

Jeffs will not be eligible for parole until he is at least 100 years old, according to NBC News. Experts and former members quoted in that report said most followers are unlikely to leave the church, despite evidence presented at trial that Jeffs had sex with girls as young as 12. Protecting people who cannot defend themselves stood at the center of the case (Proverbs 31:8-9).